GIVE
GIVE

Rain Gardens

Our Cost-Sharing Programs Protect Your Home and The River

We’ll share the cost to install an eligible rain garden on your property to keep pollution out of the Elizabeth River. Together we’ll make the river cleaner and your yard beautiful. 

What A Rain Garden Will Do

Rain gardens use amended soil and native plants to slow, absorb and filter polluted runoff before it ever reaches the river.

  • Reduce pollution
  • Help prevent algae blooms
  • Prevents standing stormwater and mosquito breeding
  • Attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife

What We’ll Do

  • Free site assessment to determine if your site is suitable for a rain garden project 
  • Project Design – $100 cost applied to total cost share after installation
  • cost share “up to (50%/75%) to a maximum of ($2,000/$3,500)
  • Elizabeth River Project staff will provide a long-term maintenance plan for the project

How to Apply

Due to high demand, our waitlists for Elizabeth River Project managed or installed projects are currently closed for 2025 projects. We will reopen waitlists this coming fall for 2026 projects. Be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram, or join our exclusive River Star Homes Facebook group to get notifications about waitlist openings and upcoming DIY Landscape Design workshops!
 
If you are doing a DIY project or are ready to install a project with another contractor, you may still be eligible to receive a reimbursement for your project through the cost share program without waiting for the next sign up period. To learn more about this process, please reach out to Mandi Pesha, River Star Communications Specialist at mpesha@elizabethriver.org.

My garden is looking great. I’m really happy with all the plants – the selection, the placement. Bravo! On to clean water.

Lynn Gilbert
River Star Home

Thanks to our partners!

Our Rain Garden cost-sharing program is only made possible through funding generous support from our partners and the hundreds of Elizabeth River Project members and donors.

  • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant
  • Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant 
  • City of Norfolk
  • City of Chesapeake
  • City of Virginia Beach
Rain Garden - After

Ryan Resilience Lab Event Request

Thank you for your interest in the Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab. We’re delighted that our site is in high demand. As the Ryan Resilience Lab is operated by a small non-profit with a big environmental mission, please help us make sure your event is a great fit.

Our priority is to host groups with relevance to our mission: to restore the Elizabeth River through equitable collaboration with diverse communities, governments, and businesses. When space and staff support are available, we are happy to host such groups free of charge, but do request that you consider an organizational membership and allow us to offer the opportunity for individual memberships.

Please fill this form out at least 30 days in advance of the event.

Our maximum for indoor seated events is 85 theater style and 45 classroom style. For standing receptions, the maximum is 100 indoors or 125 indoor-outdoor.
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Start Time(Required)
:
End Time(Required)
:
Set Up Time
:
Take Down Time
:
Set Up Preferences(Required)
Check all that apply
Audio/Visual Needs(Required)
Check all that apply

If given the go-ahead for our event, sponsor organization agrees to these Ryan Lab policies:

Yes, we will offer attendees the option to tour the Ryan Lab(Required)
Yes, Elizabeth River Project can make a 3-5 minute announcement at the start of the event regarding mission and ways to get involved(Required)
Yes, we will consider an organizational membership with Elizabeth River Project to support its mission of restoring the Elizabeth River(Required)
Yes, we agree to sustainable/responsible event practices(Required)

Additionally, sponsor organization agrees to these administrative/liability requirements:

  • ERP maintains insurance for its activities at the Ryan Lab. Sponsoring organizations should ensure that they have appropriate insurance coverage as well.
  • Weapons are prohibited.
  • Open flames generally are prohibited (special permission only).
  • Outdoor guests will be required to exit the Learning Park during thunder, lightning, high winds or any circumstance deemed hazardous by ERP.
  • Waiver of Claims: Sponsoring organizations agree to release, waive all claims, discharge, and covenant not to sue Elizabeth River Project, its officers, employees, volunteers, and agents from liability from any and all claims resulting in personal injury, accidents or illnesses and property loss arising from, but not limited to, participation in the event and related tours, due to the negligence of sponsor, sponsor's employees, or event participants.
  • Notice of Claims: Sponsor agrees to provide immediate notice to ERP if any participant either files, or threatens to file, a claim arising from or related to the event, so that ERP can notify its insurance carriers.
  • COVID Statement: Participants will monitor their own health prior to reporting to any Elizabeth River Project event/activity. If any signs or symptoms of infection are present, the individual must not report to the event.
  • Photo Release: Photos of the event may be shared as part of grant reporting or posted on Elizabeth River Project website/social media unless otherwise specified by the sponsor organization.
MM slash DD slash YYYY

Youth Water Monitoring Results

Entry Data

Name(Required)
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Time(Required)
:

Sample Data

Bacteria

Observations

Drop files here or
Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, tiff, Max. file size: 256 MB.
    Add any field observation photos here