Fredericksburg-based nonprofit Downtown Greens has been awarded a $750 Green Grant in the Community Beautification category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th Annual Green Grants program.
Every year, government, nonprofit, 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.
“Green Grants support many different sustainable projects and programs that are designed at the local level to meet the needs and priorities of the organizations that applied. Project partners are diverse, but a common theme is that they bring people together to improve the natural and scenic environment for all to enjoy,” Keep Virginia Beautiful Executive Director Cristi Lawton said in a press release.
Downtown Greens is a nonprofit organization in downtown Fredericksburg with a mission of improving lives in the community by connecting people with nature. Downtown Greens achieved that mission through land conservation and environmental stewardship of that land. For the past 30 years, they have worked tirelessly to provide safe and accessible green space to the residents of their community.
The focus of the Green Grant project area includes clearing of the most invasive species, with work being done to install native plant species in that area to fill the voids. Another vital part of the project involves adding educational signage to that area, as well as free educational walks. The signage will not only help Downtown Green’s community, neighbors, and visitors to understand Downtown Greens’ mission and enhance the educational aspect of the space, but will also provide a map of the lower garden property.
The mission at Keep Virginia Beautiful is to engage and unite Virginians to improve the natural and scenic environment of Virginia. Since 2011, Keep Virginia Beautiful has provided $334,000 for 415 programs and projects throughout the state. Funding is made possible through generous support from Altria and Smurfit Westrock.
