$1,000 Grant Award Goes to S.A.F.E.

Congratulations to today’s award of our 2021 Green Grants:  Substance Abuse Free Environment, in Chesterfield County!  They will receive a grant award of $1000 for their Cigarette Litter Prevention project. We continue to announce one award each day during the month of June. 

Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE) is a nonprofit organization working to prevent and reduce substance abuse.  SAFE recognizes the disparity in tobacco use (and other substances) among diverse, underserved, and marginalized communities. Along with the Tobacco and Nicotine Task Force, SAFE has an African American Coalition, a Latino Coalition, and a Youth Coalition to better serve these specific communities in Chesterfield County with targeted initiatives. SAFE TNT partners with these other Coalition Coordinators to reach these specific populations to provide education and resources that are relevant, and in an accessible manner.

SAFE will use their grant funds to purchase pocket ashtrays and distribute them in kits to smokers as a means to reduce cigarette littering in Chesterfield County. In addition to the pocket ashtrays, kits will include infographics and fact sheets with cigarette littering statistics and information about the connection between tobacco use, COVID-19 and lung illnesses.

Every year, government, non-profit, civic and service organizations in Virginia were invited to apply for grants for $500 to $1,000 describing how they plan to tackle an environmental concern in their community regarding Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.  Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $254,500 for 320 different environmental programs and projects all across the Commonwealth, due to the generosity of their partnership with Altria, as well as additional support from Coca-Cola, WestRock and Keep America Beautiful.