How to Get the Cost Share Program
Carver County Water Management Organization · Carver County, Minnesota, MN
What you get
The Carver County Water Management Organization covers 75% of eligible costs up to a maximum reimbursement of $5,000 for projects that protect and restore lakes and streams, including rain gardens, shoreline restorations, native plantings, and prairie restorations. This is a competitive grant program and applications are accepted year round, prioritized by the date received. Available to citizens and private businesses inside the CCWMO boundary (Carver County Cost Share Programs page; last verified July 2026).
- Residential: 75% of eligible costs, up to $5,000
Are you eligible?
- Be a Carver County Water Management Organization customer
- Property located in: Carver County
- Property inside the Carver County Water Management Organization boundary
- Applications accepted year round, prioritized by date received
- Competitive review; funding is not guaranteed
- Reimbursement after project completion
Before you start
Do not remove turf or begin work before you have written approval. This program requires pre-approval. Starting early can disqualify the project even if everything else is correct.
Administered by the county Water Management Organization, not Carver SWCD. Some parts of Carver County sit outside the CCWMO boundary and are covered by Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek or Lower Minnesota River watershed districts. A widely repeated "$2 per square foot, 250 sq ft minimum" figure from a third-party grant roundup does NOT appear on the county page and is deliberately not published here. Found during the 2026-07-31 discovery sweep.
What applying usually looks like
A general guide. Always confirm the exact steps on the official program page, since each provider runs its process a little differently.
- 1
Apply and get written approval first
Submit your application to Carver County Water Management Organization and wait for written approval before you remove any turf or start work. Starting early is the most common reason a rebate is denied.
- 2
Do the conversion
Replace your lawn with the qualifying landscaping, following the eligibility requirements above.
- 3
Submit your claim
After the work is done, submit your claim on the official program page. Confirm the exact forms, receipts, and any photos they require there, since those vary by program.
The application checklist
How to apply for the Cost Share Program
These are the steps this application actually takes. The Pollinator Patch app walks you through each one free, with reminders and a photo locker.
- 1
Check eligibility
Make sure you qualify with Carver County Water Management Organization before you start.
- 2
Get pre-approval if required
Some programs require approval before any work begins. Check with Carver County Water Management Organization and take before photos of the existing yard first.
- 3
Do the work
Complete the project, take before and after photos, and save every receipt.
- 4
Submit your application
Send Carver County Water Management Organization the completed application with your photos and receipts, then watch for the confirmation.
In the app
Track this rebate free in the Pollinator Patch app
Free step-by-step guidance for the Cost Share Program, warnings before the mistakes that disqualify applications, and a photo locker that keeps your before and after photos, receipts, and notes together for the months a rebate takes.
Every program listed cites its official source, and each program page shows the date we last verified it against that source. Program details change throughout the year, so always confirm requirements, amounts, and eligibility directly with the program before starting work. Pollinator Patch is not affiliated with any rebate program and does not guarantee approval.
See a problem with a program? Report it
Programs change throughout the year. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we'll check it against the provider.