1. Review the Grant Program Policies (updated March 2022).
2. Fill out/submit the request a site visit form.
3. We will notify you by email about a site visit day/time within 7 business days. [IMPORTANT: Sometimes this email gets caught in spam/junk folders. Check these folders in your email account or add lforbes@rpbcwd.org  to your email contacts.]
4. Design your project. You can design the project yourself based on recommendations from the technician, or you hire a private company/contractor to design the project. We encourage you to submit the plan to technician for preliminary review. The technician can help calculate the water quality benefits portion of the application. Make sure you are meeting requirements for your project type: 
   • Requirements for Habitat Restoration Projects
   • Requirement for Shoreline and Wetland Buffer Projects
   • Requirements for Rain Garden and Infiltration Basin Projects

1. Before you submit the application, review a reference copy of the grant application form (pdf ). NOTE: This pdf is for reference only - do not use this when submitting an application. You need to use the online form to submit your application. Questions? Email the grant coordinator.


2. Review the project-specific requirements if you have one of these projects: 
   • Habitat Restoration Project Requirements
   • Shoreline and Wetland Buffer Project Requirements
   • Rain Garden and Infiltration Basin Project Requirements


3. Gather all of the necessary information needed BEFORE submitting an application. The more detailed information you provide, the less likely we'll have to go back-and-forth to ask for more information. Information/materials you will need to provide:

• Project Map: Provide a map showing the location of where the project would be on your property. An aerial (satellite) image of your property with contour/topographic lines is preferred. [Tip: Go to the "Tools & Resources" section at the bottom of this page to find links for your county's online property map; these have measuring and drawing tools!] Reach out to the grant coordinator for assistance. A hand-drawn map is fine if it provides details adequate for assessing your project. Take a look at these examples: Example 1, Example 2, Example 3.  

• Project Design: Provide a sketch of your project design with details such as location of features, planting plan with locations of plants, etc. Include a size reference to help us understand the approximate size of your project. If your project is simple, like adding a rain barrel to a downspout, this may not be needed.

• Photos: Provide two or more photos of project area as it looks now (before project installation).

• Cost Estimate: If you plan to do the project yourself, you'll need to submit an itemized cost estimate (materials, equipment rentals, in-kind labor, etc.). If you plan to hire a company/contractor to do part or all of the project work, please provide a detailed quote or bid from that company. Download this Grant Project Estimator (this is an Excel file you can open in Microsoft Excel or open in Google Sheets through your free Google/Gmail account) to help you estimate costs.

• Plant list: If your project includes plants, provide the plant/seed list including quantity. Include other relevant information such as seed mix name, seeding rate, quantity of plants, and size of plants (e.g. plug, pot size, multi-pack, etc.). This list will help us evaluate if your plant selections are appropriate for the site. In other words, let us know what plant is going where. For native habitat restoration, shoreline restoration projects and native plantings/gardens, only native plants/seeds are allowed and you must provide SCIENTIFIC NAMES. The native plants must be native to our Minnesota ecoregion. Native plants for these projects must also be in their natural (wild) form and may NOT be cultivated varieties (bred by people for specific characteristics).

3. Once you have gathered all information and materials, fill out and submit the online grant application form.  While the form has been set up to save your responses, your local device may not be.  Tip: Use a word processing program (e.g. Word) to put together your application responses in advance, then copy and paste these into the form.  

If you've reached the maximum file upload in the application form, you can email additional files to the grant program coordinator at lforbes@rpbcwd.org.

See an EXAMPLE of a completed application.

1. We will send you a grant agreement contract. Once this is signed, you can get started!
2. Keep track of your expenses including all receipts.
3. Issues come up. If you think you need to make a change to your plan, contact us in advance so changes may be considered for approval.
4. Take lots of photos! Before, during, and after. You’ll need photos to submit in your project report.
5. You’ve got ONE YEAR to complete your project once grant has been approved.

1. Submit a project report to the grant coordinator. Your report must include:
   • Total project cost
   • Copies of receipts that show vendor information, date of purchase, and item name/cost (invoices must be marked as "paid in full" or have proof of payment to be considered a receipt). If your receipt includes items not used for the project (e.g. candy bar), please draw a line through these on the receipt or communicate these items to the grant coordinator.
   • List of in-kind contributions (e.g. personal labor hours) you would like credited to the project
   • Photographs of completed project
   • Short written description about project (how did it go, what did you learn, how do you plan to maintain the project site, etc.)
2. Request a project inspection by emailing or calling the grant coordinator. If you submit your project report and haven't scheduled the project inspection, we will reach out to you. *Timing: you may schedule the inspection as soon as the project is nearing completion.
3. Once your project has passed the inspection, the grant coordinator will submit a payment request to the District administrator for approval. Once approved, the reimbursement will be in the form of a check mailed to your address (see timing info below).

When will I receive my grant reimbursement payment? That depends on when you submit your project report. If you submit all required information (including receipts) and there's enough time to perform a close-out site visit by the 15th of the month, then your reimbursement is likely to be mailed to you during the first full week of the following month.  If your report and close-out site visit occur after the 15th of the month, then your reimbursement would likely be pushed back to the next District finance cycle (month after next).

1. Take care of your project. Depending on the type of project/location, you are required to to maintain your project for 5 years or 10 years.
2.  Complete an online project report each year to let us know how things are going. Please do this annually for 5 to 10 years (depending on what's stated in your grant agreement).
3. At the end of year two, a District representative will stop out for a progress visit.
4. Stay in contact! The watershed district often offers continuing education on topics such as maintenance plus other opportunities to learn and get involved.