Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail Awarded Green Grant
Friends 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.