In several states, various groups have been awarded grants for environmental and historical education and preservation. These grants are primarily for nonprofit organizations and community groups. More than 100 recipients across nine states are receiving the grants, which was explained in press releases from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History on January 22.
 

About the Environmental Preservation and Education Grants

The Dominion Energy Charitable Fund provided $1.3 million in grants to more than 100 recipients. The grants were awarded on Friday, January 22 as part of the fund's environmental education and stewardship activities. The program looks at grant applications in amounts of up to $25,000. The applications are supposed to focus on specific, short-term plans that will have measurable results for improving the environment. Kindergarten to 12th grade schools were also invited to apply for grants of up to $5,000.
 

About the Environmental Stewardship Grant Recipients

Projects designed to educate K-12 students about protecting and preserving natural habitats, improving green spaces and working to make nature more accessible won several awards. There were also K-12 grants awarded for environmental stewardship. One of the projects that won an award was from Charlottesville, VA. The city's schoolyard garden received $19,500. Its Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center received an additional $10,000 in funding. Mineral, VA, received $8,000 to help fund the Lake Anna Civic Association. Louisa County High School was awarded $4,500 for an educational program.
 

About the Dominion Energy Charitable Fund

The Dominion Energy Charitable Fund offers an annual grant program. Its 2021 applications will open in the spring. The grants just awarded were from its 2020 grant application period.
 

Mississipi Cultural Heritage Grants

On January 22, the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History released a statement that it had awarded about $3 million in community heritage preservation grants. These grants are for 18 preservation and restoration projects across Mississippi. The funds come from the Mississippi state legislature. The purpose is to preserve and restore historic public buildings, such as schools and courthouses.
 

What the Mississippi Legislature Says About the Grants

According to the Mississippi state legislature, hundreds of historically important properties will benefit from these grants. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History is thankful for the governmental support. In Adams County, the House on Ellicott's Hill will receive $210,000 to restore the building's front gallery. The building is located in Natchez, MS. Also in Natchez, the city hall will receive $157,056 for a new roof.

In Corinth, the Corinth Coliseum Theater will receive $236,234 in order to make upgrades that will bring the building into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The funds will also be used to replace the building's roof. In Chickasaw County, the Chickasaw County Courthouse will receive $226,677 to make interior repairs and replace the roof. The Chickasaw County Courthouse is located in Houston, MS. At G.L. Hawkins Elementary, administrators received $35,200 for roof repairs. The school is located in Hattiesburg, Forrest County. In Meadville, the Franklin County Courthouse will undergo $144,388 in repairs for masonry and window restoration and a new roof for the jail. Interior and exterior rehabilitation will be performed on the Wechsler School, which is in the town of Meridian. The $277,154 in grants are for a variety of work.

Old Monticello Elementary, located in Monticello, will receive $40,000 for structural repairs, an asbestos report and asbestos abatement as needed. The Stephen D. Lee House, located in Columbus, will undergo $25,600 in repairs for a new front porch roof. The Tennessee Williams House, which is also located in Columbus, received $35,000 in grant funding to rebuild its front porch.

Some of the other structures receiving repair and replacement grants include the Old Madison County Jail of Canton, the Marion County Courthouse in Columbia, Isaac Chapel of the Rosenwald School, the Noxubee County Library in Macon and the Pontotoc County Courthouse in Pontotoc. All of these structures need extensive window, masonry and roof repairs and restoration.

A few other buildings of note that are in need of repairs funded by the grants include the Quitman County Courthouse in Marks, the Old Vicksburg Library in Vicksburg and the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation in Vicksburg. These structures need a variety of restorations and repairs, including electrical, plumbing and structural concerns. Communities have the whole year of 2021 to spend the grant funds.