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Congratulations to All 2025 Green Grant Awardees!

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Green Grants LogoWe’re celebrating another successful year of our Green Grants program!

We were excited to see organizations step forward with thoughtful, inspiring ideas for positive changes in their communities. A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who applied—and a big congratulations to our 2025 Green Grant recipients! (See list and links below.)

With 112 grant applications vying for 30 grant awards, the judges had a challenging time evaluating and scoring the applications. We extend our sincere appreciation to our panel of expert judges for their thoughtful evaluation of each application.

We’re also deeply grateful to our sponsors – their support makes this program possible!

Below, you’ll find a recap of the 2025 grant awards, with links to each blog article to learn more.  The Green Grants program continues to showcase the power of volunteers and the ripple effect of community-driven action. The projects funded this year will not only beautify and improve local environments but also inspire others to follow suit.

Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has proudly awarded $360,250 in funding to support 435 projects across the Commonwealth. From bustling cities to quiet rural towns, historic parks to local municipalities, our grants have touched communities as diverse as Virginia itself.

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6/1/2025 The Flora of Virginia Project $500 Community Beautification
6/2/2025 Hands On Harvests $1,000 Recycling and Waste Reduction
6/3/2025 Rocktown High School Earth Club $750 Community Beautification
6/4/2025 Clean Essex Committee $1,000 Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling
6/5/2025 Olde Towne Business Association $500 Litter Prevention or Abatement
6/6/2025 Arrowhead Elementary School $1,000 Recycling and Waste Reduction
6/7/2025 Courts of St Francis HOA $1,000 Community Beautification
6/8/2025 Scottsville Center for Arts and Nature $1,000 Litter Prevention or Abatement
6/9/2025 Northstar Academy and Career Center $1,000 Recycling and Waste Reduction
6/10/2025 Our Health, Inc. $500 Community Beautification
6/11/2025 Coastal Composite Squadron $1,000 Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling
6/12/2025 Friends of Natural Bridge State Park $1,000 Recycling and Waste Reduction
6/13/2025 Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail $500 Community Beautification
6/14/2025 Rivanna Conservation Alliance $1,000 Litter Prevention or Abatement
6/15/2025 Elizabeth River Trail Foundation $1,000 Community Beautification
6/16/2025 Claytor Lake Chapter Izzak Walton League $1,000 Litter Prevention or Abatement
6/17/2025 Supernova Alliance $1,000 Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling
6/18/2025 Jonnie B. Deel Memorial Library $500 Recycling and Waste Reduction
6/19/2025 Lee County Garden Club $750 Community Beautification
6/20/2025 Tech For Troops $1,000 Recycling and Waste Reduction
6/21/2025 Friends of Peak Creek $500 Litter Prevention or Abatement
6/22/2025 Affordable Homes & Communities $1,000 Recycling and Waste Reduction
6/23/2025 Newport News Green Foundation $1,000 Community Beautification
6/24/2025 Barns of Rose Hill $1,000 Recycling and Waste Reduction
6/25/2025 Waterway Cleanups $1,000 Litter Prevention or Abatement
6/26/2025 Hopewell Recreation & Parks $1,000 Community Beautification
6/27/2025 Danville Science Center $1,000 Litter Prevention or Abatement
6/28/2025 Friends of Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office Co $1,000 Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling
6/29/2025 Downtown Greens $750 Community Beautification
6/30/2025 Virginia Institute of Marine Science $1,000 Recycling and Waste Reduction
Photo of volunteers pulling trash and tires out of Peak Creek

Friends of Peak Creek Awarded Green Grant

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Photo of volunteers pulling trash and tires out of Peak CreekFriends of Peak Creek, in the Town of Pulaski is awarded a $500 Green Grant in the Litter Prevention category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th Annual Green Grants program.    

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification. 

Friends of Peak Creek is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the stewardship of the Peak Creek Watershed. Located in Pulaski County, Peak Creek is the major tributary to Claytor Lake, an impoundment on the New River. Established in 2013, their organization has three major goals: cleanup of Peak Creek and its tributaries, environmental educational outreach, and sustainable or responsible economic development. Friends of Peak Creek schedules three streambank cleanups per year: two streambank cleanups and one in the water. They also facilitate groups that want to volunteer but are constrained by their own schedules.

