About MnTAP

About the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program

The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) is a grant funded, confidential, environmental outreach and assistance program for businesses and organizations throughout Minnesota. We are based at the University of Minnesota in the School of Public Health. MnTAP works to improve public health and the environment by preventing pollution at the source, optimizing use of resources, and reducing energy use and costs. 

Our Values 

At the heart of MnTAP’s mission is our care and respect for Minnesota’s land and natural resources. We acknowledge we live and work in the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of the Dakota and Anishinaabe people. Through our work in all regions of Minnesota, MnTAP is committed to preserving these lands that Indigenous communities have protected and continue to protect to this day.

As individuals, businesses, industries and communities, our use of natural resources and creation of waste has an impact on our local environments and public health. MnTAP takes pride in collaborating with others to identify practical, cost-effective solutions that help create environmentally conscious, safe, and efficient operations. We prioritize quality in our work and provide continual support through the implementation of each project.

Our Commitment to Equity

Our goal is to improve the environment for all Minnesotans. MnTAP’s primary services are no-cost to promote accessibility. We have cultivated a strong internal culture of gender equity and continue to create opportunities to engage team members and partners that represent the diversity of the people we serve. We seek to increase our focus on solutions that address the needs of our most disadvantaged communities.

As a team, we are committed to continuous improvement with priorities that include: 

  • Setting actionable targets to serve environmental justice areas 
  • Learning new ways to respectfully serve people of all races, ethnicities, abilities, gender orientations, sexual orientations, and economic statuses
  • Seeking strategies for our outreach and hiring processes to be attractive to all candidates. 

Our Funding & Partners

Established in 1984, MnTAP is funded in part by a pass-through grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Resource Management and Assistance Division to the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences. Other grants come from partners including the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources, Metropolitan Council, counties and other local units of government, EPA Region 5, and energy utilities. As part of the University, MnTAP has no regulatory responsibilities or obligations.

Celebrating 35 years of Pollution Prevention in 2019!

Narrative from William Toscano, Ph.D., EnHS, SPH

 

MnTAP's Service Map
The following map shows where MnTAP conducted assistance in 2011. Blue pins represent site visits, red represents intern projects, and green represents teams.
See 30 Years of MnTAP's Accomplishments
 

IMPACT

Each year, MnTAP publishes an Environmental Benefits Report, which highlights special projects and the organization’s overall achievements. This report is submitted to the MPCA.

Read IMPACT