WSB, in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, is providing free environmental, sustainability, energy, and climate-related technical assistance to Minnesota Tribal Nations, through June 2026. We will work with your community to identify, prioritize, and advance projects that reflect your Tribe’s unique goals and vision.
Connect with us now to learn more and request assistance for a new or ongoing project.
Tribal Technical Assistance with WSBOverview
WSB is contracted with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to provide technical environmental, sustainability, energy, and climate-related assistance to Minnesota Tribal Nations at no cost on a first-come, first-serve basis, with approximately $550,000 in overall support available. The contract runs through June 2026, and support is customized to each Tribe. We support your Tribe by listening to, understanding your goals, and exploring opportunities to help your community achieve its vision. This funding is tailored to your community’s priorities and provides free, expert assistance to identify, prioritize, and implement Tribal projects that may have otherwise faced barriers, ensuring the projects reflect your Tribe’s long-term goals.
In addition to providing assistance across a range of sectors and markets (see the Eligible Projects section), we offer cross-cutting services such as community engagement and communications, as well as grants and funding support, to help Tribal Nations secure resources, advance projects, and achieve lasting impact.
Sustainability & Climate
Note: We provide community engagement, outreach, and accessible communications across the above projects and sectors, helping our Tribal clients and partners build awareness, foster participation, and ensure that selected projects reflect community voices and priorities and achieve lasting impact.
Natural Resources
Note: We provide community engagement, outreach, and accessible communications across the above projects and sectors, helping our Tribal clients and partners build awareness, foster participation, and ensure that selected projects reflect community voices and priorities and achieve lasting impact.
Transportation
Note: We provide community engagement, outreach, and accessible communications across the above projects and sectors, helping our Tribal clients and partners build awareness, foster participation, and ensure that selected projects reflect community voices and priorities and achieve lasting impact.
Grant Support
Note: We provide community engagement, outreach, and accessible communications across the above projects and sectors, helping our Tribal clients and partners build awareness, foster participation, and ensure that selected projects reflect community voices and priorities and achieve lasting impact.
At WSB, we are working with Minnesota Tribal Nations through a collaborative, respectful, and outcomes-driven approach that centers Tribal priorities and values. At the heart of our approach are these tenets, guiding every step of our work with Minnesota Tribal Nations to ensure projects honor your priorities and culture:
Visionary & Respectful –Co-designing initiatives with Tribal leadership and communities, aligning projects with Tribal priorities, cultural values, and long-term community impact.
Trust-Building & Relationship-Focused – Engaging transparently with leaders, elders, and community members through consistent, culturally informed, and inclusive dialogue.
Outcomes & Accountability – Connecting projects and grants to locally meaningful results, from community well-being to cultural preservation, measured with culturally appropriate metrics.
Collaboration & Co-Creation – Playing the role of facilitators and learners, providing resources and expertise while honoring traditional knowledge and ensuring Tribal voices guide planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Support
WSB is a trusted engineering and consulting firm with expertise in energy, resiliency, water, environmental stewardship, transportation, and a range of other disciplines. We have had the privilege of partnering with Tribal Nations across the Midwest, providing tailored support in climate planning, renewable energy development, natural resource management, and more. Our team approaches every project with respect for Tribal sovereignty, cultural values, and traditions—prioritizing meaningful relationships built on transparency and trust. Our project team is available to travel to your community to engage directly and ensure our work reflects your Tribe’s unique needs and priorities.
We request that you reach out before October 24, 2025, to schedule your one-on-one informational session with us as the first step toward unlocking this no-cost support for your Tribe.
Let us get you started. Please click here to schedule an informational session with our program manager and learn how your Tribal community can access free, MPCA-funded technical assistance. Please note that this is an important first step for us to engage with you and understand your needs. If you are already aware of the grant and are in the process of developing or implementing a project, fill out the adjacent form to connect with us.
In addition to learning more about your community’s priorities, ideas, and how this program can best support your Tribe, each informational session will include:
Once we receive your request, our team will reach out to you promptly to schedule your information session and meeting.
For any questions or assistance please email [email protected] or call at 210-882-7589.
All federally recognized Tribal Nations in Minnesota are eligible to receive this technical assistance.
Support is available now through June 2026. We can begin working with your Tribal Nation as soon as you reach out and confirm your interest.
Yes. If you would like to take advantage of the technical assistance program, please contact us and request an informational session before Oct 24.
No. This assistance is fully funded through a contract with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). There are no cost and no match requirements for participating Tribal Nations.
We will work around your Tribe’s availability and capacity. While your input is essential to ensure projects align with your priorities and vision, WSB will provide the technical expertise and heavy lifting. We will adapt to your timeline and staffing capacity.
Yes. WSB has partnered with Tribal communities across the Midwest on climate planning, renewable energy development, natural resource management, and transportation projects. We approach every project with respect for each Tribal Nation’s sovereignty, cultural values, and traditions.
Helpful Links
The Chickasaw Nation, with funding from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), partnered with WSB to develop a prioritized list of mitigation strategies addressing the region’s most pressing natural hazards—wildfire, drought, and flooding. WSB’s role was to design a comprehensive suite of mitigation options for each hazard and apply a newly developed decision analysis tool from the U.S. EPA to help prioritize those strategies.
View Project Details
WSB collaborated with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community to conduct a feasibility study across 15 tribal buildings and parcels to evaluate the sites for solar PV systems potential.
View Project Details
WSB collaborated with a local Tribal Nation to develop a multi-year funding strategy to successfully complete a comprehensive federal grant funding application through a new program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
View Project Details
WSB collaborated with a local Tribal Nation to develop a climate action plan through a new program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). As part of this initiative, our team began with stakeholder engagement to understand the organization’s goals, objectives, culture, local economics and staffing resources.
View Project Details
We partner with our clients and communities to build what’s next in infrastructure – the places, spaces, and systems that support our lives.