Funds awarded from the Green Grant will be used to purchase additional supplies such as litter grabbers, gloves, safety vests to replenish first aid kits dedicated to cleanups. Purchasing quality and reusable equipment helps keeps cost down which allow us to continue the good work!

Many of the waterways they clean are rural and the roads are mountainous. There are places where dumping has occurred for years near streams. These streams wash debris down to Peak Creek and, worst of all, carry chemicals that have leached from the refuse found there.

There are 17 named streams in the watershed, and Friend of Peak Creek’s goal is to clean up all of them! In the past 12 years of existence, they’ve reached and cleaned eight. By the end of June this year they will have added one more.

Thank you, Friends of Peak Creek and all your volunteers, for the work you’re doing!

Photo of Jonnie B. Deel Memorial Library; red brick building with white columns

The Next Green Grant Awarded to Jonnie B. Deel Memorial Library

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Photo of Jonnie B. Deel Memorial Library; red brick building with white columnsJonnie B. Deel Memorial Library in Dickenson County is awarded a $500 Green Grant in the Recycling and Waste Reduction category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th Annual Green Grants program.    

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification. 

The Jonnie B. Deel Memorial Library branch in Clintwood is part of the Lonesome Pine Regional Library system, which serves counties in Southwest Virginia.  The library’s mission is for children and adults to experience personal enrichment and connection with one another and had over 5,000 people attending library programs in recent years. 

Lonesome Pine Regional Library logo in green font on a white backgroundLibrary books that are too worn or outdated to be useful are sometimes headed for the landfill.  But with Green Grant funds, books at the Jonnie B. Deel Memorial Library will be given new life as art projects. The library will offer activities that repurpose old novels by removing the pages, and using a rose-shaped die and leaf-shaped die to cut out shapes from the pages.  The shapes will be glued together to create paper roses and leaves that will be added to grapevine wreath forms.  The tips of the flowers are then painted, and the final result is a piece of home décor that will last for years.

Funds from the Green Grant will go to purchase a manual die cutter, grapevine wreaths, and other supplies to create art projects.  The library has a room for crafting and creating art that is a popular place for visitors.  This program will bring visitors to the library to enjoy an activity that will upcycle books in a useful and fun way!

 

Photo of a volunteer scraping off graffiti and stickers from a sign on the Mount Vernon Trail

Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail Awarded Green Grant

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Photo of a volunteer scraping off graffiti and stickers from a sign on the Mount Vernon TrailFriends of the Mount Vernon Trail in Alexandria is awarded a $500 Green Grant in the Community Beautification category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th Annual Green Grants program.    

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address environmental concerns in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification. 

The Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that was established in 2018. Its mission is to support the National Park Service in maintaining the Mount Vernon Trail as a safe and welcoming environment for all users. The Mount Vernon Trail is an 18-mile paved multi-use path that stretches from George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate to Theodore Roosevelt Island, paralleling the Potomac River. Since its inception, the trail has hosted over 260 events, with more than 5,500 volunteers contributing over 13,700 hours to trail improvement efforts. In 2023, the trail won the National Park Service’s Excellence in volunteerism Award for the Team Impact category. 

Funds provided by the Green Grant award will be used to purchase more graffiti removal spray and sticker scrapers, as well as gloves and safety goggles for the nonprofit organization’s volunteers to use when removing graffiti tags and stickers from the trail. Having additional graffiti spray now will help FoMVT remove graffiti during the summer, when they see the largest increase in graffiti activity. This project directly aligns with Keep Virginia Beautiful’s mission to engage communities in enhancing natural beauty and reducing litter. By removing graffiti and stickers from the Mount Vernon Trail—a regional treasure—they will not only restore a cleaner, safer environment, but also foster civic pride, environmental responsibility, and a renewed appreciation for public spaces. 

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Congratulations to the 2024 Green Grants Awardees!

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Green Grants LogoWe’ve had a wonderful time announcing the 30 Green Grants awards for 2024 throughout the month of June!  The awardees were from organizations across much of the Commonwealth, with plans for Community Beautification, Cigarette Litter Prevention Programs, Litter Prevention, and Recycling and Waste Reduction efforts that will surely improve our natural and scenic environment!

