The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission is a 28-member body created by the 1999 General Assembly. It was established for the purposes of determining the appropriate recipients of moneys in the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund and causing distribution of such moneys to (i) provide payments to tobacco farmers as compensation for the adverse economic effects resulting from loss of investment in specialized tobacco equipment and barns and lost tobacco production opportunities associated with a decline in quota and (ii) revitalize tobacco-dependent communities. (See Section 3.2-3101, Code of Virginia).

Payments to Tobacco Farmers

The Commission has compensated tobacco producers and quota owners for their losses due to the decline in tobacco quota and has satisfied its statutory obligation to indemnify burley and flue-cured producers and quota owners. No further distributions for that purpose are contemplated.

Revitalization of Tobacco-dependent Communities

Communities and citizens throughout the Southside and Southwest regions of Virginia continue to experience significant economic distress as a direct consequence of historical dependence on tobacco production, textile and furniture manufacturing and coal production. As today’s markets are global and employment is increasingly knowledge-based, the Commission seeks to accelerate regional transformation so that all residents enjoy opportunities for education and employment and benefit from economic diversification.

The Commission’s revitalization efforts are made through grant programs that make cash awards to local governments, government entities, and non-profit organizations. The Commission prioritizes projects that maximize benefit to applicants and other partner organizations, and gives preference to projects that have regional participation and generate the most significant economic outcomes – primarily measured in terms of new jobs, income and taxable private capital investment - for the residents, businesses and localities in the tobacco region.

Grant Summary

The following is a summary of grants acted on by the Commission from July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. Of the 53 applications acted on, 39 were approved, 7 were declined, 3 were tabled, and 4 were referred to VRA (Virginia Resources Authority) for evaluation and potential loan funding.

An additional 29 applications, totaling $32,018,406 in requested funds, were submitted during this time and remain under review by the Commission.

Table 1 below summarizes these grants by program type, and Table 2 summarizes these same grants by status.

Note: some applications submitted in FY2017 are included in the tables below, as the Commission took action on them in FY2018.

Table 1: Summary of grants acted on, 6-months beginning 07/01/2017, by program

Grant Program: AgriBusiness
Acted: —
Requested Amount ($): —
Approved: —
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: Education - 4 Year Scholarships
Acted: —
Requested Amount ($): —
Approved: —
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: Education - Centers of Excellence
Acted: —
Requested Amount ($): —
Approved: —
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: Education - Competitive Education
Acted: 1
Requested Amount ($): 1,700,000
Approved: 1
Net Award ($): 1,700,000

Grant Program: Education – Workforce Financial Aid
Acted: —
Requested Amount ($): —
Approved: —
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: MegaSite
Acted: 3
Requested Amount ($): 2,745,919
Approved: 3
Net Award ($): 1,995,850

Grant Program: MegaSite Prospect Incentive Fund
Acted: —
Requested Amount ($): —
Approved: —
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: Research and Development
Acted: 3
Requested Amount ($): 4,474,958
Approved: 2
Net Award ($): 3,370,979

Grant Program: Reserve
Acted: —
Requested Amount ($): —
Approved: —
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: Southside Economic Development
Acted: 1
Requested Amount ($): 1,000,000
Approved: 1
Net Award ($): 600,000

Grant Program: Southwest Economic Development
Acted: 13
Requested Amount ($): 5,820,596
Approved: 9
Net Award ($): 2,404,746

Grant Program: Special Projects
Acted: 16
Requested Amount ($): 12,664,049
Approved: 7
Net Award ($): 2,972,683

Grant Program: Technology
Acted: —
Requested Amount ($): —
Approved: —
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund (TROF)
Acted: 16
Requested Amount ($): 2,845,000
Approved: 16
Net Award ($): 2,862,500

TOTAL ACTED: 53
TOTAL REQUESTED AMOUNT ($): 31,250,522
APPROVED: 39
TOTAL NET AWARD ($): 15,906,758

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Table 2: Summary of grants acted on, 6-months beginning 07/01/2017, by grant status

Grant Program: Approved – Active
Acted: 7
Requested Amount ($): 3,672,650
Net Award ($): 3,489,300

Grant Program: Approved – Closed
Acted: —
Requested Amount ($): —
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: Approved - Pending Award Documents
Acted: 31
Requested Amount ($): 18,365,110
Net Award ($): 11,877,458

Grant Program: VRA Loan
Acted: 1
Requested Amount ($): 540,000
Net Award ($): 540,000

Grant Program: Declined
Acted: 7
Requested Amount ($): 2,822,046
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: Submitted – Tabled
Acted: 3
Requested Amount ($): 2,517,176
Net Award ($): —

Grant Program: Submitted – VRA Loan
Acted: 4
Requested Amount ($): 3,333,000
Net Award ($): —

TOTAL ACTED: 53
TOTAL REQUESTED AMOUNT ($): 31,250,522
TOTAL NET AWARD ($): 15,906,758