Request for Information (RFI) No. 2026-007
Issued by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, in partnership with Friends of Southwest Virginia
- KEY MILESTONES
See key milestones above or in the attached PDF. All applicants will be notified following the selection process.
2. INTRODUCTION
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, in partnership with Friends of Southwest Virginia, invites gateway communities and localities along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina to submit Letters of Interest for participation in the Blue Ridge Rising Milepost Pilot Program.
This initiative is part of the broader Blue Ridge Rising project, funded in part through the Appalachian Regional Commission, to strengthen regional tourism, celebrate regional identity, and support local artists, artisans, and arts organizations throughout the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor.
Through this pilot program, two communities in Virginia and two communities in North Carolina will be selected to participate in the development and installation of custom-designed, larger-than-life Blue Ridge Parkway mileposts that reflect the culture, history, creativity, and identity of their communities.
Selected communities will collaborate with local artists, artisan groups, arts organizations, and community stakeholders to design and install a unique public milepost inspired by the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway mileposts.
This RFI is being issued and managed by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation (BRPF or Foundation), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
3. PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Blue Ridge Rising Milepost Pilot Program seeks to create destination-based public installations that celebrate the stories, traditions, natural heritage, cultural heritage, and/or creative identity of gateway communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Selected communities will:
- Participate in a collaborative community engagement and design process.
- Work with and financially compensate a local artist, artisan, arts organization, or creative team.
- Develop a customized milepost concept inspired by the Blue Ridge Parkway milepost design.
- Identify a publicly owned and accessible installation site.
- Coordinate installation and long-term maintenance of the artwork.
The pilot phase will inform the future development of a larger regional milepost initiative throughout the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor.
4. PILOT PROGRAM SUPPORT
BRPF anticipates making at least four subawards during this pilot program and no more than five.
Each selected locality will receive:
- One fabricated larger-than-life milepost structure
- Funding support for artistic design and installation
- Technical guidance throughout the project process
- Regional marketing and promotional support through the Blue Ridge Rising initiative.
5. PROJECT BUDGET
The estimated total value of support for each selected community is approximately $10,000, inclusive of milepost fabrication and delivery and art commission support and installation costs. Final funding allocations for artistic commissions and installation support will depend in part on milepost fabrication and delivery costs. BRPF currently anticipates that the maximum financial amount available for artwork and installation for each project will fall in the $6,000 to $7,500 range. NOTE: The exact dollar amount will be finalized on Friday, October 2, and that amount will be included at the top of the Questions and Answers that will be posted that day at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Applicants should not assume that BRPF can fund the maximum dollar amount for every subward, and BRPF reserves the right to offer less than the full funding request. Funds provided by or through the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation cannot be used to support any ground-disturbing activities at the installation site (e.g., digging, sloping, leveling, or other disturbance of soil or ground). Cash and/or in-kind project support from other sources is encouraged but not required.
6. COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Community Engagement
- Facilitate public input opportunities and community feedback sessions.
- Engage local artists, artisan groups, cultural organizations, and community stakeholders.
- Site Identification and Written Permissions
- Identify an appropriate outdoor installation site located on publicly owned and accessible property.
- Ensure nearby visitor parking and safe pedestrian access.
- Obtain all required permissions, approvals, and written agreements for installation and maintenance of the milepost and artwork.
- Installation and Maintenance
- Coordinate local installation efforts in partnership with project partners.
- Utilize or establish an installation-ready foundation for the milepost (e.g., concrete). As noted above (5. PROJECT BUDGET), funds provided by or through the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation cannot be used to support any ground-disturbing activities at the installation site (e.g., digging, sloping, leveling, or other disturbance of soil or ground). This restriction does not apply to basic installation hardware that may be required to secure the milepost (e.g., drilling bolts into a concrete base).
- Commit to maintaining the installation for a minimum of five years.
- Ensure the installation remains publicly accessible and in good condition.
- Artistic Collaboration
- Work collaboratively with and financially compensate a selected artist, artisan, organization, or creative team.
- Ensure artwork reflects the community’s cultural identity, stories, natural heritage, cultural heritage, and/or creative assets.
- Approve artwork/design, which will in turn be subject to review and approval by project partners and funders.
7. PRELIMINARY DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
While final fabrication specifications are still under development, current concepts for the mileposts include:
- Three-sided structure inspired by official Blue Ridge Parkway mileposts
- Approximately 6 feet tall and 18 inches on each side, with a top that allows water to run off
- Fabricated using durable outdoor materials, such as fiberglass, metal, or composite materials
- Engineered for long-term outdoor public installation
- Designed to accommodate custom artistic treatments or attached artistic elements
- Incorporation of installation hardware or mounting systems suitable for public outdoor spaces
Additional specifications and fabrication details will be finalized during the subsequent fabrication procurement phase.
8. ELIGIBILITY
Eligible applicants include local government entities, nonprofit organizations, and tribal governments. Individuals and private businesses are not eligible applicants for subawards, but subaward recipients may enter into contracts with individuals and private businesses to implement part or all of the subaward activities, subject to relevant subaward contract provisions.
Multiple applications focused on milepost installations in the same city or county are discouraged.
9. LETTER OF INTEREST REQUIREMENTS
Interested localities/applicants should submit a Letter of Interest that includes the following:
- Name of locality/community
- Primary contact information
- Address and description of the proposed public land installation location
- Letter of commitment for proposed public land installation location
- Brief explanation of why the community would like to participate
- Description of local artistic, cultural, or heritage assets that could inspire the project
- Identification of potential local artist(s), artisan groups, organizations, or collaborators
- Description of community support and key partnerships
- Preliminary thoughts regarding materials to be used (e.g., type of paint, wraps, other), long-term maintenance, and stewardship
- Visual sketch and narrative of proposed artwork and associated text and description that will be part of the artwork
Letters of Interest should not exceed three pages. The three-page limit does not include the following attachments: visual sketch and narrative of the proposed artwork, letter of commitment, and up to three letters of support from project partners.
