St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) has selected more than 700 Minnesota residents to receive Individual Support grants and 20 local governments and nonprofit organizations to receive Demonstration Neighborhood grants through the Lawns to Legumes program.
“Pollinators are critical to the vitality of Minnesota’s natural resources, ecosystems and economy,” said BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke. “Lawns to Legumes gives Minnesotans concrete action steps they can take to benefit pollinators in their own living spaces, where they can see the results firsthand.”
Funded by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, Lawns to Legumes offers a combination of workshops, coaching, planting guides and cost-share funding for installing pollinator-friendly native plantings in residential lawns. BWSR partners with Metro Blooms and Blue Thumb — Planting for Clean Water to administer the program, which offers two types of grants:
Individual Support grants: All Minnesota residents were eligible to apply for these grants during a recent application period running from Aug. 25, 2021, through Feb. 15, 2022. Individual Support grants reimburse gardeners for up to $350 in costs associated with planting pollinator habitat in their yards. Recipients have access to workshops, coaching opportunities and gardening resources to help ensure project success. Recipients are required to contribute a 25% match in the form of purchasing materials, hiring contractors or as in-kind time spent planting and maintaining their projects.
Demonstration Neighborhood grants: Demonstration Neighborhoods are community projects run by local governments and nonprofit organizations intended to enhance pollinator habitat in key corridors, raise awareness about residential pollinator protection and showcase best practices. Twelve organizations were initially selected for Demonstration Neighborhood grants in 2020; these groups must complete grant-related work by the end of this year. A second application period opened Nov. 2, 2021, and closed Feb. 3, 2022. BWSR’s board approved an additional 20 grants from the most recent application period at its March 23, 2022, board meeting. See a complete list of recipients here.
Lawns to Legumes is not currently accepting new applications for Individual Support grants or Demonstration Neighborhood grants since application periods for both grant types recently closed. BWSR plans to distribute more Individual Support grants this summer. Sign up for program updates to be notified of future grant opportunities. For more information on Lawns to Legumes, see BWSR’s website.