Virginia Program

Virginia Program is sponsored by Virginia Environmental Endowment. The Virginia Environmental Endowment accepts grant proposals for the Virginia Program focusing on environmental issues in Virginia, including climate adaptation and water supply planning. Applications are accepted biannually.

Virginia Environmental Endowment Virginia Environmental Endowment Board of Directors and Staff James River Water Quality Improvement Program Community Conservation Program Kanawha and Ohio River Valleys Program Virginia Environmental Attitudes Historic Amount of Virginia Program Grants Awarded in October 2025 as VEE helps to “Meet the Moment” VEE’s Board of Directors awarded a historic amount of Virginia Program grants at its October meeting.

VEE had received a record number of applications, including several responding to its decision last April to consider general operating requests from those affected by federal grant cancellations and reductions. In making its decisions, the Endowment placed a priority on sustaining investments in long-time nonprofit partners; supporting ongoing priority projects and programs; and assisting those impacted by federal funding reductions.

In an effort to “meet the moment,” the Board awarded 23 grants totaling $611,005 , the largest single Virginia Program grant round in many years. With these October awards, it exceeded the annual 5% spending cap, awarding a total of over $850,000 in VEE’s FY2026 (April 2025 – March 2026). I n addition, the Board approved two James River Water Quality Improvement Grants totaling $817,369.

It previously awarded three Community Conservation Program grants totaling $317,592 last April. Altogether, in FY 2026, VEE awarded 38 grants for $1,745,968. NOTICE: REVISED APPLICATIONS VEE has recently updated its application forms for the Virginia Program and Community Conservation Program.

For more information, please visit the Virginia Program page and Community Conservation Program page . VIRGINIA PROGRAM: December 1 and June 15 Please see the revised application here which all applicants must complete when submitting a request for funding from the Virginia Program. Applicants are to submit all proposals electronically in a Word document format.

COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM: January 15 Please see the revised application here which all applicants must complete when submitting a request for funding from the Community Conservation Program. Details on submission requirements can be found in the application. Applicants are to submit all proposals electronically in a Word document format.

S ubmit to communityconservation@vee. org JAMES RIVER WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM: June 15 Requirements for submission: www. vee.

org/grant-programs-application/james-river-water-quality-improvement-program Applicants are to submit all proposals electronically in a Word document format Please note that the specific requirements for submission of an application for the three programs are not identical.

MAROON RECIPIENT OF 2022 VIRGINIAforever BRIDGE BUILDER AWARD At the April 2023 VEE Board meeting, Joe Maroon received from VIRGINIAforever its annual Bridge Builder Award. He was one of four recent recipients along with Ann Jennings (former Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources), Ann Swanson (former Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission), and David Paylor (former Director of the Department of Environmental Quality).

In her comments, Kendall Tyre, Vice Chair of VIRGINIAforever, said, “Joe has undoubtedly made environmental protection & stewardship a priority, yielding immense contributions to our land and water.

… He is a true bridge builder championing protection of our natural resources having made significant contributions to the establishment and implementation of the multi-state Chesapeake Bay restoration effort and to protection of our natural resources across the Commonwealth.

… Under Joe’s leadership, VEE has catalyzed water quality improvement and land conservation across the Commonwealth – funding initiatives which contribute significantly to the reduction of nutrient pollution to local waters and the Chesapeake Bay, and the expansion of effective private land conservation.

” VIRGINIAforever is a coalition of businesses, environmental organizations, and outdoor enthusiasts that advocates for increased government funding for water quality improvements and land conservation across the Commonwealth. Past recipients include former Governor Gerald Baliles, former Secretary of Natural Resources Tayloe Murphy, former Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, and Senator Tim Kaine.

Kendall Tyre (VAforever), Joe Maroon, and Peggy Sanner (VAforever) VEE OCTOBER 2023 GRANT AWARDS In October 2023, the VEE Board made the following grant awards: Blue Ridge PRISM : $20,000 Challenge Grant in support of its core programs as well as its expansion into new programs, all related to combatting invasive species.

(Virginia Program) Chesapeake Bay Foundation : $10,000 to support its outreach and advocacy efforts to defend Virginia’s nontidal wetlands law. (Virginia Program) Chincoteague Bay Field Station : $24,125 towards its offerings of no-cost field trips for up to 500 students in Accomack and Northampton Counties and of no-cost professional development opportunities for up to 150 Virginia teachers.

(Virginia Program) Friends of the Lower Appomattox River : $20,000 to continue its work to advance land conservation and land protection along the Appomattox River corridor. (Virginia Program) Friends of the Rappahannock : $26,000 to respond to a surge in volunteer interest and increased project implementation.

