Trust Fund

Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund

When Minnesota plays, everybody wins. That's because proceeds from the Minnesota State Lottery finance a variety of projects that preserve, restore and enhance our state's natural resources. For fiscal year 2008, 29 projects will receive $21.4 million through the Lottery-funded Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, which is administered by the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. Since the Lottery's start-up, the trust fund has financed another 342 projects worth $208 million.

The trust fund receives 40 percent of Lottery net proceeds, or about 7 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets. That totaled about $29.5 million in FY07. The remaining 60 percent of proceeds is allocated to the state General Fund for programs such as public education, health and human services and public safety. 72.4 percent of a 6.5 cents in-lieu-of-sales tax is also distributed among various environmental programs, with the remaining 27.6 percent going to the General Fund.

For a look at some of the Trust Fund projects, see our Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund Photo Gallery.

Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources

2005-2007 Trust Fund Projects

Trust Fund Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

For a county-by-county breakdown of older projects, see our interactive Minnesota Trust Fund map.