The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina is inviting applications for its Pigeon River Fund (PRF) to improve the streams and rivers of Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties.

Focus Areas

It supports projects and activities that provide direct benefits in at least one of the following focus areas:

• Improved surface water quality
• Enhanced fish and wildlife management and habitats
• Expanded public access
• Increased citizens' awareness about their roles in protecting these resources.

Priority Projects

• Higher priority projects:
  • Support efforts to address water quality issues in streams or watersheds identified as priorities in county (or other authority) watershed action plans. A copy of the watershed plan should be uploaded with the application. Promote collaborative or coordinated projects that address comprehensive issues and that will have a long-term benefit. Encourage education and awareness of water quality issues, preferably focused on helping individuals understand how their actions relate to the overall health of the river basin. Install water quality Best Management Practices (BMPs) or other stream improvements that are part of a coordinated multi-faceted effort and that will result in significant water quality improvement.
• Lower priority projects:
  • Scattered projects (including demonstration BMPs or other projects) not related to a coordinated effort to improve priority streams/watershed in the relevant community. Government agency operating support, especially staffing. Projects related to regulation enforcement that is the responsibility of government.

Funding Information

• Grants are typically for one year and generally range from $5,000 to $35,000.
• Some grant requests may exceed $35,000 with prior approval of CFWNC staff.
• Conservation easement requests for transaction or acquisition costs should not exceed $30,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• Tax-exempt organizations described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and governmental entities serving Buncombe, Haywood or Madison counties are eligible to apply.
• PRF grant funds are not appropriate for projects or activities related to or in support of litigation in any administrative or judicial forum.
• Grants generally do not support: scholarships; sectarian religious purposes; partisan political purposes; endowment funds; deficit funding or debt retirement; capital support for new buildings or major expansions; festivals or one-time events such as exhibits, performances or fundraisers; or activities taking place or expenses incurred before grant decisions are made.

For more information, visit Pigeon River Fund.