The Robert and Dorothy Keyser Foundation gave a $50,000 matching grant to the Tahoe Fund. The money will go into the new Environmental Venture Trust, a program designed to provide early stage seed funding for innovative projects around the Tahoe basin.

Tahoe Fund is now seeking donations to secure the full matching grant so it can begin soliciting ideas for innovative pilot projects. The Keyser Foundation will double every donation until Dec. 31, up to $50,000

The focus will be on the areas of highest concern in Tahoe, including dealing with the 66 million dead trees in the Sierra Nevada forests, aquatic invasive species, lake clarity, transportation challenges, outdoor recreation expansion and stewardship.

The Tahoe Fund launched the Environmental Venture Trust with a $5,000 grant to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District for a pilot project that will analyze the use of UV light to kill aquatic invasive weeds in Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Fund’s grant will help the Tahoe Resource Conservation District secure more than $350,000 in public funding for the project. If successful, the technique could be deployed around Lake Tahoe and beyond.

For more information about how to contribute to the Environmental Venture Trust to help meet the Robert & Dorothy Keyser Foundation match, go online.