Foundation for Virginia's Natural Resources

Download our brochure!

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:41:26 +0000

Please consider downloading our brochure and making it available to your memberships, family, colleagues, friends, and collaborators. We included basic information about FVNR - and a donation form!

Click to download FVNR Brochure (.pdf)

FVNR Project Funding Criteria and Grant Application

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 05:56:35 +0000

The Foundation for Virginia’s Natural Resources seeks to fund projects and programs that strengthen “environmental education, pollution prevention and citizen monitoring” and foster collaboration among businesses, citizens, communities, local governments and state agencies. The Foundation supports non-regulatory, voluntary efforts that address priorities outlined in the Foundation’s business plan such as River Basin Strategies, Outdoor Classrooms, Forestry and Agricultural education and programs of ‘statewide importance’. Projects must employ best practices of environmental education, engage citizens and students in meaningful activities or help organizations achieve program sustainability. Awards will be based on application review and fund availability.

Each year, the Foundation will seek out projects based on its goals and will carefully select projects based on technical and financial criteria. Projects that meet the criteria for potential funding are listed in the annual “Projects Catalog.” The Foundation will actively seek to find donors for all projects, but listing in its annual catalog does not guarantee funding.

Click here to download the full funding criteria document in MS Word format (.doc)

Click here to download the grant application in MS Word format (.doc)

Click the “Continue Reading…” link below for application instructions.

Download a read the Funding Criteria Document. If you are eligible to apply and feel your project fits within the criteria outlined, continue with the steps below.
Download and fill out the Grant Application. Right-click on the link and select “Save Target As…” and browse to a folder on your computer where you want to save the application file. Open the document using Microsoft Word. The application will include detailed project plans, funding details, and a timeline.
Email the application to FVNR. When you have completed the application, compose an email to Jay Gilliam and Brenda Taylor at the following email addresses with the application file attached: jay@vasos.org, brenda.taylor@dof.virginia.gov
Jay Gilliam or Brenda Taylor will reply to your email and update you with the application’s status.

Virginia News Letter Article about FVNR

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 05:38:38 +0000

Below is a link to an article in the Virginia News Letter December 2006 issue entitled “Protecting Our Common Wealth” by Jay Gilliam. You can save the PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file to your computer by right-clicking on the link and selecting “Save As…”.

Virginia News Letter Article about FVNR

Resolution commending Pure Water Forum

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 14:57:26 +0000

Resolution Commending Coors Brewing and other Pure Water Forum Members on a Decade of Excellence

WHEREAS the concept of collaborative watershed planning was in its infancy in 1996; and

WHEREAS the Pure Water Forum was the first Roundtable established in the Commonwealth of Virginia; and

WHEREAS Coors Brewing has shown remarkable and consistent leadership and support for the Roundtable of the Shenandoah Valley Basin; and

WHEREAS many other businesses, grass roots groups, agricultural associations, schools, colleges, and universities, soil and water conservation districts, state agencies, local government, recreational interests and individuals have invested countless hours to make the effort successful; and

WHEREAS the Pure Water Forum is being used effectively as a tool to prevent and solve environmental problems and facilitate public understanding of watershed conditions; and

WHEREAS the Pure Water Forum is a successful model for all other river basin Roundtables in the Commonwealth,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Foundation for Virginia’s Natural Resources does recognize Coors Brewing, the other Pure Water Forum members, and its partners for exemplary service to the Commonwealth of Virginia in protection of our unique natural blessings.

Adopted by a vote of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Virginia’s Natural Resources on October 11, 2006.

Introducing FNVR

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 02:36:35 +0000

The Need for Conservation

Virginia’s beauty and abundant natural resources have drawn people to the Commonwealth for 400 years. As more people exert pressure on the natural resources for increased services as well as for additional places to live and work, the future of these treasures becomes less certain.

In 2005, the Virginia General Assembly recognized this uncertainty and created the Foundation for Virginia’s Natural Resources (FVNR). The focus of this bold initiative was to establish and sustain a cooperative, non-regulatory philanthropic organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life through the conservation of our natural resources.

Guided by citizen members of a Board of Trustees representing each of Virginia’s 13 major river basins, the purpose of the Foundation is to:

Assist in developing and encouraging non-regulatory conservation programs;
Foster collaboration and partnerships among businesses communities and natural resources groups;
Promote natural resource education and pollution prevention;
Encourage volunteer monitoring of all of our natural resources;
Develop goals and guidelines of grant applications for projects from the Foundation Trust Fund, and
Accept gifts and bequests given to support the mission and purpose of the Foundation.

Meeting the Challenges

The Foundation will meet those challenges by:

establishing a sustained and flexible source of funds for natural resource conservation education and vital projects;
providing businesses opportunities to highlight their positive environmental contributions in a non-regulatory climate;
developing a comprehensive model of collaboration for public-private natural resource enhancement, and
establishing a centralized entity that will facilitate the effective and efficient use of these programs and operations.

Comments for Governor’s Summit

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:24:07 +0000

The Foundation for Virginia’s Natural Resources (FVNR) is a new “body politic” with the purpose to strengthen environmental education (K- 12 and community based) and citizen stewardship programs that serve the Commonwealth of Virginia.The first year of our existence has been spent with s concerted effort to develop a specific plan to achieve the mandates of the enabling legislation. A draft plan will be presented at our fourth board meeting of the year on October 11, 2006. In a nutshell we have two goals:

Find sponsorships and support from diverse (and sometimes non-traditional) sources for effective public and private programs that address environmental education, pollution prevention, and citizen monitoring of the state’s natural resources. Examples of these sources include businesses, local government, state and federal agencies, philanthropists and foundations, churches and civic groups, and perhaps most importantly the average interested citizen looking for a meaningful way to be part of natural resource protection.
Provide a source of information to interested citizens about how environmental protection occurs in Virginia, existing conditions in their own local watershed or river basin, and meaningful opportunities for them to be involved and use their particular skill.

FVNR’s activities will be designed to complement and never duplicate existing efforts of public and private programs such as Tributary Strategies, River Basin Roundtables, Virginia Forever and other initiatives. We hope to bring sustainability to strategies that are developed and implemented on a major river basin basis. For our purposes Virginia has 13 major river basins: the Shenandoah, the Potomac, the Rappahannock, the York, the Eastern Shore, the Chowan (Meherrin, Nottoway, Blackwater system in VA), the Upper James, the Piedmont James, the Lower James, the Roanoke, the New River, the Upper Tennessee system, and finally the Big Sandy (the Levisa in VA).
An important part of the mission of FVNR will be to make a connection between natural resource protection and the benefits of agriculture, forestry, and historic and cultural resources in the Commonwealth.
By the end of 2006 the board plans to have a unique and effective plan to reach out to Virginia and strengthen existing efforts such as Virginia Naturally and citizen monitoring programs. We will identify all of the incentives for investment of dollars and manpower that we possibly can. We will identify a set of specific goals such as making sure that every public school in Virginia has access to an “outdoor classroom”.
We need your ideas and suggestions and, if possible, active partnership!

Jay Gilliam – Chairman – Raphine, VA – 540 377 6179 – jay@vasos.org