Matching Fund Grants
About the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund's Matching Fund Grants
Enviva Forest Conservation Fund Goal
The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund’s goal is to permanently protect environmentally sensitive bottomland/wetland forests. These forests offer a wide range of economic and environmental benefits, but they face a number of potential threats. The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund targets sensitive forest areas that have been identified by the Endowment in consultation with other respected organizations. The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund will consider a variety of protection strategies, including purchasing land via fee or conservation easement. The importance of active forest management is recognized.
Timing
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment) seeks applications for the 2023 Enviva Forest Conservation Fund. This opportunity closes March 10, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Proposals received after this time may not be considered.
Funding
Funds are now available for the 2023 initial grant round. Funding at about this level is anticipated on an annual basis at or around this time each year through 2025. A review committee will make final project selections. Initial funding is provided by Enviva. Learn more at envivaforestfund.org.
Geography
Proposals will be accepted for bottomland/wetland forest conservation projects in the following counties:
Virginia: Brunswick, Chesapeake, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Isle of Wright, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Prince George, Southampton, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Virginia Beach.
North Carolina: Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Hertford, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Martin, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pasquotank, Pender, Pitt, Perquimans, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Stanley, Tyrrell, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilson.
*Note: As of 2020, projects that are partly in the eligible counties and partly in adjoining counties, may be considered for funding if they address the Fund’s priorities.
Priority Conservation Forest Types
The Endowment has identified four distinct forest ecosystems that are especially worthy of protection and that Enviva has agreed to conserve in collaboration with forest owners. These types are only suggestive of what the Fund seeks to conserve:
- Cypress-tupelo swamps: Characterized by saturated soils during the growing season and standing water during certain times of the year, these include various species of bald cypress (Taxodium distichum ) and water tupelo (Nyssa aquatic).
- Atlantic white cedar stands: This species (Chamaecyparis thyoides) grows on wet sites at altitudes up to 50 meters above sea level.
- Pocosins: One of the South’s rarest wetlands, low Pocosins are dominated by small trees and shrubs and have a high water table. The word “pocosin” is from the Algonquin Native American word for “swamp on a hill.”
- Carolina bays: Called “bays,” they are not ocean inlets but are geologic depressions usually surrounded by a variety of bay trees, including red and sweet bays.
Endorsements
A priority for the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund is to accelerate implementation of existing conservation plans that have been developed collaboratively by local partners. Applicants should provide at least two letters from relevant partners demonstrating their awareness of and support for your project. Project partners should be explicit in describing how the applicant’s proposed project integrates with and preferably leverages existing conservation plans. Such groups might include state Departments of Natural Resources and Forestry, state or regional offices of federal natural resource agencies, and non-governmental conservation groups with a significant presence in Virginia and North Carolina.
Matching Fund Requirements
Applicants should provide at least 50% of the total project cost. This may include cash donations or in-kind contributions from third-parties. Federal and non-federal funds may be considered as match.
Leverage
Applicants that leverage other financial resources for larger-scale outcomes are highly desirable. For example, proposals that tap into other sources of private or public funds to maximize acres protected will receive priority consideration.
Eligible Applicants
Not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, tribes, and federal, state, and local government agencies are eligible for funding. Unincorporated individuals are not eligible. Public/private partnerships are particularly desirable.
Program Criteria
Ten primary criteria are considered in evaluating applications. Please address the following in your application:
- Ecological quality of tract and associated conservation values (quantified, if possible), such as benefits for cypress-tupelo, Atlantic white cedar, pocosins, and/or Carolina Bays
- Identification of at risk species (plants and animals)
- Immediacy of threat to the site
- Link(s) to other protected areas or inclusion within established conservation plans
- Financial leverage and cost-effectiveness of proposal
- Scale of forests protected (acres, miles of streamside zones)
- Adequacy of active forest management plans (if applicable)
- Partner history of accomplishment in the area
- Benefits to family forest owners, if any
- Likelihood of successful project completion
2023 Process Schedule
The Endowment will coordinate a proposal review committee and will engage successful applicants in contracting at the earliest possible time.
Proposal Deadline: March 10, 2023
Contracting should be completed within four to eight weeks after applicants are notified unless complications arise. The Endowment will administer grants for the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund.