10. SELECTION CRITERIA
In order to be considered for a subaward, letters of interest (LOI) must include a satisfactory letter of commitment from the public entity that owns the proposed milepost installation site. Any LOI lacking such a letter will not be considered for a subaward.
LOIs with the required letter from the public entity that owns the proposed milepost installation site will be evaluated based on:
- Demonstrated community support, engagement, and collaboration; prior history of creating public art projects (0 to 20 points)
- Strength of cultural and artistic vision (0 to 20 points)
- Suitability and accessibility of proposed installation site (0 to 20 points)
- Readiness and capacity to support installation and maintenance (0 to 20 points)
- Opportunities to expand tourism and visitor engagement (0 to 20 points).
A total of up to five (5) additional points will be available to proposals that do one or more of the following:
- Support additional Blue Ridge Rising strategies, e.g., providing internet access through a wifi hotspot at the milepost location (Action Plan Strategy 1.5); using the mileposts to highlight artisans, musicians, and storytellers (Strategies 2.4 and 2.5); including accessibility elements in the site design (see section 2.6 of the action plan); and/or utilizing approved dark-sky lighting of the site (Strategy 4.2). Other possibilities likely exist.
- Serve a regional approach to artwork design that is influenced by or engages multiple Parkway communities.
- Serve ARC-designated “distressed areas” (at the county or census-tract level) and less resilient communities.
- For ARC rankings, please visit https://www.arc.gov/classifying-economic-distress-in-appalachian-counties/.
- Less resilient communities are identified on page 103 of the Blue Ridge Rising Action Plan. Please refer to the map below; the areas with the lightest blue shading represent the less resilient communities along the Parkway corridor.
Also, during this pilot phase of these milepost installations, the review committee may weigh the geographic distribution of the applicant communities when making its final selections.
In most cases, the draft list of awardees, their application materials, and their artwork/sketches will be subject to review and approval by the primary project funder, the Appalachian Regional Commission. This ARC review is required for projects in the following communities: all 17 Parkway counties in North Carolina and the following areas in Virginia: the counties of Carroll, Floyd, Grayson, Patrick and Rockbridge, and the independent cities of Buena Vista, Galax, and Lexington.
11. QUESTIONS AND RFI UPDATES
Submit any questions about this RFI in writing to projects@brpfoundation.org, no later than 4:00 p.m. ET, September 17, 2026, with RFI No. 2026-007 in the subject line. Submitted questions and responses to those questions, as well as a project budget update, will be posted no later than 4:00 p.m. ET, October 2, 2026, on the same webpage where the original RFI appears: https://blueridgerising.com/grant-opportunities/milepost-pilot-program.
There will be no in-person or virtual meeting to discuss this RFI. Verbal comments provided by any party, including but not limited to Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation staff and Friends of Southwest Virginia staff, shall not be binding. If it is necessary to update or revise the RFI in whole or in part, e.g., to extend the proposal deadline, that information will be shared on the same webpage where the original RFI appears: https://blueridgerising.com/grant-opportunities/milepost-pilot-program.
12. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Interested entities must submit proposals no later than 4:00 p.m. ET, October 30, 2026, as a single PDF attachment to: projects@brpfoundation.org, with RFI No. 2026-007 in the subject line. Submissions received after the due date/time will not be considered.
Please, no phone calls.
Appendix A
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION
Mission
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation works closely with the National Park Service, gateway communities, donors, and other partners to preserve culture and history, protect natural resources, ensure economic prosperity, and create more fulfilling experiences now and for future generations. BRPF is the lead organization and coordinating partner for Blue Ridge Rising.
About Us
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is the primary fundraising partner for the Blue Ridge Parkway, providing support for initiatives along the 469-mile route, including historical and cultural preservation, environmental protection, visitor amenities, and educational outreach.
Website: https://brpfoundation.org/
BLUE RIDGE RISING
In 2023, to enhance the Parkway’s economic impact on its gateway communities, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation launched “Blue Ridge Rising” to unite the Parkway’s 29 counties and develop regional strategies to support tourism, outdoor recreation, and related economic development. More than 500 community stakeholders participated in 38 local and regional meetings, suggested solutions, and then developed a prioritized action list. The resulting Blue Ridge Rising Action Plan provides a community-led blueprint for the next three to five years. (To view the Action Plan, go to https://blueridgerising.com/; scroll down below the first video.) The 51 strategies in the plan are organized across six themes: marketing, visitor experience, unified regional voice, resource protection, workforce education, and capacity building.
FRIENDS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
Mission
The mission of Friends of Southwest Virginia is to preserve, promote and present the cultural and natural assets of Southwest Virginia; to work in partnership in the region to generate economic development through these efforts; to provide educational and cultural opportunities for the general public and students of the region; to showcase the cultural assets of SWVA at the SWVA Cultural Center & Marketplace (formerly Heartwood).
About Us
Friends of Southwest Virginia, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in 2011 to operate alongside the Southwest Virginia Heritage Cultural Foundation and serve as the primary fiscal and operational body. The two organizations work in tandem under the leadership of a single Executive Director reporting to two separate boards that oversee their individual authorizations. The majority of the organization’s employees, grant development programs, and all operations of the SWVA Cultural Center & Marketplace are housed within the non-profit.
Website: https://friendsofswva.org/