Edge of Appalachia Fund Awards $56,000 to Adams County Projects, Students

Nearly $250,000 has now flowed into Adams County communities since 2023 through a single fund rooted in the county's deep conservation history, and this week that fund added another chapter: more than $56,000 in grants and scholarships announced March 12 through the Edge of Appalachia – Adams County Fund.

The fund is financed entirely by The Nature Conservancy and administered through the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. Its grant-making is shaped by local voices: the fund is advised by Adams Countians to address the issues that matter most to the community, a structure that distinguishes it from typical top-down conservation philanthropy.

This year's grants total $51,685, with the remainder of the more than $56,000 going to scholarships. Among the confirmed recipients, Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio received funding to support costs for monthly mobile food distributions at the Adams County Fairgrounds, connecting one of the county's most visible community gathering spaces to an ongoing effort to address food insecurity.

Bill Stanley, director of The Nature Conservancy in Ohio, framed the awards in terms of long-term community investment. "This annual funding stream supports people and projects that are ensuring Adams County is a place where youth thrive, businesses flourish and visitors have memorable experiences," Stanley said. "We are honored to play a role in helping the many individuals dedicated to this special place turn their ideas and their dreams for their communities into reality."

The Nature Conservancy established the fund at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio in 2023, tying it explicitly to the county's conservation identity. Adams County is home to the Richard and Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve System, a landscape owned and managed jointly by TNC and the Cincinnati Museum Center.

Public and nonprofit organizations located in or serving Adams County, along with groups operating under fiscal sponsorships with a nonprofit or public organization, were eligible to apply. Projects needed to support people and nature and/or reduce disparities to qualify.

Those interested in future funding can find application dates and additional information at AppalachianOhio.org/AdamsCountyFund.