$3.6 Million Granted by Minnesota DEED to Help State’s Cannabis Industry

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A recent press release disclosed that the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will be granting $3.6 million in funding to help train workers and new businesses looking to enter the cannabis industry (1).

Minnesota has a variety of programs aimed at helping businesses within the cannabis industry. Two of those DEED programs are called CanNavigate and CanStartup, will be able to help “provide technical assistance and increase access to capital for business owners looking to start and expand cannabis businesses in Minnesota,” (1). Another program called CanTrain provides grants that will be given to workforce training organizations that will help train new cannabis industry workers. These programs were established in a 2023 legislative session when adult-use cannabis was legalized in the state. The press release mentioned how “These programs are aligned to promote and ensure strategic ways for Minnesotans to enter the cannabis industry in a healthy and legal manner,” (1). The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), DEED, and other state-related agencies, work together to provide opportunities to business owners interested in obtaining licenses so that they are able to operate cannabis businesses in Minnesota (1).

“Legal adult-use cannabis is an exciting new industry for Minnesota businesses and workers, and DEED's job is to make sure they have an accessible on-ramp,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek (1).“We're committed to ensuring social equity in the cannabis industry, working alongside our regulatory partners securing market integrity, and supporting Minnesota's community-focused lenders and workforce development organizations around the state.”

CanNavigate works via offering grants to community-based entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs), as well as business establishments that have cannabis regulatory experts that will provide assistance to businesses working through the legal cannabis regulatory landscape. As mentioned in the press release, grantees include (1):

• Minnesota Association of Black Cannabis Professionals and Communities United Through Justice and Inclusion - $400,000
• Minnesota Cannabis Institute - $234,601
• Minnesota Consortium of Community Developers - $308,935

CanStartup offers nonprofit lenders grants so that they can fund loans for new cannabis microbusiness (1). Grantees for this DEED program include (1):

• Propagate Community Development Corporation - $500,000
• Seward Redesign, Inc. - $100,000
• WomenVenture - $500,000

For CanTrain, this program provides grant funding to eligible organizations that will “reate and implement workforce development programs to provide support, navigation services and training to individuals leading to a relevant career in the legal cannabis industry,” (1). As mentioned in the press release, grantees include (1):

• Minneapolis Community and Technical College - $403,530
• Minnesota Training Partnerships - $126,116
• Minnesota Cannabis College - $250,000
• Urban League Twin Cities - $320,000
• White Earth Tribal and Community College - $500,000

The Office of Cannabis Management has two additional grant programs called CanRenew and CanGrow. The press release mentions (1), “CanRenew, which helps fund projects addressing a range of community needs, including economic development, public health, violence prevention, youth development and civil legal aid; and CanGrow, which provides grants to eligible organizations to help farmers navigate the regulatory structure of the legal cannabis industry and to nonprofits to fund loans to farmers for expansion in the industry.” Grants for CanRenew were recently announced on August 21, 2025.

Reference

1. News https://mn.gov/deed/newscenter/press-releases/?id=702706 (accessed Aug 26, 2025).