Search Through Cycling Grants in Virginia in the U.S.

Discretionary Grant

We empower Hampton Roads to be a healthy environment where shelter, wholesome nourishment, educational options, and economic opportunities enable our community to thrive.

We look forward to learning more about your organization and the work that you do to support the Hampton Roads community.

Our Grant Making

The grantmaking objectives of The Blocker Foundation are intended to assure that our limited resources are allocated to help create the most impact in the communities that we serve. We support organizations and activities that empower people and community systems in a way that tackles the root causes of the problems our communities face and build upon the strengths within these same regions. We strive to expand access to opportunities for people from low-income and otherwise disadvantaged communities, including a commitment to diversity and inclusiveness. We seek to foster partnership amongst like-minded organizations, encouraging communication and collaboration to build programs and services that are sustainable.

• Our Focus Areas -
  • wholesome nourishment
  • safe shelter
  • educational opportunity
  • economic opportunity
  • a healthy environment

Funding

Requests are limited to $25,000 and should address a current and immediate need within the communities that encompass the Foundation’s service area.

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

Supporting Critical Need in Northern Virginia

In partnership with our donors, we support the Northern Virginia nonprofit community through grantmaking and capacity building programs. Grants from the Community Investment Funds give back to local causes such as child and youth development, intellectual and developmental disabilities, education, Latino engagement and achievement, mental health, aging, military personnel and their families, and safety net support.

The Community Foundation will accept requests in the following categories.

• Aging
• Child & Youth Development
• Education
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Fund
• Lamond Fund to Benefit Children and Youth in Alexandria and Fairfax County
• Mental Health
• Military Personnel & Their Families
• Safety Net Fund

2025-2026 Community Investment Fund Grants

In response to rising service demands, declining donations, and reduced federal support, the Community Foundation is refining its discretionary grantmaking approach to better support nonprofits.

Grant Amounts:

General operating support grants of $15,000 or $30,000 will be awarded, based on organizational budget size.

Funding Priorities:

• Organizational strengthening
• Capacity building
• Immediate client needs

About Us

The Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia began operations as a private foundation on July 1, 2022. The Wellspring Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to enhancing the health and wellbeing for the Virginia residents of Washington, Grayson, Russell and Smyth counties through purposeful partnerships.

In the midst of the region’s abundant natural resources and growth opportunities, we recognize many challenges facing our communities are rooted in poverty, poor physical and mental health, addiction, lack of universal access to essential healthcare, population decline and economic challenges. We realize that no one can tackle these issues alone, and that’s why we’re here to help. Our operating model emphasizes convening people and facilitating discussions to address regional issues. 

We are grateful to partner with organizations throughout our four-county service area by providing much needed resources that will enable them to enhance the health and wellbeing of residents in their respective communities. We look forward to supporting collaborative efforts that will have a lasting, transformative impact on our region.

Our Vision, Mission and Values

Leveraging collaborative partnerships to promote a healthy, thriving region.

To enhance the health and wellbeing for the Virginia residents of Washington, Grayson, Russell and Smyth counties by cultivating goal-oriented partnerships.

HOPE Grant

The HOPE grant is designed for organizations requesting one-time funding up to $50,000 for a project. The HOPE grant has two cycles per year – June and December.

The Wellspring Foundation may partially or fully fund grant requests. 

100Women Strong 

100WomenStrong is a diverse group of women, men, and corporate partners who love Loudoun County, and want to make a difference here. Together, they make a powerful impact with combined giving. Each member has an equal say and an equal vote about which nonprofit organizations will receive support each year. 100WomenStrong was founded in 2008 by people who have made a commitment to improve the quality of life for residents of Loudoun County. By combining powerful financial strength, a philanthropic passion for giving, and community leadership, 100WomenStrong provides strategic support to help address key areas of need in our community. 100WomenStrong is a component fund of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties. 100WomenStong now invites organizations to submit a Letter of Intent for the 2023-2024 100WomenStrong Competitive Grant cycle.

Grantmaking Priorities

100WomenStrong prioritizes funding for projects or programs addressing these needs in Loudoun County, Virginia:

• Shelter
• Health
• Hunger
• Education

In addition, 100WomenStrong prioritizes requests for funding that:

• maintain or increase the capacity of the organization’s mission
• provide significant benefits and/or impact to Loudoun County residents
• provide creative and innovative ways to meet community needs

Priority will be given to organizations that demonstrate operational readiness to accept a grant and serve as a good steward of the funding.This may include, but is not limited to, demonstration of a proven track record of service delivery in Loudoun County, and/or MOUs or partnerships with organizations as evidence of readiness to expand services to Loudoun for organizations not already providing services in this community.

Grants will be considered to fund general operating support, activities, projects, and/or programs within the grant period of May 2025 through April 2026.

Trust Overview

The Trust for Civic Life is a cross-ideological team of philanthropy and private sector funders making critical investments in the communities that will define the future of the country.

The Trust runs two grantmaking cycles every year:

• Civic Hub Grants and Civic Experiment Grants.

Through a community-led nomination process, local leaders help us identify and direct resources where they are needed most. This process leads to faster, more effective investments that can drive meaningful progress in our local communities.

Civic Experiment Grant

Civic Experiment Grant grants are for individuals and small organizations leading experimental new programs that get their community actively participating in shaping a community vision, identifying challenges, and working together to solve them.

Civic Experiment grant funding goes toward specific programs.

What we look for

The Trust for Civic Life funds a wide range of non-partisan entrepreneurs, programs, organizations and innovative digital leaders who play a key role in their local and regional civic ecosystems. Selection is informed by these key characteristics:

• Embedded in Community: Lives within the communities they serve.
• Rural Focus: Focuses on rural communities specifically in the Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Tribal Lands, Southwest Border, and communities in transition in the rural U.S.
• Community-Led Action: Leads or supports community members to identify problems and work toward solutions.
• Inclusive: Brings together the voices, views, experiences, and participation of the entire community.
• Community Champions: Identifies and celebrates the solutions, innovations, and programs doing great work.
• Bridge Builders: Builds and strengthens community networks by regranting, connecting people to resources, supporting new ideas, leveraging digital tools, and working across sectors.
• Long Lasting: Focuses on programs that create long-lasting civic infrastructure and a thriving community that all residents feel welcome to participate in.

