New Funding Round to Build on Success of Previous Rounds; Continue Commission’s Mission of Building a Strong Economy in Southern and Southwest Virginia 

The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission is now accepting applications for the third round of its Energy Ingenuity Fund. The deadline to submit a pre-application is Oct. 31, 2024. 

This round aims to build on the success of previous rounds of the program and continue to bring innovative energy projects, along with the jobs and investment that come with them, to Southern and Southwest Virginia. The recently concluded second round of the program saw four projects funded that will help communities meet current and future energy needs, reduce costs for consumers, increase reliability and more. Information on those projects, and others that received funding at the Commission’s recent meeting in Martinsville, can be found here.

Tobacco Commission Executive Director James E. Campos said, “The projects funded in the second round of the Commission’s Energy Ingenuity Fund will provide benefits to localities in the Commission footprint for decades to come and I am excited to see the innovative projects brought forth in this third round. Governor Youngkin has made it clear that energy reliability and affordability are critical to the economic success of the Commonwealth and I believe that is especially true for Southern and Southwest Virginia. Rural Virginia is poised for growth in the energy sector and I look forward to working with our local partners, as well as innovators in the private sector, to harness that growth and bring results to our footprint localities.”

Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission Director of Regional Energy Development and Innovation, Jerry Silva, added “It has been a pleasure working with our local partners and others to bring great projects to the TRRC footprint and I look forward to continuing that work in the third round of the program. I once again encourage anyone with an idea for a project to contact me and I would be more than happy to work with them to bring that project to life for the benefit of our communities.”

Energy Ingenuity Fund Program Outline

Up to $6 million is designated for energy-related projects in each of the Commission’s service regions, Southern and Southwest Virginia. A variety of energy project proposals will be accepted, with a focus on establishing a ‘best in class’ energy economy. Projects supported through this fund will capitalize on the region’s skilled workforce and promote an energy focused economy for the Tobacco Region, recognizing that regions with a strong focus on energy can better attract economic activity to their communities. Potential project areas include, but are not limited to: energy manufacturing supply chain, energy production, grid resiliency, energy storage, microgrids, hydrogen generation, smart cities, wind, small scale modular reactors, conversion of coal mines, and more.

The Energy Ingenuity Fund will solicit applications through a competitive process to establish grant and loan agreements for high impact economic development projects meeting the following objectives:

• Deployment of resources to amplify and accelerate investment in energy projects.
• Collaboration between key partners in energy and economic development.
• Enhancement and expansion of the region’s energy supply chain.
• Development of more energy resiliency in Southern and Southwest Virginia.

Funding will be considered for projects within the Southern and Southwest Virginia areas of Virginia’s Tobacco Region. See the TRRC Coverage Area Map.

For more information on TRRC program objectives please review the TRRC Strategic Plan and the Logic Models for this Program in the Plan as well as the Commission’s Funding Policies.

Energy Ingenuity Fund Program Details

October 31st – Please review the program Guidelines & Request for Proposals before beginning a pre-application. Please note that a pre-application is required before a project can move forward in the review process.

Based on the information provided in the pre-application, those invited to move forward to full application will be notified by November 2, 2024 and must submit a full application by midnight on December 2, 2024.

To read more about the program, and complete a pre-application (required) please visit the Energy Ingenuity Fund page.

Eligibility Requirements

Please note that:

• Applicants must be either a local governmental entity or a non-profit OR must be partnering with a local governmental entity or non-profit.
• All requests for grant funds require at least dollar-for-dollar (1:1) matching funds, with no more than 25% of the match requirement from “in-kind” sources.

Please see the program Guidelines & Request for Proposals for full eligibility details.

Questions from partners or potential applicants:

Jerry Silva
Director of Regional Energy Development and Innovation
(804) 325-4363
JSilva@revitalizeva.org

About The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission

The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission is a 28-member body created by the 1999 General Assembly. Its mission is the promotion of economic growth and development in tobacco-dependent communities, using proceeds of the national tobacco settlement. To date, the Commission has awarded over 2000 grants totaling more than $1.1 billion across the tobacco region of the Commonwealth, and has provided $309 million in indemnification payments to tobacco growers and quota holders.

The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission is an economic development agency under Governor Youngkin’s Secretariat of Commerce and Trade, led by Secretary Caren Merrick. TRRC’s Executive Director, Hon. James E. Campos, is appointed by the Governor.