Who May Apply?

Residents, non-profits, businesses, schools, and local goverment units (LGUs) may apply. The project area must be located on property owned by the applicant.

Maximum Grant Award

• Residents: Up to 75% of cost up to $500.
• Non-profits: Up to 75% of cost up to $1,500
• Businesses, schools, and LGUs: Up to 50% of cost up to $1,500

Approved Uses of Funds

The purchase of native seeds and/or live native plants are the ONLY costs eligible for with a grant for a Native Plant Project. Plants must be installed in the ground and not in containers. Plants/seeds may be used to establish a new planting or to enhance an existing native planting. Example projects: pollinator garden, pocket prairie, or addition of native plants to property.

Maximum Allowable Costs

To maximize value per dollar but still allow flexibility for grantees in plant selection, maximum allowable cost has been set for native plants.

Native Plant Requirements

To be eligible for a Stewardship Grant, a Native Plant Project must use non-cultivated varietes of native plants and provide habitat benefits. Requirements include:

1. Only native plants in their natural form. No cultivars allowed.
2. Native plants must be purchased from an approved vendor.
3. Plant selection must be appropriate for site conditions.
4. Plant selection must include at least 9 different species with 3 species that bloom in spring, 3 species that bloom in summer, and 3 species that bloom in fall. (Note: All plants types qualify as a "blooming plant" including wildflowers, grasses, sedges, shrubs, and trees, etc.)
5. Must practice ecologically friendly maintenance.

To apply, you will need to provide a detailed native plant list that includes scientific name, common name, bloom time, size of plant to be purchased, price for each, quantity of each, and total cost. See an example native plant list. Download a native plant list spreadsheet that you can populate with your plant selections (open in Excel, Google Sheets, or other spreadsheet application).

Maximize Your Cost-Share Award

Review the scoring sheet to see how you can maximize the cost share percentage for a grant for a Native Plant Project:

Eligibility for In-Kind Credit or Professional Maintenance Funds

This project type is not eligible for in-kind labor/materials or professional maintenance support. Only the cost of native live plants or seeds qualify as eligible costs for the Native Plant Project.

Why Native Plants?

Native plants play a significant role in ecosystem health including water resources. Native plants provide habitat for wildlife and the base of the food web. As they grow, plants pull carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it in the form of new roots, leaves and stems.

Native plants are soil engineers with extensive roots that create structure and nurture a healthy soil ecosystem with microorganisms. Healthy soils have air pockets and rich, dark humus that allows rainwater and snowmelt to soak into the ground where the water is stored and used in time of drought. Native plants also protect soil by shielding it from erosion and shading it to reduce water loss.