Funding

• Grants Available: ~100
• Grant Amount: Up to $25,000

Community Needs Fund Grants

SEVACF makes grants and works with fund holders to support promising projects that enhance the quality of life for all those residing across southeast Virginia through addressing immediate needs while working toward long-term improvements. Through a careful review process, the Foundation’s board and staff work together to award grants that strengthen the nonprofit sector.

Grants available from our Community Needs Fund, which are established by visionary philanthropists, are awarded through our two competitive grant cycles each year. Priority is given to projects that:

• Address current pressing problems
• Reach a broad section of the community
• Demonstrate innovation
• Have a track record of success
• Encourage matching gifts or added funding from other sources
• Yield substantial benefits for the costs involved
• Promote cooperation among agencies within their fields of interest

About

Virginia Humanities is the state humanities council. We’re headquartered in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, but we serve the entire state.

We aim to share the stories of all Virginians—or, better yet, find ways for people to share their own stories. We want Virginians to connect with their history and culture and, in doing that, we hope we’ll all better understand one another.

Founded in 1974, we are one of fifty-six humanities councils created by Congress with money and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities to make the humanities available to all Americans. As a non-partisan organization, we have been successful thanks to many years of strong bi-partisan commitment to our work at federal and state levels, as well as from the NEH itself.

In 2019 we created a new strategic plan. It unifies our work around three important themes that will connect our programs, guide our partnerships, and help us make the humanities part of the daily life of all Virginians.

About Our Grants

Our grants support projects that explore the stories of Virginia—its history, people, communities, and cultural traditions—as well as issues and questions that impact the lives of Virginians in the present day.

Rapid Grant

• Provides funding for projects with a smaller scope and duration than Regular Grants 
• Intended for projects lasting up to nine months 

What We Fund

• Community forums and public discussions, including book or film discussion programs
• Community history projects, including oral histories
• Conferences and symposia, academic conferences where there is a strong public component
• Curriculum resources for K-12 classroom use
• Exhibits—physical and/or online
• Festivals and interpretive performances
• Institutes and similar programs for teachers
• Lectures and lecture series
• Media programs: production of films, script development, videos, television, radio, podcasts, websites, or digital media
• Project planning
• Print publications—books, brochures, exhibit catalogs, and interpretive maps
• Research that leads to programs having a direct public audience
• Travel expenses for project personnel (mileage and meals) 

Program Overview and Statement of Purpose

The Thomas F. and Kate Miller Jeffress Memorial Trust, founded in 1981 by Robert M. Jeffress in memory of his parents, is guided by its mission to benefit the people of Virginia and their research in chemical, medical, or other scientific fields. Since its founding, the Jeffress Memorial Trust has been a steadfast benefactor in support of scientists and research across the state of Virginia supporting mathematical modeling/simulations and analytics in bioinformatics, astrophysics, mathematical biology, drug development, and material science. 

To further the mission of the Jeffress Trust to benefit the people of Virginia, the 2022 grant program was changed to the Jeffress Trust Awards Program in Research Advancing Health Equity. The program focuses on research addressing the root causes of and systemic barriers to health equity for the state of Virginia. The shift in funding priority during the 2022 grant cycle was made after an intensive landscape assessment of the health needs and funding initiatives available to Virginia. With its historic focus on supporting the advancement of Virginia and the work of its constituents, the goals of this current funding opportunity are to further leverage the strengths of Virginia communities, organizations, and institutions in continuing to help its residents achieve optimal health. The guidelines below reflect and include feedback, suggestions, and guidance from Virginia leaders in health equity from community based organizations, health care, research, philanthropy, advocacy agencies, and the many others involved in the important work seeking to advance health equity.  

Funding Opportunities Available 

Partnership/Collaborative Establishment Awards - $150,000 over Two-Years

A Planning Period is any timeframe up to two years and allows a partnership the ability to develop relationships or build a foundation upon which to carry out future research activities. The Planning Period will enable the partnerships to form, as well as to determine the problem they would like to answer through future research activities, what methods should be used to answer associated questions, and who will be responsible for the conduct of those future activities. 

Outcomes for this grant will enable these partnerships to develop and refine the scope of work to be proposed for potential follow-on funding through the Research Implementation Grants opportunity.  

The Jeffress Trust will distribute funding to support research activities in three areas:

• Policy, Systems, and Environmental change strategies (PSE strategies) Analysis. Determine or identify new/promising PSE strategies, evaluating existing PSE strategies to learn what’s working and what’s not working (lessons learned), or adapting/adopting evidence-based PSE strategies for the context of Virginia to advance health equity. Strategies may focus on geographic or population-based communities at the local, regional, or statewide levels.
  • Policy change approaches may include a law, regulation, procedure, administrative action, incentive, or voluntary practice of governments and other institutions.
  • Systems change approaches may include changes that impacts all elements, including social norms of an organization, institution, or system.
  • Environmental change approaches may include changes to the physical, social, or economic environment.
• Program/Practice Analysis. Analysis of new or existing community-based programs and their impact on advancing health equity and their potential to be scaled or replicated. Determining why programs no longer running may not have had the intended impact or effect as designed, that could improve future programming.
• General Research. Analysis of how institutional practices, social norms, relationships, leadership structures, modes of communications, values and beliefs, community history, community settings, societal factors and/or social-factors, influence health either through advancing or undermining health promoting policies and programs in ways not yet identified. Research must be action-oriented such that a plan for how findings will be used is clear and tangible.

