The Lawns to Legumes program offers a combination of workshops, coaching, planting guides and cost-share funding for installing pollinator-friendly native plantings in residential lawns. The program also includes a public education campaign to raise awareness for pollinator habitat projects and will establish demonstration neighborhoods that showcase best practices. Partners include Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water and Metro Blooms.

Funding is provided through the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) and will be targeted in priority areas to benefit the Rusty patched bumblebee and other at-risk species. Please continue checking this webpage for additional updates about the program.

The program has three components:

Grants to demonstration neighborhoods

Grants and coaching for individual landowners

Outreach and education for all interested Minnesota residents

Sign up for program updates here

View a print-ready program overview here.

Lawns to Legumes grants:

Two types of grants are available:

Individual Support Grants: Lawns to Legumes offers a combination of workshops, coaching, planting guides and cost-share funding for installing pollinator-friendly native plantings in residential lawns. Minnesota residents can apply to be reimbursed for up to $350 in costs associated with establishing pollinator habitat in their yards. Applications for the first application period for spring 2020 projects were accepted through February 28, 2020 and yielded more than 5,000 applications. Funding decisions and all notifications will be emailed in March for spring 2020 installations.

A second application period geared toward fall 2020 projects opened March 9 and closed June 2. Those who applied for spring project funding but did not receive funding were automatically considered for the second application period. Fall can be an ideal time to install pollinator seed mixes, since many flowers seeded to establish pollinator meadows need freezing and thawing conditions over winter to break their seed coat and prepare for spring germination. Fall is also a great time to plant containerized trees and shrubs that offer benefits to pollinators as long as they are watered going into winter.

Eligible expenses for individual support grants.

How to apply: Apply online at Blue Thumb’s website

Demonstration Neighborhood Grants: Demonstration neighborhoods are community projects intended to enhance pollinator habitat in key corridors, raise awareness for residential pollinator protection, and showcase best practices. Organizations overseeing a demonstration neighborhood will work with local residents to install four types of beneficial planting practices: native pocket plantings, pollinator beneficial trees and shrubs, pollinators lawns and pollinator meadows. Local governments, nonprofit organizations, and tribal governments were invited to apply through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process this winter. Thirteen organizations were selected to receive demonstration neighborhood grants in 2020.

Why Pollinator Beneficial Plantings Are Important:

Many insects such as bees, butterflies, and moths that support our food and ecological systems are at serious risk.

Pollinator beneficial plantings also provide water quality, carbon sequestration and other ecosystem benefits.

Design, installation and management of pollinator plantings provide green industry jobs.

Improved soil health.

Key Ways to Incorporate Pollinator Habitat into Yards

BWSR's Planting for Pollinators Habitat Guide can help you plan, implement, and maintain your project.

Expand garden beds and plant pollinator habitat ie: native flowers.

Remove existing lawn (using sod cutters, etc.) and seed a pollinator lawn seed mix that typically include no-mow fescues and flowers.

Inter-seed flowers into existing lawn and increase mowing height, and decrease mowing frequency

Convert large areas to prairie vegetation.

Plant your rain-garden with pollinator-beneficial plants.

Incorporate flowering shrubs and trees in the landscape such as chokeberry, dogwood, ninebark, hawthorn, cherry, plum, apple, maple and basswood.

Provide nesting and over-wintering opportunities, see Planting for Pollinators (link below) to learn more.

Eliminate the use of insecticides and fungicides to the extent possible.

DIY Resources:

Many people who have contacted BWSR are not looking for funding, but information about how to create pollinator habitat. We hope these free resources provide an important link for those who are not sure how to begin their pollinator planting project.

Other key resources related to this program include: