On September 21, 2020, the Polk County Board of Commissioners approved a budget exclusively for kudzu eradication.  The Polk Co Appearance Commission assumes oversight for the matching grant applications and disbursement of grant monies. Applicants eligible for this grant include towns and non-profit organizations.  The Appearance Commission will seek to award kudzu eradication grants in diverse locations throughout the geographic area of Polk County, prioritizing highly visible public areas.  

The Kudzu application requires an assessment by a qualified individual, County Extension Agent, or a company who has expressed a willingness to do kudzu control. Scott Welborn is the Polk County Extension Director, and he is available to provide an assessment and guidance for kudzu control. His number is 828-894-8218. 

Historically, our grant appliers typically request up to $1000 although this is not an absolute ceiling. The Commission recommends that each applying agency match the total grant request by at least 25% cash. Since this is a dollar-for-dollar matching grant, the balance of any grant request not matched in cash can be remedied with in-kind labor. The Commission welcomes any nonprofit agency to apply, and they will be considered regardless if they don’t meet the above recommendations.      

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The submission of applications for the upcoming year opens October 15,  at which time funds will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all funds are allocated.

A final report is required of each approved applicant and that must be submitted the following year by Oct 31.

Grant Application (Note: The total project budget must be double the amount of the grant request amount on the application)

What is Needed:

• All three pages of the matching grant application form be completed.
• Include “before” pictures. Pictures after the completion of the project will be due with the Final Report.
• Detailed budget including dated: itemized quotes for equipment, products, and labor. If any volunteer work will be done, you can allocate

   it as in-kind labor using the equation:
                         

                               Number of volunteers X number of hours @ $25 per hour

• Kudzu eradication is a problem that needs continual surveillance for years. Address how you
   plan to monitor and control kudzu at this site in the future.

If you have any questions regarding the kudzu matching grant, please email us at polk.nc.kudzu@gmail.com or contact the Polk County Appearance Commission by leaving your name and contact number with the county offices at 828-894-3301 Extension 8.