The Thomas F. and Kate Miller Jeffress Memorial Trust, founded in 1981 by Robert M. Jeffress in memory of his parents, is guided by its mission to benefit the people of Virginia and their research in chemical, medical, or other scientific fields. Since its founding, the Jeffress Memorial Trust has been a steadfast benefactor in support of scientists and research across the state of Virginia supporting mathematical modeling/simulations and analytics in bioinformatics, astrophysics, mathematical biology, drug development, and material science. To further the mission of the Jeffress Trust to benefit the people of Virginia, the 2022 grant program was changed to the Jeffress Trust Awards Program in Research Advancing Health Equity.

The program focuses on research addressing the root causes of and systemic barriers to health equity for the state of Virginia. The shift in funding priority during the 2022 grant cycle was made after an intensive landscape assessment of the health needs and funding initiatives available to Virginia. With its historic focus on supporting the advancement of Virginia and the work of its constituents, the goals of the Jeffress Trust Awards Program in Research Advancing Health Equity is to further leverage the strengths of Virginia communities, organizations, and institutions in continuing to help its residents achieve optimal health.

The Program will distribute funding to support research activities in Policy, Systems, and Environmental change strategies (PSE strategies) Analysis, Program/Practice Analysis, and General Research through the below Award mechanisms:

• Partnership/Collaborative Establishment Awards: Two-year $150,000 awards supporting the development and establishment of collaborative research activities to advance health equity; June 30, 2023 – June 29, 2025
  • Recipients of Partnership/Collaborative Establishment Awards will be eligible to apply for Research Awards during their second year of funding.
• Research Awards: Three-year $600,000 awards supporting established collaborative research consortiums that seek to advance health equity; June 30, 2023 – June 29, 2026

National Kidney Foundation

Mission Statement

The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation.

Young Investigator Research Grant

NKF established a Young Investigator Research Grant program to support clinical research studies addressing important issues for patients with kidney disease. Projects must be patient-oriented. Elements of patient-oriented research activities may include, but are not limited to, development of new technologies, mechanisms of human disease, educational or therapeutic interventions, epidemiological studies, health policy studies, and clinical trials. Individuals who have completed fellowship training in an ACGME-accredited training program and who hold junior faculty positions (Instructor or Assistant Professor) at university-affiliated medical centers in the United States are eligible to apply.

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) will fund the most meritorious research projects after a peer review by an independent review committee. Applicants will be asked to provide a description of the applicability of the proposed research to the NKF’s mission to improve the detection, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease, to foster kidney transplantation, and to improve the lives of patients with kidney disease.

Applicants may have a concurrent NIH “K” series award and a Young Investigator Grant from the NKF. The applicant should provide a statement of the budgetary and scientific overlap and relatedness of the two applications.

Funding

Initial support for awards is provided for one year in a total amount not to exceed $25,000 for the Krainin Award. Although funding for a second year of support is not guaranteed, the investigator may request an additional year's funding, as a competitive renewal. The fiscal department of the investigator's institution shall administer the Young Investigator Grant funds.

Funds may be used for equipment, supplies, clinical research costs or other expenses directly related to the conduct of the proposed research. The full grant amount may also be expended for salary and fringe benefits of the principal investigator. No more than $1,000 per year may be used for travel by the investigator to national or international meetings.

Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation

Grants from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation are distributed in four focus areas (human needs, environmental stewardship, education, community vitality) and are limited to organizations defined as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.

Grant applications will be accepted online during two annual grant cycles, one in the spring and one in the fall.

Funding

Most grant awards range from $1,000 to $15,000, while higher amounts may be awarded when a program is an exceptional fit. We often receive funding requests far in excess of our Foundation budget. Regrettably we must often decline support for otherwise worthy proposals. Such a response does not reflect on Dominion Energy's view of the value of the organization or its services.

Mary Morton Parsons Foundation Grant

The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation was founded in 1988 by Mrs. Mary Morton Parsons as a private, non-operating foundation to support the capital needs of charitable organizations. To date, the Foundation has awarded approximately $73 million to qualified grantees.

Enriching Community Life throughout the Commonwealth

The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation enriches communities across the Commonwealth by providing capital support to cultural arts institutions, historic preservation sites, environment and conservation initiatives, community development efforts, education infrastructure, and the social services sector.

Arts & Culture

• Virginia's residents and visitors love Arts & Culture. That’s why The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation supports organizations that deliver cultural experiences through music, theatre, and visual and performing arts.

Civic & Community Needs

• The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation funds organizations that provide services to revitalize neighborhoods and local businesses, develop citizen leadership skills, bolster economic development, contribute to workforce training, and strengthen civic engagement.

Education

• From early childhood education to university and professional continuing education, The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation is proud to support educational organizations in the Commonwealth. We contribute funds to public, private, and faith-based schools that support both students and teachers.

Environment & Conservation

• To encourage responsible stewardship of the vast natural resources in the Commonwealth, The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation provides grants to conservation and environmental organizations.

Historic Preservation

• The Commonwealth of Virginia has a deep and long history. The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation is committed to preserving historically significant structures for future generations.

Social Services & Welfare

• The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation funds nonprofit organizations that address a wide range of human needs and aspirations. The Foundation serves people of all ages, socio-economic statuses, and backgrounds.

Grant Basics

Please be aware of the following before you begin your application:

• Typically our grants fund no more than 1/3 of a project’s cost.
• Grant awards are made on a challenge or matching basis.
• Grantees must meet all conditions stated in our award letter within 12 months of approval, and failing to do so may result in grant withdrawal.
• In the case of a construction grant, we will likely require the commencement of construction before we fund the grant.
• As a condition of funding, the Board of The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation expects that 100% of the grantee’s organizational board be contributing to the organization.