(Virginia Program) James River Association : $30,000 to support its policy work over the next year addressing critical conservation issues facing the James River such as shad and mussel restoration and dam mitigation. (Virginia Program) James River Association : $384,099 to accelerate its James River Living Shoreline Cost Share Program in the Lower James River watershed.

(James River Water Quality Improvement Program) Land Trust Alliance : $30,000 towards its work in Virginia building strong land trusts, developing skills, improving water quality and climate resilience, and involving more people and diverse communities in land conservation. (Virginia Program) Mariner’s Museum : $25,000 to expand its environmental educational enrichment programs to serve 800 students from Hampton City Schools.

(Virginia Program) Mountain Lake Conservancy : $106,975 for trail restoration work as part of the Giles County outdoor recreational trail system. (Community Conservation Program) Northern Virginia Conservation Trust : $25,000 to help finance expansion of its land protection capacity in Stafford County.

(Virginia Program) Piedmont Environmental Council : $25,000 for its ongoing riparian buffer restoration efforts in the upper Rappahannock and Potomac watersheds. (Virginia Program) Potomac Conservancy : $22,000 towards its Northern Shenandoah land conservation efforts focusing on priority lands in the Shenandoah Valley.

(Virginia Program) Potomac Riverkeeper Network : $30,000 to support its work to safely clean up, dispose of, and ensure long-term storage of coal ash left behind at power stations. (Virginia Program) Rivanna Conservation Alliance : $25,000 to continue its high-quality water quality monitoring programs.

(Virginia Program) The Nature Conservancy : $30,000 over two years in support of its “STEP – Paths To Careers In Conservation” initiative which provides internship opportunities focused on increased diversity among its participants.

(Virginia Program) UVA (Institute for Engagement & Negotiation) : $25,000 for application and implementation of The RAFT (Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool) in the cities of Hopewell and Petersburg and the development of The RAFT Inland Resilience Scorecard for the Roanoke region of Virginia.

(Virginia Program) Valley Conservation Council : $25,000 to support a land conservation partnership with NDPonics to protect and restore priority parcels in Rockbridge and Botetourt Counties. (Virginia Program) Virginia Association for Environmental Education : $11,500 as bridge funding while it moves its environmental educator certification program toward self-sustainability.

(Virginia Program) Virginia Conservation Network : $40,000 in support of its work to protect clean water funding and legislation in the Commonwealth in light of the historic number of new legislators that will result in unprecedented loss of institutional knowledge of environmental issues. (Virginia Program) Virginia Junior Academy of Science : $24,000 over two years for the Lewis and Mackenzie college scholarships.

(Virginia Program) Virginia’s United Land Trusts : $20,000 to advance land conservation through convening, collaboration, and coordination across the Commonwealth. (Virginia Program) Waterkeepers Chesapeake : $25,000 to help it expand Virginia’s capacity for clean water advocacy in the York/Pamunkey/Mattaponi watershed.

(Virginia Program) Wetlands Watch : $225,554 over three years to assist the Community Conservation Program localities in addressing resilience, flood mitigation, and water quality improvement. (Community Conservation Program) The Virginia Funders Network recently interviewed Executive Director Joe Maroon about VEE. Read the interview here .

An in-depth account of the history of the Kepone disaster and its legacy (including the creation of VEE) is explored in the new book Poison Powder by Dr. Gregory Wilson. In 1975, workers at a factory in Central Virginia became ill after exposure to Kepone, the brand name of a highly toxic pesticide. News of ill workers eventually led to the discovery of widespread contamination of the nearby James River and beyond.

Professor Wilson explores the many aspects of this environmental tragedy and the impact on Virginia and beyond. VEE was established in 1977 as part of the settlement of the environmental enforcement case. The book is published by University of Georgia Press and available from Amazon and elsewhere.

The mission of the Virginia Environmental Endowment is to improve the quality of the environment by using its capital, expertise and resources to encourage all sectors to work together to prevent pollution, conserve natural resources, and promote environmental literacy.

Although accorded a national scope by its charter, the Endowment currently limits awards to eligible nonprofit organizations for programs conducted in the state of Virginia and in the Kanawha and Ohio River Valleys of Kentucky and West Virginia.

For information on the establishment of the Fund for the Virginia Environmental Endowment, which enables individuals who wish to support the Endowment’s environmental grant-making to make tax deductible contributions to VEE by credit card, wire, or check, click here .

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