Ora E. Anderson Conservation Fund

The Ora E. Anderson Conservation Fund for Appalachian Ohio supports conservation activities and programs across Appalachian Ohio in honor of naturalist Ora "Andy" Anderson and his long record of environmental stewardship. Anderson was a conservation advocate, journalist, educator, tree farmer, bird carver, and storyteller whose involvement in conservation in the region extended for approximately 70 years. His work included covering the establishment of the Wayne National Forest, serving as president of the Ohio Forestry Association and board chairman of The Nature Conservancy in Ohio, helping establish nature preserves, and advising public officials and other conservationists. He was posthumously inducted into the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Hall of Fame, the state's highest conservation honor. The fund began in 2007 with approximately $6,000 contributed by a group of Anderson's admirers and has developed as a permanent charitable resource for conservation in the Appalachian region. Gifts made to the fund are added to its endowment as permanent community capital supporting environmental conservation. The fund's advisory committee makes distribution recommendations intended to advance Anderson's vision of preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the region. The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio administers the opportunity and provides applicant contact information and the online application mechanism. Grant funding is intended to support conservation across Appalachian Ohio's 32 counties. The stated emphasis is on conservation activities and programs involving watershed restoration, sustainable forest practices, and promotion of the region's cultural and environmental history. Funding requests should generally range from $500 to $5,000. The fund may consider requests larger than $5,000 based on their potential impact, so the stated $5,000 amount is the normal requested range rather than an absolute maximum award. The source does not state an overall amount available for the grant cycle, a number of anticipated awards, a required cost share or matching contribution, a performance period, or additional restrictions on grant expenditures. Eligible applicants include public organizations and nonprofit organizations. Groups operating under fiscal sponsorship with a nonprofit or public organization are also eligible to apply. Applicants must seek support for conservation within the specified Appalachian Ohio geography. The supplied information does not further define the types of public organizations, nonprofit tax classifications, fiscal sponsorship documentation requirements, organization size requirements, faith-based restrictions, or other organizational eligibility conditions. It also does not identify individuals or for-profit organizations as eligible applicants. Applications for the 2026 cycle are accepted from Tuesday, August 18, 2026, through Tuesday, September 29, 2026. Applications must be submitted online through the Foundation Cloud Community Portal. First-time applicants must register and create an account in the Portal, while returning applicants may use an existing account. No separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating requirement is identified in the supplied material. The source also does not provide application narrative questions, required attachments, formal evaluation criteria, award notification timing, or an award start date. Applicants with questions are directed to the Frequently Asked Questions resource or may contact the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio by email at grants@ffao.org or by telephone at 740.753.1111. The supplied source includes a direct PDF URL for the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio applicant Frequently Asked Questions. Because the source does not explicitly state that the grant is offered annually or on another recurring schedule, recurrence and a future application cycle should not be assumed from the 2026 application announcement alone.

Align the proposed conservation work with watershed restoration, sustainable forest practices, or promotion of Appalachian Ohio's cultural and environmental history. Requests above $5,000 should clearly demonstrate potential impact because larger requests may be considered based on potential impact.