Application Deadline Information

Applications must be completed online by 5 pm EST on the following dates:

• Spring Cycle: Contact Form must be submitted by Feb 28. Application must be submitted by March 17 (Foundation response Early June)
• Fall Cycle: Contact Form must be submitted by August 29. Application must be submitted by September 15 (Foundation response Early December)

If these dates fall on a weekend or holiday, applications will be accepted until 5:00pm on the first business day following.

About Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (Virginia ABC) 

Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (Virginia ABC) Education and Prevention (E&P) develops and implements statewide alcohol education and prevention programming based on current data and trends. E&P offers programming and resources for elementary, middle and high schools, institutions of higher education, adults 21 and older, licensees, older adults, other state agencies, community coalitions and nonprofit organizations.

The mission of Virginia ABC E&P is to eliminate underage and high-risk drinking by building the capacity for communities to educate individuals and prevent alcohol misuse.

We believe that communities can be formed in a variety of settings and that community leaders can regularly and more effectively impact their community. Therefore, we offer prevention education, strategic planning knowledge, leadership skill building, resources, subject matter experts and partnerships to build capacity and preparedness.

We believe that a multi-faceted approach to alcohol education and prevention is more effective and should include individuals, families, licensees and communities.

 Alcohol Education and Prevention Grants 

Virginia ABC seeks to partner, collaborate and build capacity with those who share in promoting our message of alcohol safety and responsibility. Through the Education and Prevention section, Virginia ABC offers annual Alcohol Education and Prevention Grants of up to $10,000.

Alcohol Education and Prevention Grants provide funding to organizations working to prevent underage and high-risk drinking within their communities. Organizations eligible to apply include, but are not limited to, community coalitions, law enforcement, nonprofits, schools, colleges and universities, faith-based organizations and prevention-related groups.

Grant applicants must address one or more of the following priorities:

• underage drinking prevention
• social providing/social hosting prevention
• high-risk drinking prevention

Grantees are encouraged to build partnerships and embrace collaboration to achieve a meaningful, measurable and long-lasting impact. Members of the Education and Prevention team stay in contact throughout the grant cycle to provide support and encourage success.

Note that the word “prevention” appears within each of the focus areas. Applications with an intervention or treatment focus will not qualify. 

Funding

Grant requests are limited to a maximum of $10,000. We reserve the right to partially fund proposals, make no awards, fewer awards or more awards than expected.

We prefer to fund the parts of a project that build capacity, provide education and/or programmatically address the focus area. One-time events and/or celebrations such as after-prom parties that do not have specific learning objectives that can be evaluated are not likely to be funded. All expenses should be directly related to the goal(s) identified in the application. 

Spring Grants Program 

This program focuses on capital projects and ongoing programs with documented successful outcomes. 

Spring Grant Size Limit: Up to $50,000

Purpose & Focus Areas

The Spring Grants Program funds capital projects and proven programs that address the needs of Eastern Shore of Virginia (ESVA) residents in these broad focus areas:

Arts and Culture

• Promoting participation in arts and cultural activities and preserving cultural heritage for current and future generations.

Child, Family, and Social Welfare

• Improving quality of life for vulnerable ESVA residents, particularly by addressing basic human needs.

Community Vitality

• Enhancing physical spaces, services, and programs that enrich civic life and connection.

Economic Resilience

• Helping individuals overcome barriers to self-sufficiency and prosperity, including projects addressing housing and employment readiness.

Education

• Preparing children for academic, work and lifelong success.

Environment

• Protecting natural resources and promoting environmental education and stewardship.

Health & Wellness

• Supporting access to health services and programs that encourage healthy behaviors.

Grant Priorities

Capital Projects

• Emphasis on long-term benefits such as construction, renovations, and equipment purchases.
• Priority will be given to applications that fulfill matching grants.
• Routine or ongoing maintenance projects are generally not considered.

Program Support

• Priority for programs with demonstrated positive impact in one of the six ESVCF focus areas.
• Innovative projects addressing critical unmet needs will be considered if the organization demonstrates sound management and fiscal accountability.
• Grants generally do not cover operating or administrative costs.

Special Initiatives

• ESVCF may participate in time-limited collaborative funding efforts for priority community needs.
• ESVCF may support initiatives such as studies, needs assessments, and other projects that enhance understanding of local needs, identify new opportunities to benefit residents, or strengthen the capacity of local nonprofits.

Trust Overview

The Trust for Civic Life is a cross-ideological team of philanthropy and private sector funders making critical investments in the communities that will define the future of the country.

The Trust runs two grantmaking cycles every year:

• Civic Hub Grants and Civic Experiment Grants.

Through a community-led nomination process, local leaders help us identify and direct resources where they are needed most. This process leads to faster, more effective investments that can drive meaningful progress in our local communities.

Civic Hub Grant

Civic Hub grants are for organizations that play an important role in bringing people together across different communities and sectors to create shared vision, solutions and distribute resources. We welcome you to nominate organizations that align with our Civic Hub grant focus and criteria. Civic Hubs are locally embedded groups that rally community members together around a shared vision, create the capacity and opportunities for people to gather and collaborate, and distribute resources where they are needed most.

​​Our Civic Hub grants will focus strongly on our priority regions (Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Southern Border, and Tribal Lands), with a portfolio target of ~75% from these regions and ~25% from other rural communities in transition

What we look for

The Trust for Civic Life funds a wide range of non-partisan entrepreneurs, programs, organizations and innovative digital leaders who play a key role in their local and regional civic ecosystems. Selection is informed by these key characteristics:

• Embedded in Community: Lives within the communities they serve.
• Rural Focus: Focuses on rural communities specifically in the Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Tribal Lands, Southwest Border, and communities in transition in the rural U.S.
• Community-Led Action: Leads or supports community members to identify problems and work toward solutions.
• Inclusive: Brings together the voices, views, experiences, and participation of the entire community.
• Community Champions: Identifies and celebrates the solutions, innovations, and programs doing great work.
• Bridge Builders: Builds and strengthens community networks by regranting, connecting people to resources, supporting new ideas, leveraging digital tools, and working across sectors.
• Long Lasting: Focuses on programs that create long-lasting civic infrastructure and a thriving community that all residents feel welcome to participate in.

