INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. and TAHOE CITY, Calif. – January 9, 2017 – Private donors to the non-profit Tahoe Fund have met a $50,000 matching grant from the Robert and Dorothy Keyser Foundation in support of the Tahoe Fund’s new Environmental Venture Trust, a program designed to provide early stage seed funding to innovative projects around the Tahoe Basin.
The Tahoe Fund will begin soliciting ideas for innovative pilot projects later this winter. The focus will be on the areas of highest concern in Tahoe, including tree mortality, the expansion of aquatic invasive species throughout the watershed, the continued challenge to maintain and improve the Lake’s famed water clarity, transportation challenges, outdoor recreation enhancement and stewardship.
“We are so thankful for the wonderful generosity of the Keyser Foundation and our many donors who stepped up to meet the match,” said Tahoe Fund Board Chair Art Chapman. “Our board is working hard to bring innovative solutions to the environmental challenges facing Tahoe, and this will give our efforts a much needed boost.”
“We love matching grants because it helps drive more interest and more funding from donors to the nonprofits we support,” said Blake Smith, Trustee of the Robert and Dorothy Keyser Foundation. “We are delighted to see the Tahoe Fund’s donors meet our matching grant and will be anxious to see the great work that comes from this program.”
The Tahoe Fund launched the Environmental Venture Trust with a $5,000 grant to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (TRCD) for a pilot project that will analyze the use of UV light tokill aquatic invasive weeds in Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Fund’s grant will help the TRCD secure more than $350,000 in public funding for the project. If successful, the technique could be deployed around Lake Tahoe and beyond.
Through the generosity of private donors, the Tahoe Fund has supported more than 20 projects in the Tahoe Basin since 2011, including more than $1 million for a new bike path from Incline Village to Sand Harbor that broke ground in 2016. For more information about the Tahoe Fund, please visit www.tahoefund.org.
