Individual Support Grantee Information

So you’ve been awarded an L2L Individual Support grant…

Here’s what to do next!

1. Start planning your project: You have 1 year from being notified to plan, install, and submit a reimbursement request for your project. In order to be sure the LCCMR funds are used by their expiration date, we will roll over any unclaimed funding into a future round of grantee selection. The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) Planting for Pollinators habitat guide provides tips on plant selection, templates to help you design a garden project, information on how to maintain plantings, and much more. Note: Only native plants are eligible for reimbursement.
   1. Additional resources that can help you plan and design your project include:
      1. BWSR Pollinator Garden Templates: Shady Garden (pdf); Rain Garden (pdf), Sunny and Low (Boulevard) Garden (pdf). These templates provide base designs for native plant pollinator gardens. They are customizable with substitutions for each plant.
      2. Native Plant Selection: BWSR provides a quick and easy guide to high quality pollinator plants (pdf) to provide blooms throughout the growing season. Blue Thumb’s native plant finder can also help you find the right plants for the right location.
      3. Build a Pollinator Garden in Seven Steps: Tips from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service.
      4. Native Plant Suppliers: A guide from the Department of Natural Resources, or see Blue Thumb Partner Nurseries.
      5. Bee Lawn Tool kit: Advice from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab, or see the Pollinator Lawn information on Blue Thumb.
      6. Organic Site Preparation Methods: Information from the Xerces Society
   2. See BWSR’s program webpage for more planting and maintenance resources.
   3. Blue Thumb Partner Landscape Designers can also help you plan and design a project.
   4. Review what project expenses are eligible for reimbursement!
2. You have the opportunity to sign up for a coach who can help you plan your project. You’ll be notified about it.
3. Sign up for an upcoming workshop. These are generally scheduled in the Spring and Fall.
4. Take pictures of your project area before you start. You’ll need to submit before and after photos of your project in order to be reimbursed.
5. Save your paid, itemized receipts. Keep copies of all your paid receipts from work on your yard project. You’ll need these to submit your reimbursement request once your project has been implemented. Expenses eligible for reimbursement include:
   1. Site consultation and/or design from a landscape designer (not to exceed $75 for one and $175 for both)
   2. Site preparation (sod removal, tilling, weed control)
   3. Purchasing native plants
   4. Weed suppression papers
   5. Wood mulch
   6. Seed and plant installation (if you choose to work with a landscaping service)
   7. Maintenance (if you choose to work with a landscaping service)
   8. Download the full list of reimbursable expenses here.
6. Install your project! If you need help, Blue Thumb Partner Landscape Installers can be of assistance.
7. Take pictures that demonstrate the extent of your project, from similar vantage points as your pre-project photos so they can be easily compared. If you are requesting to be reimbursed for seeds, the pictures will have to show them after they’ve been sowed and sprouted (but not necessarily full-grown). Bonus points if your pictures are beautiful.
8. When your project is complete, submit your photos, receipts, and other documentation on the Reimbursement Form here. Please read through and fill it out carefully—any mistakes or missing information will delay our ability to send out reimbursement and your project sign. Note, some fields are only visible once you begin filling it out. To see a sample of the full form (which must be filled out online to be reimbursed), click below.