Apply for a cost share grant from the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District!

Grant funds are available to residents, associations, nonprofits, schools, businesses, and cities for projects located within the boundaries of the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District.

All grant funding for 2026 is exhausted. Any grant applications submitted will be held for funding review in 2027.

apply for a Cost Share grant here

**In person grant application assistance available if needed—reach out to Lizzy to schedule: eboor@ninemilecreek.org; 952-395-8207

butterfly milkweed and other native plants amongst much starting to vigorously grow on the shore of a pond.
Residential shoreline buffer on a pond in Edina

Eligible Projects

We award cost share grants to projects that prevent stormwater pollution or to projects that restore native plant and wildlife habitat. Examples projects include raingardens, shoreline buffers, permeable pavers, chloride reduction projects, native plantings, and habitat restoration projects. In order to be eligible for funding, all projects must meet one or more of the grant program goals:

  • Improve water quality or increase the capacity of the watershed to store or infiltrate water
  • Protect and preserve groundwater quality and quantity
  • Preserve, protect, and restore native plant and wildlife habitats, with emphasis on projects adjacent to or near lakes, rivers, and wetlands

Required Grant Match

Projects require a 25% match from the applicant.

In-kind materials and services can be used as match. Landowner/volunteer labor is eligible as an in-kind contribution at $35 per hour.

Removal of vegetation and/or invasive species, including buckthorn removal, invasive cattail, garlic mustard, turfgrass, etc. is not an eligible grant expense for habitat restoration projects or native plantings, but may be used as grant match.

Grant Awards

raingardens between apartments and parking lot
Raingardens collecting stormwater off the 151 on 8th apartments in Hopkins.

Maximum grant award for habitat restoration projects or native plantings:

  • $3,750 for residential projects
  • $6,250 for townhome, condominium, or lake associations
  • $12,500 for commercial, government, or nonprofit projects

Maximum grant award for other eligible projects:

  • $6,250 for residential projects
  • $25,000 for townhome, condominium, or lake associations
  • $62,500 for commercial, government, or nonprofit project

Informational Video

View video summary

Lizzie Bour, watershed specialist with the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, explains the District’s cost share grant program and answers common questions about applying.

  • Goals: every project must do at least one of three things: improve water quality, protect and preserve groundwater, or protect and restore native plant habitat.
  • Example projects: turf-to-prairie conversions, buckthorn removal and woodland restoration, rain gardens, shoreline buffers, permeable pavers, and liquid deicing equipment that reduces salt use. Educational projects, such as stormwater materials for a classroom, can also qualify.
  • Who can apply: residents, associations, schools, businesses, nonprofits, and cities, for projects inside the watershed district. The District website has an address lookup to check.
  • Funding: habitat restoration and native planting projects can receive up to $3,750 for residents, $6,250 for associations, or $12,500 for commercial, nonprofit, and government sites. Other projects, such as stormwater and salt reduction, can receive up to $6,250, $25,000, or $62,500. Applicants provide a 25% match, which can include volunteer labor (valued at $35 an hour) or educational outreach.
  • Eligible costs: design fees incurred after the grant is awarded, plants, mulch, compost, edging, fencing, and delivery. Purely decorative items, and anything bought before the grant agreement is signed, are not eligible.
  • Process: applications are submitted through an online form that can be saved and finished later, and are reviewed monthly. Grants are paid as reimbursements, with the last 10% held until the project is complete. Projects come with a 5- or 10-year maintenance agreement, depending on the grant amount.

Additional Info

At the December 18th, 2024 Board meeting, the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District Board of Managers adopted a new policy for the District’s cost share grant program. 50% of the cost share grant program’s total budget is now reserved for projects in the District’s priority equity zones outlined in green in the map below.

Map of the District boundaries with locations in different shades by vulnerability. The City of Hopkins, the City of Richfield, East Bloomington, East Edina, and South East Eden Prarie locations in the District are most most vulnerable.
Priority equity zones shown in green

Need Help?

Read through our Cost Share Grant Guidelines to learn more about the program.

Learn how to create your own planting design

Not sure where to start? We now fund technical assistance to complete site assessments and potential project design

Have questions or want to talk through a project idea? Contact Lizzy, Grant and Project Coordinator at 952-395-8207 or eboor@ninemilecreek.org