2021 ENVIVA FOREST CONSERVATION FUND REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Greenville, SC
Deadline for Proposals is January 29, 2021
GREENVILLE, SC AND BETHESDA, MD (DECEMBER 15, 2020) The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment) today released a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund (the Fund). $500,000 is the targeted funding amount for 2021 grants to protect bottomland hardwood and other wetland forests in eastern North Carolina and southeast Virginia.
This is the sixth cycle of a $5 million, 10-year program, which was launched by Enviva Holdings, LP (Enviva), and the Endowment in 2015. Not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and tribes are eligible to apply for grants. The deadline for proposals is January 29, 2021. The RFP and additional materials are available on the Endowment’s website.
“The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund was established to preserve sensitive forests that might otherwise be threatened by land conversion, altered hydrology, invasive species, and the impact of climate change. These forests are critical to biodiversity, community resiliency, outdoor recreation, and clean water within Virginia and North Carolina,” said Alicia Cramer, Senior Vice President at the Endowment. “Efforts, like those of the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, in partnership with on-the-ground conservation organizations, will help preserve these special forests for years to come.”
“As we embark on our sixth year of this incredible work, we are proud to be on target to help conserve more than 35,000 acres of critical bottomland hardwood forests by 2025,” said Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Enviva. “Southern bottomland hardwoods and wetland forests not only protect wildlife and water quality, but they are also a critical component to the fight against climate change, and with the help of conservation organizations, we are helping to preserve these important ecosystems.”
Since its inception in 2015, the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund has supported 19 projects with approximately $2.2 million invested. Once completed, these projects will protect approximately 27,000 acres across North Carolina and Virginia. These protected forests help provide a clean drinking water source, act as a buffer to infrastructure during storms, and provide critical habitats for many species of wildlife while at the same time providing jobs and economic opportunity for rural families and private landowners.
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About the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund
The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund is a $5 million, 10-year program established by Enviva Holdings, LP in December 2015 to protect environmentally sensitive bottomland and wetland forests. Administered by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Fund awards grants annually to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for conservation projects in North Carolina and Virginia. Learn more at http://envivaforestfund.org.
About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities:
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity working collaboratively with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities. To learn more about the Endowment, please visit our website at www.usendowment.org.
For more information, contact:
Alicia Cramer, Senior Vice President, (205) 792-8650, alicia@usendowment.org