Application Assistance
For questions or clarification please contact Teal Edelen at 301-466-6943
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
Only proposals submitted through the U.S. Endowment Grantee Portal will be accepted.
There is a change in the submission process this year. Click here for application instructions.
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“The coastal forests of Virginia are a precious natural resource, and the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund will play an important role in protecting and conserving them. Programs such as the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund help families and other landowners keep these forests as forests for generations to come. Both our environment and our communities benefit when private industry develops and supports these types of conservation efforts.”
The Honorable Terry McAuliffe, Governor of Virginia“Enviva is one of the fastest-growing companies in the wood pellet industry. It turns byproducts of sawtimber harvests into renewable fuel that is in great demand around the world. By creating this Forest Conservation Fund, Enviva is ensuring that North Carolina’s bottomland forests will be sustained and protected for generations to come.”
The Honorable Pat McCrory, Governor, State of North Carolina“Ensuring that working forests are sound habitats for a wide range of bird species includes maintaining diversity within individual forest stands and at the landscape level. Enviva’s plan to identify and protect specific wetland forest types, such as Atlantic White Cedar, and to continue to enhance management of working forests, is a great step toward this goal for the Coastal Plain of Virginia and North Carolina.”
George Fenwick, Ph.D., President, American Bird Conservancy“I applaud the Endowment and Enviva for this innovative and positive agreement to ensure conservation and management of our critical forested wetland habitats. This agreement is the model of how corporate America can and should work to truly define sustainability for the future. Enviva’s commitment to protect diminishing hardwoods, cedars, pocosins and bays will help ensure a healthy future for both important habitats and forest product supply.”
H. Dale Hall, CEO, Ducks Unlimited Inc. / Former Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service“Increasingly, conservation successes will be defined by the convergence of business and the environment. The partnership of the U. S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities and Enviva is a great example of how the innovation of business can accelerate the achievement of conservation on the ground. The enhanced management of family-owned forests, the permanent protection of the most sensitive areas, and the clear signal that healthy markets for forest products translates into forests being kept as forests rather than being converted to shopping centers, all are great outcomes of this strong partnership.”
Larry Selzer , President and CEO, The Conservation Fund“I commend Enviva for their new initiative to conserve bottomland hardwood forests in North Carolina. This project is a great example of private enterprise leading conservation efforts across our state.”
The Honorable David Rouzer, U.S. House of Representatives, 7th District of North Carolina“The hardwood forests of the Southeast have been actively harvested for centuries. Unfortunately, all-too-often harvesting was done by ‘tak’n the best and leav’n the rest’. What’s often needed to restore those forest to resiliency and to help keep the forests healthy and productive are markets for the low-value trees left behind. The Enviva/Endowment plan is to harvest and allow for natural regeneration on operable sites while protecting stands on fragile soils in order to accomplish both economic and ecological objectives.”
Dr. Robert Kellison , Professor Emeritus of Hardwood Silviculture, North Carolina State University“The raw materials that supply the wide range of forest products – from paper to lumber and more – are heavily dependent upon stewardship by our nation’s family forest owners. Just paying the annual taxes, insurance and maintenance on those lands can be a challenge. To have a for-profit corporation commit to helping fund long-term forest conservation efforts to help these landowners defray part of these costs and keep their forests as forests benefits us all.”
Tom Martin, President and CEO, American Forest Foundation“An enduring commitment to sustainable forest management and a diversity of strong markets for wood products helped forest owners and managers increase the volume of growing trees in our country by 50 percent since the 1950s. Those forests provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities and economic benefits that improve the quality of life of millions of Americans. Conservation efforts are central to the business of sustainable forestry, helping to protect unique places and sensitive areas essential to the overall health and vitality of our forests. We applaud Enviva’s commitment to sustainable forestry and the people who make it possible.”
Dave Tenny, President and CEO, National Alliance of Forest Owners“Our agency believes in strong forest markets and the simultaneous conservation of declining forest types. We look forward to working closely with the partners to achieve effective landowner outreach, timely reforestation and active management that will strengthen forest health.”
David Lane , State Forester, North Carolina Forest Service
