Currently we are not accepting application for this program.
Program Summary
The Pollinator Pathways grants promotes native plantings that establish key corridors (or pathways) for at-risk pollinators such as (but not limited to) the Monarch Butterfly and Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, Minnesota’s State Bee. This will be achieved by establishing and educating Minnesotans about pollinator conservation and promoting overall interest in ecological landscaping.
Program Goals
The goal of the Pollinator Pathways grant program is to establish and strengthen collaborations in residential and educational spaces to create connections to statewide and local habitat corridors/pathways, especially in underserved communities.
Eligible Applicants
Funding is available for counties, Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs), cities, tribal governments, watershed districts, watershed management organizations, nonprofit organizations, and public and non-profit pre-K through grade 12 schools.
Program Funding
In FY24/25 the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) offered more than $1.1 million in grant funding to promote and establish pollinator plantings though a residential and/or educational-based approach.
This funding is available through the state of Minnesota general fund. Grants will require a 10% non-state recipient match. Grant applications must be for a minimum request of $50,000. There is no maximum funding cap on awards.
Eligible Activities
- Project development and public outreach
- Establishment of pollinator habitat projects that use native plants to provide pollen and nectar sources, which bloom through the season and are less than 5 ac. in size.
- Program and project support
- Education
- Supplies/Equipment
- Administration and coordination
FY 2025 Pollinator Pathways Grant Recipients
Wildlife Forever, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton School Education Prairie Trail, $95,750
Lac Qui Parel SWCD, City of Dawson Pollinator Pathways, $94,000
Midtown Greenway Coalition, Midtown Greenway Pollinator Pathway, $105,000
Scott SWCD, Schott County Teaching Gardens & Community Pollinator Project, $38,755
Hennepin County, West Metro Water Alliance (WMWA) and Hennepin County Plantings for Pollinators and Community, $94,755
Como Community Council, Bee Line and Beyond, $206,240
Anoka Conservation District, North Metro Pollinator Pathway, $91,900
Washington Conservation District, Pollinator Pathways Washington County, $185,000
Prairie Island Indian Community, Dakota Circle Native Perimeter Garden, $74,600
Trust for Public Land, Rochester, MN Pollinator Pathway Project, $114,600
Program Outcomes
- To date, more that 81 plantings have been installed across Anoka, Ramsey, Lac qui Parle, Scott, Washington, Olmstead, and Hennepin counties, as well as the Prairie Island Indian community.
- More than 35 projects are located on public lands and community spaces, including parks, libraries, schools, campgrounds, soccer fields, boulevards, community and youth gardens, and a multi-use path through the heart of Minneapolis that sees more than 1 million bicycle trips each year.
Landscape and Pollinator Benefits
- More than 435,572 square feet of high-diversity pollinator habitat established.
- More than 82 trees and shrubs planted
- More than 5.7 metric tons of carbon sequestered annually
- More than 980,037 cubic feet of water captured annully in projects.