The Virginia Outdoors Foundation is making $1.8 million available from its Preservation Trust Fund program and $200,000 from its Get Outdoors Fund for grants that protect open space for public use and other public benefits.
Preservation Trust Fund grants for the spring 2023 grant round will prioritize projects that result in significant public access, but funds may also be used for projects that protect exceptional conservation values such as water quality, historic and cultural resources, wildlife habitat, and high-quality farmland and forestland. A real estate interest must either be acquired by a local government or conveyed to VOF to be eligible for funding, and protection must meet the requirements of Virginia’s Open-Space Land Act. There is no minimum or maximum on Preservation Trust Fund grants, but historically they have averaged approximately $150,000.
Get Outdoors Fund grants may be used to fund projects that create, protect, expand, or enhance access to open space in underserved communities. Proposals up to $25,000 may be considered.
The Get Outdoors Fund requires pre-applications to be submitted through VOF’s online grants portal by February 21, 2023. Invitations to submit a full application will be issued within one week of pre-application receipt. If an organization has been awarded more than $5,000 in a past grant round, the previous project must be completed before an applicant may reapply. Past applicants must submit new pre-applications. A resubmitted pre-application without significant revision will not be considered. In addition, applicants may not apply more than twice with the same concept.
Full applications for both programs must be submitted online using our grants application portal. Full applications must be submitted by March 7, 2023. Grant awards will be announced in June. Eligibility requirements, sample applications, and other materials may be found online at https://vof.org/ptf and https://vof.org/go. VOF encourages potential applicants to contact staff prior to applying to discuss eligibility and seek guidance on producing a successful application. Contact grants@vof.org with questions or for information on how to apply. To schedule a short meeting with grant program staff to discuss project ideas, use https://doodle.com/bp/emilynelson/time-to-talk.
Will the proposed access be offered to sport hunting interest groups?
Thanks for your question. We encourage you to review the grant criteria and eligibility requirements to see if your project is a good fit. You may also email our staff at grants@vof.org if you’d like to discuss a specific proposal.
Is it possible that a project could qualify if it includes land owned by a third party? For example, the American Battlefield trust, or a certified local land trust?
Hi Nicole, that’s a question for our grant program staff at grants@vof.org to answer. I’ll forward it along, but feel free to also contact them directly to discuss specific proposal ideas.
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