The number of grant applications we receive each year continues to grow, with over three times the number of applications than the 30 awards.  It’s difficult for the panel of expert judges to narrow it down to the top contenders, and we appreciate their time and expertise.

We’ll share photos and triumphs as their goals are accomplished between now and October 1st.  Below is the list of awards, along with a link to the Latest News blog posts for each announcement.  We hope that you’ll be read them and be inspired or even motivated to plan a similar event in your community!

We’re especially grateful to our sponsors who make this program possible!

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Announced                      Category Amount              Organization
6/1/2024 Recycling & Waste Reduction $1,000 Art Hive Creative Reuse & Art Center
6/2/2024 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program $750 Keep Middlesex Beautiful
6/3/2024 Community Beautification $1,000 Town of Hillsville
6/4/2024 Recycling & Waste Reduction $1,000 Saint Patrick Catholic School
6/5/2024 Community Beautification $1,000 Friends of Fonticello Park
6/6/2024 Litter Prevention $1,000 Friends of the Buchanan County Public Library
6/7/2024 Community Beautification $1,000 Fort Story Community Garden
6/8/2024 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program $1,000 Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office
6/9/2024 Litter Prevention $500 James Monroe Memorial Foundation
6/10/2024 Recycling & Waste Reduction $1,000 Friends of Occoneechee State Park
6/11/2024 Litter Prevention $1,000 Nauticus
6/12/2024 Community Beautification $500 Franklin County Master Gardeners Association
6/13/2024 Litter Prevention $1,000 Rivanna Conservation Alliance
6/14/2024 Recycling & Waste Reduction $1,000 Virginia Living Museum
6/15/2024 Litter Prevention $1,000 The Chincoteague Center
6/16/2024 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program $1,000 Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter
6/17/2024 Recycling & Waste Reduction $1,000 Jon Henry General Store
6/18/2024 Community Beautification $750 Gloucester County Clean Community
6/19/2024 Recycling & Waste Reduction $500 Ferrum College
6/20/2024 Litter Prevention $1,000 Richmond Community ToolBank
6/21/2024 Community Beautification $1,000 The Highland Center
6/22/2024 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program $1,000 Town of St. Paul
6/23/2024 Community Beautification $750 Bragg Hill Community Garden
6/24/2024 Litter Prevention $750 Cville Tool Library
6/25/2024 Community Beautification $1,000 Keep Hopewell Beautiful
6/26/2024 Litter Prevention $500 Troop 50126 (Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital)
6/27/2024 Recycling & Waste Reduction $1,000 Blue Ridge Mountains Council, Boy Scouts of America
6/28/2024 Community Beautification $1,000 Birdhouse Farmers Market Inc
6/29/2024 Community Beautification $1,000 Culpepper Garden
6/30/2024 Recycling & Waste Reduction $1,000 Friends of Natural Bridge State Park

 

Lady and two girls, one with a Junior Girl Scouts t-shirt and ball cap

2024 Green Grants Award #26: GSNC Girl Scout Troop #50126

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Lady and two girls, one with a Junior Girl Scouts t-shirt and ball capCongratulations to Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital Troop #50126 for their $500 Green Grants award to tackle litter in the parks!

Troop 50126, comprised of 13 vibrant fourth graders from Wolftrap Elementary School in Vienna, VA, have a passion for environmental stewardship. Their diverse interests, ranging from dance to sharks, converge in their shared dedication to nurturing their local environment. Originating from a camping trip tradition of shouting “pickles” followed by a group hug, they’ve transformed this into a symbol of unity and fun-loving spirit. Embracing the pickle theme wholeheartedly, they’ve even incorporated it into their upcoming rock climbing adventure with a custom troop shirt design exclaiming “Pickles Rock.” With playful patrol group names like “cornichons,” “bread & butter,” and “gherkins,” their camaraderie knows no bounds. Troop 50126 is more than just a group; they’re a community committed to keeping their corner of the world beautiful.

“Pickles Pick Up the Parks” is a multifaceted project of Troop 50126 as they expand their efforts to raise awareness about the significance of maintaining clean parks. This initiative also serves as their Bronze Award project, the highest accolade a Girl Scout Junior can achieve, requiring each scout to contribute a minimum of 20 hours. With the Green Grants’ support, the troop aims to equip volunteers with essential gear for public cleanups throughout the summer. They also plan to distribute native seeds accompanied by educational material emphasizing the importance of planting indigenous species for environmental preservation. They’ll even work to learn about and clear invasive plant species from area parks.

