How to Get the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)
Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District · Northern Shenandoah Valley, VA
What you get
Reimburses up to 80% of costs, to a maximum of $7,000, for rain gardens and conservation landscaping. The statewide VCAP delivered through the Lord Fairfax SWCD, serving Winchester and Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren counties (Lord Fairfax SWCD; last verified June 2026).
- Residential: Up to 80% of cost, up to $7,000
Are you eligible?
- Be a Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District customer
- Property located in: Winchester, Front Royal, Berryville, Woodstock
- Property in the Lord Fairfax SWCD service area
- Rain garden or conservation landscaping
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.
The application checklist
How to apply for the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)
These are the steps this application actually takes.
- 1
Confirm the district covers you
Lord Fairfax SWCD runs VCAP for Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah and Warren Counties, and the City of Winchester. That takes in Front Royal, Berryville and Woodstock. VCAP itself is statewide and deliver
- 2
Pick the practice, because this district tells you what each one pays
Most VCAP districts publish no figures at all, so you find out what a practice is worth after the site visit. This one publishes the table: conservation landscaping and rain gardens both pay up to 80
- 3
Build the water-problem case
VCAP funds fixes for real water problems, so the district is looking for erosion, poor drainage, or poor vegetation in a specific place. The statewide manual frames eligible sites as residential, comm
- 4
Submit the Site Visit Request Form
The entry point is a Site Visit Request Form. Questions go to Lisa Parks at lisa.parks@lfswcd.org or (540) 465-2424 extension 5; the office is at 722-B East Queen Street, Strasburg, and is open Monday
- 5
Site visit, then Part I, and wait for BOTH approvals
District staff visit and, where the project fits, work through the VCAP contract with you. You sign Part I to apply. The application then needs approval from the statewide VCAP Steering Committee AND
- 6
Install to the VCAP specification
Build to the VCAP design specification for your practice, not to your own plan, because the cost share is against the approved practice. Conservation landscaping carries a 75 percent plant density req
- 7
Sign Part III, claim, then maintain it for the life of the practice
Submit your itemized invoices and receipts with the Part III payment request to draw the cost share for your practice. Part III also needs Steering Committee and District Board approval, and you sign
The call below also unlocks the ready-to-file packet for this program in the app.
Get help applying
Want a hand with the application?
A 30-minute call with Stephen, the founder. He reads the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) rules with you, tells you what to photograph and file first, and answers anything this page does not cover.
Confirm your project ZIP first. If this program does not serve your address, do not buy; check your city or utility on the rebates page instead.
One-time $29.99. Guidance, not filing: you submit to the program yourself. Not legal or financial advice. Rebate amounts and approval are decided by the program.
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.