The Virginia Environmental Endowment is now soliciting proposals for the 2023 grant round for the James River Water Quality Improvement Program (JRWQIP).
Donor Name: Virginia Environmental Endowment
State: Virginia
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/15/2023
Size of the Grant: $100,000
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
VEE has established several strategic investment priorities for the current grant cycle: riparian buffers, accelerating agricultural pollution reduction practices including enhanced technical assistance, living shorelines, and stream restoration. In the Jamestown region, VEE is also prioritizing illicit sewage discharges (“straight pipes”) and failing septic systems as well as a limited number of cost-effective stormwater management initiatives. Proposals which differ from the initial funding priorities must demonstrate the significance and cost effectiveness of the proposal in improving the water quality of the James River.
Funding Priorities
- Riparian buffer installation: The implementation of riparian forested or vegetative buffers, with a focus on agricultural and rural lands containing restoration area opportunities which will generate significant pollution reductions. Permanent protection and long term maintenance of the riparian buffers are critical elements of this investment priority.
- Accelerating implementation of agricultural pollution reduction practices: Programs that enhance and accelerate the delivery and implementation of cost-effective farming best management practices along with other agricultural initiatives that reduce agricultural pollution and improve water quality.
- Construction of living shorelines: Living shoreline construction, particularly in the Lower James River region. The provisions of the “Virginia Shoreline and Tidal Marsh Inventory,” consistency with regional and county-level conservation and shoreline management plans, the incorporation of riparian buffers, and permanent protection are important relevant elements.
- Stream restoration: Stream restoration can be expensive, so proposed location, inclusion of riparian buffers, and co-location with other water quality improvement efforts are important factors.
- Investments in the Jamestown region (“Area of Potential Effects”) and surrounding jurisdictions: The “Area of Potential Effects,” or APE, is a region upstream and downstream of Jamestown on both sides of the James River. Remediation of illicit sewage discharges and failing septic systems as well as cost-effective stormwater management initiatives are potential investments.
Funding Information
Proposals with a completion date of one to three years and a minimum funding level request of $100,000 annually for projects located within the James River watershed are eligible.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible grant recipients include non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organizations and institutions, local governments, soil and water conservation districts, state and federal agencies, state and federally recognized tribes, and educational institutions. Individuals and for-profit entities are not eligible.
For more information, visit Virginia Environmental Endowment.