Recognizing the increased attendance at the parks during the summer months, particularly by families en route to the local pool and dog walkers seeking shade by the creek, the troop is determined to combat litter accumulation, including the persistent issue of abandoned pet waste bags. Through “Pickles Pick Up the Parks,” Troop 50126 is not only fostering a cleaner environment but also cultivating a sense of civic responsibility within the community.

Funds from the Green Grants award will go to purchase work gloves in child and adult sizes, reflective safety vests, litter grabbers, and trash bags.

The first goal the scouts set is to clean up Waverly and Foxstone Parks, which are 14.4 acres combined with only one trash can. The end goal is to get the County to install more trash cans to help address the issue, keep the park clean, and help wildlife stay healthy. In addition to helping these 13 young women learn the impacts of litter on the environment, they’re planning to educate others and spread awareness of these impacts to the general public.

 

Photo of brick buildings on campus of Ferrum College

2024 Green Grants Award #19 Goes to Ferrum College

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Photo of brick buildings on campus of Ferrum CollegeCongratulations to Ferrum College’s EnviroClub for their $500 Green Grants award for their Recycling Program plans!

The campus at Ferrum College in Franklin County currently does not have a recycling program.  Students in the EnviroClub saw the need for metal recycling on campus to keep aluminum cans out of the landfill.  They want to encourage fellow students to choose aluminum over plastic.  An aluminum can has the ability to be recycled again and again, unlike plastics.

Nearly 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today.  Because aluminum is one of the most recycled (and recyclable) materials, a recycled aluminum beverage can is often recycled directly back into itself.  Thanks to the well-established recycling infrastructure, a recycled aluminum package can be back on the store shelf in as little as 60 days.

Funds from the Green Grants award will be used to purchase five Commercial Zone 30-Gallon Canpactors.  Students have identified five areas on campus that are areas of high aluminum can usage and waste, such as the stadium area, that will be best suited for visibility and convenience.  One Canpactor will be placed in each of the target areas.  Members of the EnviroClub will collect the cans from the bins and move them to a storage area on campus.  They will weigh the cans to monitor progress, and take them to one of the three metal scrap yards nearby. They will also survey students to get an idea of how many students use the bins.

Congratulations EnviroClub, and good luck as you kick off your recycling program in the Fall of 2024!

Red flower called Scarlet Beebalm with a bumblebee

2024 Green Grants Award #12: Franklin County Master Gardeners Assoc.

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Red flower called Scarlet Beebalm with a bumblebeeCongratulations to the Franklin County Master Gardeners Association for their $500 Green Grants award in the Community Beautification category!

The Franklin County Master Gardeners Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization that has existed since 1994.  Their mission is one of sharing knowledge and enhancing the environment through sustainable landscape practices.  They use horticulture and landscaping to promote community development, improve nutrition and food security, and provide positive educational experiences for youth in horticulture. The two pollinator gardens that are the focus of this grant award are located at the 4-H center in Franklin County and are maintained by Franklin County Master Gardeners.

One pollinator garden is at the Welcome Center and the other is by the Discovery Center. Both gardens are used for educational purposes when youth are at camp from June to July every summer. Their goal is to make both gardens a place where there is a consistent and coordinated message about the importance of pollinators. Materials developed by the National Association of Pollinator Partnership will be provided to teachers at the 4H camp.

Sunflower growing in a garden, with a funny faceThe funds provided by the Green Grants award will enable them to purchase and plant native Virginia pollinator plants in both gardens to support pollinators and to provide specific, educational signage about the gardens.  The gardens will demonstrate that plants should be diverse, not just in bloom time but also in color, size and shape of flower and plant size. Butterflies and hummingbirds prefer red and orange flowers with longer tubular openings. Bees like blue, violet, yellow and white flowers, and strongly prefer the Aster family, such as Golden Alexander, Cone Flowers, Brown Eyed Susans, Sunflowers, Asters, and Goldenrod.

