Deadline: 22-Aug-22
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (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.
The Virginia General Assembly in 1997 and administered by Virginia Outdoors Foundation, the Open-Space Lands Preservation Trust Fund (PTF) provides grants for acquisitions, easements, rights of way, and other methods of protecting open space for farming, forestry, recreation, wildlife, water quality, and more.
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, with reasonable management policies for the safety of both visitors and the resource. The access must comply with local and state laws governing the public's rights to access certain types of properties, such as cemeteries, waterways, public roads, etc. It must also ensure equitable access to all people.
- 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.
Funding Information
- There is approximately $1.8 million available for the first Fiscal Year 2023 grant round.
- Historically, grant awards on average have not exceeded $150,000 per project.
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.
For more information, visit PTF.
For more information, visit https://www.vof.org/protect/grants/ptf/