The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) is accepting applications for its the Open-Space Lands Preservation Trust Fund (PTF) to provide grants for acquisitions, easements, rights of way, and other methods of protecting open space for farming, forestry, recreation, wildlife, water quality, and more.
Donor Name: Virginia Outdoors Foundation
State: Virginia
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/07/2023
Size of the Grant: $150,000
Details:
VOF is seeking proposals for projects that provide new or expanded public access to open space, such as parks, preserves, trails, greenways, outdoor classrooms, beaches, and boat launches, as well as projects that protect exceptional natural and cultural resources for the benefit of the Commonwealth. Proposals may be submitted for both public and private lands.
Funding Information
There is approximately $1.8 million available for the second Fiscal Year 2023 grant round. Historically, grant awards on average have not exceeded $150,000 per project.
Project Prioritization
- While VOF is offering grant awards for both public access and exceptional natural and cultural resource protection projects, VOF is prioritizing those projects where the interest in real estate includes a provision to provide access to the property by the public. Successful proposals will protect and preserve open green space.
- Funding for resource protection easements will be prioritized for those projects that show exceptional characteristics in the following categories: historic and cultural, water quality, scenic and open space, habitat, agriculture and forestry, and policy alignment. Deed restrictions will protect the highest conservation values of a property.
Eligibility Criteria
PTF grants may be awarded to any person, organization, or locality with a real estate interest to convey on either public or private land. The real estate interest must be conveyed to VOF or a locality. The land protection partner must be specified with documented support of the project submitted with the application. Land already under locality ownership may be eligible for PTF funding as long as the parcel is not already protected through existing deed restrictions.
For more information, visit Preservation Trust Fund.
