Calendar

Two grant rounds are held annually, with requests for proposals announced in January and June or July each year, and grant awards made in June and October or November. Grant agreements have a two-year lifespan.

The GO Fund requires the submission of a short pre-application. Pre-applications most aligned with program parameters will be invited to submit a final application. Invitations to apply for the GO Fund will be sent within one week of receipt of a successful pre-application. The responses provided in the pre-application will be incorporated in and elaborated on in the final application.

Applicant Eligibility

GO Fund grants may be awarded to state, local, regional, or tribal government entities, educational institutions, or non-profit organizations registered as tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Service code, https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organization-types. Federal governmental entities, for-profit entities, and individuals are not eligible at this time.

Applicants who have received past GO Fund grants of more than $5,000 must complete the approved project before submitting additional proposals. Other VOF grant awards do not impact GO Fund eligibility.

Funds Available

The amount of funding available for each grant round is determined annually and announced in June or July. Funding requests are capped at $25,000. Projects with budgets that greatly exceed $25,000 are not usually appropriate for the program unless the GO Fund award is meeting the final need to bring the project to fruition, or the proposal is focused on a specific stand-alone component of a larger project. Inversely, projects with a scope of work that could be completely funded and implemented through a GO Fund grant exclusively are competitive.

Funding will be disbursed on a reimbursement basis as progress is made. A one-time advance not exceeding $1,000 may be considered on a case-by-case basis and for good cause shown. No funds will be paid directly to a vendor. Partial funding is possible.

Project Eligibility

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) may provide funding for studies, planning, concept development, capacity building, programming, and infrastructure to enable safe use of or access to public open space, as well as for land acquisition. Priority will be given to shovel-ready projects with tangible, measurable results. Projects that seek to acquire or convey an interest in real estate (such as land acquisition, easement protection, lease agreement, or a right of way) should consider applying for a grant from VOF’s Preservation Trust Fund program, which can be accessed at http://www.vof.org/protect/grants/ptf/.

Application Process

Applications are accepted through the VOF online grant portal, which can be accessed at https://www.vof.org/protect/grants/go/. VOF requires a pre-application to be submitted for review before a final application for funding may be submitted. Interested applicants should check the website for updates. Please email grants@vof.org with any questions about the application process or project eligibility.