Funding

• Grants Available: 20-25
• Grant Amount: $250,000-$500,000

Our Mission

The Thompson Charitable Foundation was established in 1987 by B. Ray Thompson, Sr., a leader in the U.S. coal industry and developer of the Thompson non-recovery coke oven process.

Reflecting the concerns and interests of our founder, the Foundation supports projects that seek to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. Specifically, the Foundation supports non-profit organizations in the areas of health services and sciences, education, human services, and quality of life.

Areas of Interest

The Foundation supports non-profit organizations in the areas of:

• Health & Human Services
• Education and Workforce Development
• Community and Economic Development
• Quality of Life

Research & Education Grant

Southern SARE is requesting pre-proposals for either Systems Research Projects or for Education Projects and Activities that address issues of sustainable agriculture of current and potential importance to the region and the nation.

Maximum funding amount for Systems Research Projects is $400,000, and maximum funding amount for Education Projects and Activities is $50,000. Pre-proposals with smaller funding requests are welcomed and encouraged.

Southern SARE accepts proposals from applicants in the Southern region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Proposed projects must focus on Southern SARE’s program objectives in developing sustainable agriculture systems or moving existing farming systems toward sustainability, as defined by the Congress in the 1990 Farm Bill. Under that law, “the term sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:

• Satisfy human food and fiber needs;
• Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends;
• Make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls;
• Sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and
• Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”

Rosendin Foundation Annual Grant

All financial grants are made to community-focused non-profit organizations located in the states where Rosendin and MPS currently conducts business. Grants are awarded in support of the Foundation’s current focus areas (emotional, occupational, and nutritional health) that align with our mission.

Funding

The Rosendin Foundation has an annual financial grant cycle where qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations may apply for grants up to $50,000.

Wild East Action Fund

The Wild East Action Fund supports projects that accelerate the pace of conservation within the Appalachian Trail landscape.

Since 2018, the Wild East Action Fund has supported a variety of land protection and conservation capacity-building projects that have accelerated the pace and scale of conservation within the Appalachian Trail landscape. This funding opportunity is available to conservation organizations, including nonprofit partners and public agencies, that support the mission of the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership (ATLP).

In celebration of ATC’s 100th anniversary and the ATLP’s 10th anniversary, ATC is excited to host a Wild East Action Fund cycle!

The Wild East Action Fund is a private, competitive grant opportunity, administered by ATC, supporting the ATLP mission to connect the wild, scenic, and cultural wonders of the A.T. landscape. The Wild East Action Fund seeks applications that aim to accelerate the pace and scale of A.T. landscape’s conservation and resiliency.

ATC has identified needs and strategies, at multiple scales, to effectively support the acceleration of conservation and resiliency within the A.T. landscape. The program’s three grant categories are designed to catalyze new and existing conservation partners’ knowledge, abilities, and expertise to address many of these dynamic needs:

• Land Protection
• Conservation Planning
• Community Resilience

The Wild East Action Fund supports projects that contribute to the protection of lands and waters within the A.T. landscape, enhance capacity for strategic conservation activities, build community support for a conserved and resilient A.T. landscape; and champion an A.T. landscape that encourages all people to feel welcome, respected, supported and valued.

Community Resilience

Purpose - Recover from and build community capacity to address/mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Community Resilience grants are available for projects that support community resiliency in the face of weather-related impacts and a changing climate. We anticipate three types of resilient community projects to be competitive in this cycle; the most competitive applications will address more than one of the following themes:

• Recovery, rebuilding, development of outdoor recreation, cultural, or historic assets.
• Restoration, stabilization, recovery of natural resources, ecological systems, or open space.
• Community building, place-making, or preparedness.

Eligible projects can include, but are not limited to, volunteer workdays/clean-ups/events, youth leadership and workforce training related to conservation or natural resource stewardship, public education or outreach campaigns or events, downtown recovery, beautification, revitalization, and resiliency planning or pre-planning activities, and recreational/cultural/historic asset improvements. Competitive projects will advance climate resiliency, be collaborative and/or community-driven, support public access to open space and recreation opportunities, and/or address Hurricane Helene recovery. It is important that applications clearly demonstrate how the project will help the community recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene and/or strengthen a community’s capacity to respond, mitigate, or adapt to future risk and uncertainty associated with the increasing severity of weather events and a changing climate. As much as possible, project outcomes should include, or strive to strengthen community support for, conservation actions and nature-based solutions to climate change. 

Funding

Up to $400,000 will be granted through the Wild East Action Fund to qualified land protection, conservation planning, and community resiliency projects. Conservation Planning and Community Resiliency grant requests between $5,000 and $20,000 will be considered.

All funding opportunities require a cash or in-kind match. Match ratio will be considered on a case-by-case basis, evaluated on the circumstances of the organization and project context. The match should be secured or demonstrate with confidence that it will be secured during the grant period.

Funding for the Conservation Planning and Community Resilience grant categories are made possible through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s A.T. Resiliency Fund. 

Wild East Action Fund

The Wild East Action Fund supports projects that accelerate the pace of conservation within the Appalachian Trail landscape.

Since 2018, the Wild East Action Fund has supported a variety of land protection and conservation capacity-building projects that have accelerated the pace and scale of conservation within the Appalachian Trail landscape. This funding opportunity is available to conservation organizations, including nonprofit partners and public agencies, that support the mission of the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership (ATLP).

In celebration of ATC’s 100th anniversary and the ATLP’s 10th anniversary, ATC is excited to host a Wild East Action Fund cycle!

