Partners include:
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
The NRCS works with landowners through conservation planning to provide technical and financial assistance. The conservation plans are designed to improve on-farm operations in ways that also improve the natural resource base and associated environmental performance. NRCS assistance now includes on-farm energy audits to identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency.
Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF)
The Natural Capital Investment Fund is a nonprofit, specialized lender for small natural resource-based businesses in central Appalachia. NCIF promotes environmentally sustainable development in economically distressed areas by providing affordable, flexible capital and key management assistance to small and emerging businesses. NCIF is certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and Community Development Entity (CDE) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC)
ODEC is a not-for-profit, member-owned wholesale power supplier to 11 member electric distribution cooperatives that provide reliable, affordable electricity to 1.2 million people in 70 counties in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware.
USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) offers grants and loans to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for energy efficiency or renewable energy projects. Energy Assessments are required for ALL energy efficiency projects. For those efficiency projects with total eligible project costs exceeding $50,000, an Energy Audit is required. Feasibility studies are required for renewable energy projects with total eligible project costs exceeding $200,000. Scoring consideration is given for smaller projects that opt to do an energy audit.
Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME)
DMME provides state government, the business community, and citizens with a focal point for the development of innovative policies, and for the implementation of comprehensive programs for energy and mineral resources consistent with modern safety and conservation practices. These programs include incentives for improving energy efficiency.
Virginia FAIRS
The Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation and Rural Sustainability (FAIRS) assists rural Virginians in developing and advancing their agricultural, economic and social interests to enhance their quality of life. Virginia FAIRS is a strong partner in providing workshops on grant writing and grant opportunities.
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Virginia Cooperative Extension helps lead the engagement mission of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, the commonwealth’s land-grant universities. Building local relationships and collaborative partnerships, we help people put scientific knowledge to work through learning experiences that improve economic, environmental, and social well-being. Extension programs are delivered through a network of faculty at two universities, 107 county and city offices, 11 agricultural research and Extension centers, and six 4-H educational centers. Our system incorporates the expertise of faculty in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station; as well as the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University.
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