Best Portsmouth city Grants for Nonprofits in Virginia

Virginia Department of Education

The Virginia Department of Education is the administrative agency for the commonwealth’s public schools. VDOE works in partnership with Virginia’s 132 school divisions to support and improve teaching and learning, set high expectations for all students, and promote student safety, wellbeing, and health.

Mission: The mission of the Virginia Department of Education is to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed in life.

School Security Equipment Grants Program

The Virginia Public School Authority (VPSA) will issue equipment notes (repaid from the Literary Fund) for the purpose of providing grant payments to eligible school divisions. These grants are to be used exclusively for purchasing school security equipment, which includes building modifications and fixtures such as security vestibules, for the school site and school buses as per the 2019 amendment to the Public School Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013, including any related equipment installation costs.

Local Match Requirement

For a school division to receive a grant, a local match of 25 percent of the grant amount is required. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized to reduce the local match for school divisions with a composite index of local ability-to-pay less than 0.2000, including any such school division participating in a regional vocational center, special education center, alternative education center, or academic year Governor's School. The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind is exempt from the match requirement.

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) partners with state, federal, local and nonprofit housing and community and economic development initiatives. DHCD programs strive to maintain the vibrancy of communities throughout the Commonwealth and include providing universal broadband access, investing in economic development initiatives, promulgating the statewide building and fire regulations, preserving the affordability and efficiency of Virginia’s homes and buildings, addressing homelessness, reducing eviction rates across the state and fostering innovative solutions to create affordable housing. DHCD invests over $350 million annually in addition to $2 billion in federal recovery programs as a partner to Virginia communities to create safe, affordable and prosperous communities to live, work and do business in Virginia.

Virginia Enterprise Zone – Real Property Investment Grant

The Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ) program is a partnership between state and local government that encourages job creation and private investment. VEZ accomplishes this by designating Enterprise Zones throughout the state and providing two grant-based incentives, the Job Creation Grant (JCG) and the Real Property Investment Grant (RPIG), to qualified investors and job creators within those zones, while the locality provides local incentives.

Highlights

The RPIG is available to investors that are undertaking rehabilitation, expansion, or new construction projects within the boundaries of an Enterprise Zone. The building or facility must be:

• Commercial: Including office and retail
• Industrial
• Mixed-use: At least 30% of usable floor space is devoted to commercial, office, or industrial use

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) partners with state, federal, local and nonprofit housing and community and economic development initiatives. DHCD programs strive to maintain the vibrancy of communities throughout the Commonwealth and include providing universal broadband access, investing in economic development initiatives, promulgating the statewide building and fire regulations, preserving the affordability and efficiency of Virginia’s homes and buildings, addressing homelessness, reducing eviction rates across the state and fostering innovative solutions to create affordable housing. DHCD invests over $350 million annually in addition to $2 billion in federal recovery programs as a partner to Virginia communities to create safe, affordable and prosperous communities to live, work and do business in Virginia.

Industrial Revitalization Fund 

The Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) leverages local and private resources to achieve market-driven redevelopment of vacant and deteriorated industrial and commercial properties. The program is targeted toward vacant structures whose poor condition creates physical and economic blight to the surrounding area in which the structure is located. Eligible properties include those formerly used for manufacturing, warehousing, mining, transportation and power production, as well as large-scale white elephant structures, such as department stores, theaters, hotels and shopping centers. Structures whose proposed end use will be solely residential are not eligible. 

The intent of the IRF program is to provide gap financing for projects once all other sources of funding have been exhausted. IRF awards require at least a 1 to 1 match of IRF dollars.

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) partners with state, federal, local and nonprofit housing and community and economic development initiatives. DHCD programs strive to maintain the vibrancy of communities throughout the Commonwealth and include providing universal broadband access, investing in economic development initiatives, promulgating the statewide building and fire regulations, preserving the affordability and efficiency of Virginia’s homes and buildings, addressing homelessness, reducing eviction rates across the state and fostering innovative solutions to create affordable housing. DHCD invests over $350 million annually in addition to $2 billion in federal recovery programs as a partner to Virginia communities to create safe, affordable and prosperous communities to live, work and do business in Virginia.

Virginia Enterprise Zone – Job Creation Grant

The Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ) program is a partnership between state and local government that encourages job creation and private investment. VEZ accomplishes this by designating Enterprise Zones throughout the state and providing two grant-based incentives, the Job Creation Grant (JCG) and the Real Property Investment Grant (RPIG), to qualified investors and job creators within those zones, while the local government provides local incentives.