The Wild East Action Fund is a private, competitive grant opportunity, administered by ATC, supporting the ATLP mission to connect the wild, scenic, and cultural wonders of the A.T. landscape. The Wild East Action Fund seeks applications that aim to accelerate the pace and scale of A.T. landscape’s conservation and resiliency.

ATC has identified needs and strategies, at multiple scales, to effectively support the acceleration of conservation and resiliency within the A.T. landscape. The program’s three grant categories are designed to catalyze new and existing conservation partners’ knowledge, abilities, and expertise to address many of these dynamic needs:

• Land Protection
• Conservation Planning
• Community Resilience

The Wild East Action Fund supports projects that contribute to the protection of lands and waters within the A.T. landscape, enhance capacity for strategic conservation activities, build community support for a conserved and resilient A.T. landscape; and champion an A.T. landscape that encourages all people to feel welcome, respected, supported and valued.

Conservation Planning

Purpose - Building organizational, partnership, or community capacity/buy-in for future strategic conservation actions.

Conservation Planning grants are available to support the strategic conservation planning efforts of organizations, regional partnerships, or local governments or agencies that aim to catalyze local or regional land protection and nature-based solutions for climate change within the A.T. Landscape. Eligible projects can include, but are not limited to, developing strategic conservation or open space plans, preplanning needs such as data collection or analysis, building parcel prioritization/decision support tools for land protection, or creating natural resource stewardship/restoration planning. Competitive projects will use collaborative and/or community-driven conservation approaches, support public access to recreation opportunities, advance climate resiliency, and protect clean water where appropriate. It is important that conservation planning projects clearly demonstrate how efforts will result in or catalyze future landscape conservation, address climate change, and strive to strengthen community support for conservation.

Funding

Up to $400,000 will be granted through the Wild East Action Fund to qualified land protection, conservation planning, and community resiliency projects. Conservation Planning and Community Resiliency grant requests between $5,000 and $20,000 will be considered.

All funding opportunities require a cash or in-kind match. Match ratio will be considered on a case-by-case basis, evaluated on the circumstances of the organization and project context. The match should be secured or demonstrate with confidence that it will be secured during the grant period.

Funding for the Conservation Planning and Community Resilience grant categories are made possible through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s A.T. Resiliency Fund. 

Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is charged with planning and carrying out programs and initiatives to improve the functioning and effectiveness of the criminal justice system as a whole (Code of Virginia § 9.1-102). 

The agency’s primary constituents are local and state criminal justice agencies and practitioners, private agencies, private security practitioners and businesses, and the public-at-large. Other constituents include local governments and state agencies, the federal government and advocacy groups/associations.

CY2026 SRO Incentive Grant Program

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is offering state grants to fund new School Resource Officer (SRO) positions to establish and enhance the partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and school divisions. A “School Resource Officer” is a certified law enforcement officer hired by a local law enforcement agency to provide law enforcement and security services to Virginia public schools. An SRO may be a full-time or part-time employee of a law enforcement agency. This funding is available for new SRO positions on a four-year grant cycle but must be applied for annually.

Priorities for New Applications

Priority will be given to localities that meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Localities requesting SRO positions for middle schools and high schools.
• Localities requesting SRO positions in a school where no such personnel are currently in place.

ABOUT ROOTED IN JUSTICE

“Rooted in Justice” is a funding program designed to help amplify youth voices and actions in the environmental and food justice movements.  Rooted in Justice supports community-based organizations and groups that manage established, youth-led, urban greening programs within a justice framework as a core part of their work, with two-year grants of $25,000/year.  

Rooted in Justice recognizes the importance and undeniable right of every young person to have the ability to develop their own relationship with the environment, be it through growing food, spending time with nature, creating community green spaces, or becoming environmental stewards. Rooted in Justice also honors the power and possibilities that arise when young people collectively work to be change-makers in their communities.

Rooted in Justice supports organizations, groups, collectives, and programs that work with young people between the ages of 12 to 20 in youth-led programming for communities or cultures which have historically or currently experience:

• A lack of access to land or nature;
• Agricultural oppression and/or neglect;
• Food apartheid; and/or
• Other forms of injustice based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics and disability.

Rooted in Justice awards a small number of grants each year with applications due in the fall and decisions made the following spring. Final grant decisions are recommended to the Cedar Tree board via a participatory grantmaking process with outside reviewers who have experience in youth-led urban greening, as well as food or climate justice programming. So far the program has awarded multi-year grants to 21 organizations and one-time grants to 10 additional organizations since 2021. 

Definitions

Rooted in Justice grants support organizations or programs that include all four of the elements described below: social justice, youth-led, urban greening, and cohort-based youth work. We articulate our understanding of those terms below in an effort to provide a guide for prospective organizations to use in determining whether their program is a good fit. However as we continue our work towards questioning and dismantling some of our preconceived notions, we recognize that these are not finite definitions and encourage prospective applicants who still feel their work may be a good fit to describe in their proposals why this is the case.  

Social Justice-Based Programs

Programs dedicated to creating equitable outcomes for communities directly affected by different aspects of injustice by:

• Sharing and redistributing power and resources;
• Amplifying voices and leadership;
• Tackling root problems through ongoing engagement and collaboration to find solutions, organize against oppression of all kinds and create mechanisms for change; and
• Developing a critical analysis with youth and community members.

Youth-Led

The development of youth leadership skills is a core part of programs funded by Rooted in Justice. Young people have the opportunity to play a role in the planning and decision-making for their program and may help shape the internal workings of the organization. Examples of youth-led programs include programs where participants: 

• Managing a portion of their programming budget;
• Co-facilitating program activities, meetings and gatherings;
• Shape their own programming and/or organizational strategic planning;
• Have regular and end-of-program opportunities to provide program feedback and evaluation; and
• Have opportunities for personal and/or professional growth within the program and organization.