Franklin County Master Gardeners are dedicated to educating the public about horticulture and environmentally responsible landscape practices. The 4-H pollinator gardens are designed to provide a pollinator habitat that supports and protects life. Like habitats for any living creatures, the pollinator gardens provide food and water, safe nesting sites to raise young, plus materials for building nests, and undisturbed areas for overwintering. They will use Native plants that have co-evolved alongside native bees and other pollinators and purchase our plants from a trusted source where we know the plants have been raised without pesticides, especially the systemic ones, that are toxic to bees and butterflies.

The efforts of this Green Grant award will surely demonstrate results in Community Beautification, not only for the the children and others who visit and learn about the gardens, but for the bees and other pollinators too!

 

Green background with words Time is running out! Apply for a Green Grant before midnight, April 30; clock with legs running, KVB logo, tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/2fxd59nf

$500 – $1,000 Grant Apply Through April 30

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Green background with words Time is running out! Apply for a Green Grant before midnight, April 30; clock with legs running, KVB logo, tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/2fxd59nfWe know that YOU can do great things in your communities, and WE want to help!

We’re awarding $500, $750, and $1,000 Green Grants to groups to improve the natural and scenic environment of Virginia.  Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $307,000 for 415 programs and projects throughout the state.  The program has been so successful because of the nonprofits, schools, faith-based organizations, civic leagues, “Friends of” groups, Scouts, and others who see a need where they live, and apply for a grant to get it accomplished.

You can apply for a Green Grant in any of the four categories:  Litter Prevention, Cigarette Litter Prevention, Community Beautification, and Recycling.  The applications are evaluated and scored by a panel of experts in their fields, and in June, one Green Grant award is announced one each day, until all thirty awards have been revealed.

The general Grant Application Guidelines should be read before an application is submitted. Click here to start a 2024 Green Grant Application.

Applications are due before midnight on Tuesday, April 30, 2024!

Here are some past awards for inspiration:

  • Friends of a city park installed cigarette butt receptacles in the parking lot and at entrances to the park, to eliminate cigarette butt litter that can clog storm drains and harm wildlife.
  • A church parish started a composting collection program, yielding an average of 50 pounds of food waste that would have been sent to the landfill, but is processed to create rich compost.
  • Classrooms at an elementary school are collecting markers and pens to be recycled through TerraCycle.
  • A neighborhood civic league used grant funds to purchase litter grabbers, safety vests, gloves, and florescent hats for the safety of volunteers during their roadside cleanups.
  • Invasive species were removed and native plants installed along a hiking trail.

Please see our Green Grants webpage for descriptions of the categories, read the general Grant Application Guidelines, and click here to start a 2024 Green Grant Application.

We are grateful to the sponsors of our 2024 Green Grants Program:  Altria, WestRock, and Village Bank!

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Jar of pennies with a young plant growing out of it

Need a Little Seed Money?

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Jar of pennies with a young plant growing out of itOur 2024 Green Grant applications are now available on our Green Grant Program webpage!  Each year we award thirty grants for environmental projects and programs to groups and organizations in Virginia.  The Green Grants program empowers groups all across Virginia to make an environmental impact in their own communities.  This is one of the ways we can engage the people who live in Virginia to improve our natural and scenic environment.

Applications can be submitted between now and April 30, 2024.  Thirty awards will be announced, one each day, in June.  Grant awards are available for $500, $750, or $1,000 proposals. You can read the general Grant Application Guidelines for more information, and can apply in any of the four categories:  Litter Prevention, Recycling/Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

There is so much we can do within our own communities, and we hope a little seed money can help you start or enhance a program or try a new method of living in a more sustainable way.

Here are some ideas for projects and programs that you may need to solve a need for

  • Install cigarette butt receptacles in a no-smoking area or parking lot in your;Green Grants Logo
  • Host a Fix-it Fair to keep items out of the landfill that will have life left in them after small repairs;
  • Purchase grabbers, safety vests, and gloves for volunteers to clean up roads and the landscape;
  • Start a composting program with produce that would be thrown away at a restaurant or at a farmers market, to reduce food waste;
  • Supply your classroom with re-usable lunch boxes, water bottles, storage bags, cloth napkins, and utensils to see how much less trash you create each day.

Thank you for caring about the natural and scenic environment in your community, I hope that you’ll apply for a Green Grant this year.  Please reach out to Beckey Watson at [email protected] if you have any questions about the program.

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