Highlights

• Up to $500 annually per grant eligible position filled by an employee earning at least 150% (125% in HUAs and SWAM-certified businesses) of the minimum wage, who was offered health benefits. ["Minimum wage" means the federal minimum wage or the Virginia minimum wage, whichever is higher. The Department shall determine whichever is higher for the current calendar year as of December 1 of the prior calendar year, and its determination shall be continuously in effect throughout the calendar year, regardless of changes to the federal minimum wage or the Virginia minimum wage during that year.]
• Up to $800 annually per grant eligible position filled by an employee earning 175% of the Virginia minimum wage who was offered health benefits.
• For High Unemployment Areas and SWAM-certified Businesses, annual cash grant of $500 per job for jobs paying at least 125% of the minimum wage; $800 per job for jobs paying 175% of the minimum wage.
• Qualifying companies may claim the grants on up to a maximum of 350 jobs per year.
• Requires a four-job threshold to establish a five-year grant period.
• Only full-time jobs with health benefits are eligible.

KBF Ski Racing Safety

The KBF helps alpine ski clubs around the country purchase safety equipment like netting and padding, and also contributes to venue improvement initiatives. Funding requests are reviewed through an annual grant cycle with an application process. Over the past decade, the Kelly Brush Foundation has purchased thousands of rolls of b-netting, supported trail widening projects, and helped with the purchase of other safety equipment. 

KBF Ski Racing Safety Equipment Grants are all matching grants–meaning that any grant awarded by the Kelly Brush Foundation will need to be matched by the ski club. We expect that clubs will join us in making safety a priority by fundraising or finding room in their budget for safety.

Virginia Economic Development Partnership

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official economic development authority and has offices in Virginia, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Since 1995, VEDP has served as a professional, nonpartisan public authority with a long-term focus on strengthening Virginia’s economy across administrations. Working with state, regional and local partners, VEDP supports business expansion, attraction and investment through services that span site readiness, incentives, global trade and strategic planning. 

Virginia Investment Performance Grant

The Virginia Investment Performance Grant (VIP) encourages continued capital investment by existing Virginia companies, resulting in added capacity, modernization, increased productivity, or the creation, development, and utilization of advanced technology. The program targets existing manufacturers or research and development services supporting manufacturing. There must be an active and realistic competition between Virginia and another state or country for attracting the project, and matching local financial participation is expected.

The amount of each VIP grant is determined by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, based in part on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Return-on-Investment analysis and recommendation, and is subject to the approval of the Governor.

Highlights

Company must be an existing Virginia manufacturer or research and development service that supports manufacturing, and the project must result in capital investment of at least $25 million.

VIP grants are paid in five equal annual installments beginning in the first year after the capital investment and job creation or retention are achieved.

Virginia Economic Development Partnership

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official economic development authority and has offices in Virginia, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Since 1995, VEDP has served as a professional, nonpartisan public authority with a long-term focus on strengthening Virginia’s economy across administrations. Working with state, regional and local partners, VEDP supports business expansion, attraction and investment through services that span site readiness, incentives, global trade and strategic planning. 

Virginia Economic Development Incentive Grant (VEDIG)

The Virginia Economic Development Incentive Grant program (VEDIG) assists and encourages companies to invest and create new employment opportunities by locating significant headquarters, administrative, or service sector operations in Virginia. There must be an active and realistic competition between Virginia and another state or country for attracting the project.

The amount of each VEDIG grant is determined by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, based in part on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Return-on-Investment analysis and recommendation, and is subject to the approval of the Governor.

Highlights

The program offers cash grants to qualified applicants. Grants are paid in five equal annual installments beginning in the first year after the capital investment and job creation or retention are achieved. There are no restrictions on expenditure of the grant proceeds.

Minimum capital investment, new job, and wage thresholds are based on the area of Virginia in which the company is located.

In collaboration with Cummins Inc., the American Library Association (ALA) invites applications from U.S. public libraries to participate in A Year of STEM, 12 months of curated STEM programming to foster curiosity and STEM-mindedness in early childhood learners across the country. 

Twenty-five libraries will be chosen to participate in A Year of STEM, receiving professional development to prepare them for the project, copies of a newly created A Year of STEM programming guide developed by librarian advisors, a $5,000 programming stipend, four STEM kits (to be delivered quarterly), and support from ALA’s Public Programs Office staff throughout the project implementation period.

LRPenn.com is home to the novels, plays, and screenplays of LR Penn. His books specializes in Thrillers, Dramatic Comedies, and Film Noir. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, grants may be available to nonprofit theater companies in the United States with 501(c)(3) status that are staging productions of plays written by LR Penn.