PFI Structure and Funding :

The consortium that supports Pisgah Forest Institute is composed of a group of organizations devoted to enriching the experiences and lives of residents and visitors to Western North Carolina.   There are three members of the PFI consortium and a single funds manager:

Each member of the PFI consortium has a distinct role in providing PFI staff members with the funds, personnel, and atmosphere to produce a high quality adult educational learning experience.

Brevard College provides PFI with a physical space to operate and supports it with key personnel. In addition to numerous maintenance, finance, and secretarial staff, administrative personnel including Brevard College’s President, Vice-President for Finance, and Chair of the Science and Math Division assist the PFI program. The PFI Executive Director is a part-time faculty member in the Science and Math Division, where she teaches courses in ecology, environmental studies, field biology, and natural history. PFI is housed year-round in the College’s science building, and during the summer the dormitories, dining facility, and other college spaces are used to provide participants with room, board and a comfortable learning environment.  Brevard College science faculty regularly provide instruction during the summer workshops as well.

The USDA Forest Service provides the main source of funding for PFI through its budget for conservation education. The USDA Forest Service also provides instructors for the PFI summer workshops as well as educational and research materials. The District Ranger for Pisgah National Forest (Region 8) is a key member of the PFI advisory team.

The Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association (CFIAIA) supports PFI with instructors, sponsors a day at the North Carolina Forest Discovery Center, and provides a discounted rate on materials purchased from The Forest Place, a store that carries forest related educational goods.  

The Education and Research Consortium of the Carolinas (ERC), is the funding and management organization established by Congressman Taylor’s office to manage and implement programs that enhance the educational, infrastructure and economic development of the Western North Carolina region. PFI operates as a sub-contractor to the ERC, who is itself contracted by the USDA Forest Service to provide educational outreach. 

Other agencies that volunteer both instructors and instructional supplies for workshops include the NC Cooperative Extension Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Environmental Protection Agency, NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the NC Arboretum, NOAA Climate Data Center, ESRI, Land of Sky Regional Council, Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, and Vulcan Materials (Penrose Quarry).

While the USDA Forest Service is the main source of support, PFI gratefully acknowledges other groups who have provided additional funding. Progress Energy has generously supported PFI each year for the past five years. The Eisenhower Foundation, Provident Benevolent Fund, and others have also provided funding.