Urban Greening

For the purpose of this grant we define “urban greening” as any activity that creates a mutually beneficial relationship between city dwellers and their environments. Programs that are a strong fit for Rooted in Justice will have many opportunities for youth to be outdoors.  Project settings can include, but are not limited to: 

• Urban and aquaponic farms
• Greenhouses and rooftop gardens
• Community gardens, green spaces, and rain gardens
• Composting sites
• Land conservation efforts
• Urban forests
• River or other water restoration  

Cohort-Based Youth Works

Rooted in Justice looks to fund organizations that build community with cohorts of youth through intentional, recurring programming. This grant is intended to support programs that offer youth significant learning and leadership opportunities as a group and as individuals. Priority will be given to organizations that have program infrastructure that supports a cohort of youth over time.  Drop-in programming, one-time conferences, or individual internships are not a good fit for Rooted in Justice.  

Youth Budgeting

As part of grant proposal, all Rooted in Justice grantees must share a plan to allocate a portion of the grant funds for youth participants to manage. What do we mean by this? We ask applicants to specifically set aside some amount of grant funds for youth to allocate to priorities of their choosing.  For example, youth participants can use their allocated funding to:

• Fund an entrepreneurial endeavor;
• Design the brand or swag for their group;
• Hire a speaker or outside expert to teach a new skill;
• Purchase supplies for a community-based art project;
• Host a celebration for their families, friends and neighbors;
• Pay for transportation to programming, special events, or conferences; and/or
• Any other youth-led activity the group may find beneficial.

Use of Funds

Rooted in Justice funding must be used for project support of existing youth led, urban greening, social justice work and associated general operating expenses. Operating expenses can include anything from program costs like staff salaries and youth stipends to organizational sustainability needs like major equipment purchases and leadership/staff training. If your organization’s entire mission is youth led, urban greening, social justice work, the Rooted in Justice grant can be general support. 

Funding

Two Year Grant

• Rooted in Justice Grant awards are two-year grants of $25,000 per year.
• After the initial two year grant, grantees may be eligible for a third year of funding at the same or lower level through a simple renewal process.
• In the 2025-2026 grant cycle, the Cedar Tree Foundation expects to support 4 organizations with multi-year grant awards.

Funding for Professional Development

• Each Rooted in Justice grantee organization also has access to an additional $6,000 to support professional development opportunities identified by each organization.  Half of these funds must be used to directly support the professional development of youth. 
• Rooted in Justice grantees can request reimbursement from this professional development fund to attend conferences, hire consultants, purchase equipment or software that increases organizational capacity, or participate in any activities that strengthen youth programming or justice practice of program providers in support of their youth development programming. The funds set aside for youth professional development can be used for youth exchanges or youth participation in conferences and other professional development opportunities directly for youth.  

Community Professional Development Calls

• Cedar Tree works with grantee partners to assess their professional development interests and facilitates on-line gatherings of staff or youth for skill shares, trainings, and networking opportunities.
• These network calls will likely happen 2-3 times per year. 

Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation.

Whether you are looking to improve grazing conditions, increase crop resiliency, or develop wildlife habitat, we can custom design a CSP plan to help you meet those goals. We can help you identify natural resource problems in your operation and provide technical and financial assistance to solve those problems or attain higher stewardship levels in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner.

How It Works

If you are already taking steps to improve the condition of the land, chances are, CSP can help you find new ways to meet your goals.

NRCS works one-on-one with producers to develop a conservation plan that outlines and enhances existing efforts, using new conservation practices or activities, based on management objectives for your operation. Producers implement practices and activities in their conservation plan that expands on the benefits of cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving their agricultural operations.

For example, if you have been planting a cover crop, you may decide to try an enhancement for a multi species cover crop or implement a deep-rooted cover crop to break up soil compaction and further improve the health of your soil.

CSP offers annual payments for implementing these practices on your land and operating and maintaining existing conservation efforts. Want to take it a step further? CSP also offers bundles where you can select a suite of enhancements and receive a higher payment rate.

Benefits

CSP is for working lands and is the largest conservation program in the United States. Thousands of people voluntarily enroll in the program because it helps them enhance natural resources and improve their business operation.

CSP participants are seeing real results.  Some of these benefits include:

• Enhanced resiliency to weather and market volatility
• Decreased need for agricultural inputs
• Improved wildlife habitat conditions

CSP Contracts

The program represents a genuine commitment to conservation – CSP contracts are for five years, with the opportunity to compete for a contract renewal if you successfully fulfill the initial contract and agree to achieve additional conservation objectives. An NRCS conservation planner will work closely with you, throughout the entire contract process.

Contract payments are based on two components:

• Payments to maintain the existing level of conservation, based on the land uses included in the contract and an NRCS assessment of existing stewardship at the time of enrollment, and

Payments to implement additional conservation activities.NRCS may provide a minimum annual payment of $1,500 in any year the Chief determines the total contract payment amount is below a base level.

Virginia Priority Resource Concern Categories

• Agricultural Land
  • Crop
    • Concentrated erosion
    • Degraded plant condition
    • Field sediment, nutrient and pathogen loss
    • Soil quality limitations
    • Terrestrial habitat
    • Wind and water erosion
  • Pasture
    • Concentrated erosion
    • Degraded plant condition
    • Field sediment, nutrient and pathogen loss
    • Livestock production limitation
    • Soil quality limitations
    • Terrestrial habitat
    • Wind and water erosion
  • Farmstead
    • Concentrated erosion
    • Storage and handling of pollutants
    • Terrestrial habitat
  • Associated Ag Land
    • Concentrated erosion
    • Terrestrial habitat
    • Wind and water erosion
• Forestry Land
  • Forest
    • Aquatic habitat
    • Concentrated erosion
    • Degraded plant condition
    • Fire management
    • Pest pressure
    • Soil quality limitations
    • Terrestrial habitat
    • Wind and water erosion
  • Farmstead
    • Aquatic habitat
    • Concentrated erosion
    • Terrestrial habitat
  • Associated Ag Land
    • Aquatic habitat
    • Concentrated erosion
    • Pest pressure
    • Terrestrial habitat
    • Wind and water erosion

EQIP

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands.

EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns, such as:

• Improved water and air quality;
• Conserved ground and surface water;
• Increased soil health;
• Reduced soil erosion and sedimentation;
• Improved or created wildlife habitat; and
• Mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.

How It Works

NRCS works one-on-one with producers to develop a conservation plan that outlines conservation practices and activities to help solve on-farm resource issues. Producers implement practices and activities in their conservation plan that can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving their agricultural operations. EQIP helps producers make conservation work for them. Financial assistance for practices may be available through EQIP.  Some producers may also qualify for advance payment.

State Priorities

• Conservation Planning Activities (CPAs), Design and Implementation Activities (DIAs) and Conservation Evaluation and Monitoring Activities (CEMAs)
  • Planning, design, implementation and monitoring tasks for NRCS conservation program purposes (previously known as Conservation Activity Plans or CAPs)
• Cropland
  • Practices to enhance water and soil quality while improving plant health and productivity
• Forestry
  • Practices that will lead to the conversion of marginal land (active cropland, pasture or abandoned open land) to hardwood, longleaf or shortleaf pine
• Livestock
  • Practices to improve and protect water and soil quality while benefiting plant and animal health.
• Longleaf Pine
  • Stand establishment and management within the historical range in Southeastern Virginia.
• National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI)
  • Targeted practices to clean up impaired streams and improve aquatic habitats.
  • The following watersheds are eligible for this fund pool: War Branch and Mountain Run in Rockingham County and Gap Creek in Rockingham and Shenandoah counties.
• On-Farm Energy
  • Agricultural Energy Management Plans (AgEMP) or farm energy audits to assess energy use and recommend ways to reduce it.
• Organic
  • Practices to help certified organic growers, those working to achieve organic certification, and specialty crop producers address resource concerns on their operations.
• StrikeForce
  • Priority ranking for cropland, high tunnel and livestock practices to support program participation among underserved producers in rural communities.
• Wildlife
  • Practice to create, improve and manage habitat for wildlife. (See also Working Lands for Wildlife initiative)
    • American Black Duck Initiative
      • Focused conservation practices to restore wintering habitat in the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay watersheds
    • Eastern Hellbender
      • Targeted conservation practices to reduce sediment and nutrient inputs for improved habitat and water quality
    • Golden-winged Warbler
      • Young forest habitat restoration in Appalachian breeding territory
    • Northern Bobwhite in Pine Savannas
      • Management strategies to convert commercial loblolly and shortleaf pine plantings to highly valuable pine savannah habitats
    • Northern Bobwhite in Working Grasslands
      • Native grass restoration to address habitat loss while maintaining or improving cattle production on the land.

National Program Initiatives

• Conservation Planning Activities (CPAs), Design and Implementation Activities (DIAs), and Conservation Evaluation and Monitoring Activities (CEMAs)
  • Non-Tribal
  • Tribal
• EQIP - Conservation Incentive Contracts: statewide competition for grazing lands to promote implementation of 528 Prescribed Grazing
• High Tunnel Systems (Socially Disadvantaged by NRCS Area)
  • Area High Tunnel System - competitive on an area basis
  • Beginning Farmer High Tunnel System – competitive statewide
  • Socially Disadvantaged High Tunnel System - competitive statewide
• Urban Agriculture - competitive statewide for land within an urban areas as defined by the latest U.S. Census or, or land within an Incorporated towns
• Organic Initiative (Certified and Transitional)
• On-Farm Energy (Conservation Activity Plans)
• StrikeForce Initiatives (eligible land must be within designated StrikeForce localities) Cropland and livestock ranking pools - StrikeForce Cropland
• Joint Chiefs' Landscape Restoration Partnership (Eastern Divide)

Landscape Conservation Initiatives

• Longleaf Pine Initiative
• National Water Quality Initiative (Smith Creek Watershed)
  • Dry Fork
  • Gap Creek
  • Mountain Run
  • War Branch
• Working Lands for Wildlife
  • American Black Duck
  • Golden-Winged Warbler
  • Northern Bobwhite in Working Grasslands

State Conservation Initiatives

• Cropland
• Forestry (competitive statewide)
  • Longleaf Pine/Shortleaf Pine and Hardwood Management
  • Tribal Longleaf Pine/Shortleaf Pine and Hardwood Management
• Livestock
• Wildlife
  • Aquatic
  • Hellbender
  • Northern Bobwhite in Pine Savannahs and
  • Terrestrial (competitive statewide)
  • Tribal Terrestrial Wildlife

Our Mission

Our Mission is to Grow Community Giving. We build local endowment by fostering a community of grantmakers, promoting strategic local leadership, and investing in partnerships for the benefit of the community of Loudoun and Northern Fauquier.

Our Story

Founded in the tradition of community foundations across the U.S., the Community Foundation was created by local volunteers who understood the power of pooled investments to build an everlasting community “savings account.”

The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier is a broad and flexible vehicle for charitable giving and community investment. We join with some 30 community foundations in Virginia and 850 across America to advance meaningful philanthropy in our geographic footprint serving Loudoun and northern Fauquier Counties and surrounding areas (however, our grants span the nation).

Donors who include the Community Foundation in their philanthropic vision benefit from low fees, knowledgeable staff, and personal assurance that legal and accounting issues are managed under one cost-effective banner: the Community Foundation.

Loudoun Community Response Fund- Loudoun Community Response Grants

The Loudoun Community Response Fund was launched in 2025 to strengthen our community’s capacity to meet the growing needs of individuals and families striving for financial stability, well-being, safety, and long-term security. As more Loudoun residents seek assistance, the Loudoun Community Response Fund helps ensure that local nonprofits have the resources and support needed to deliver essential services and promote lasting stability. Funding for the Loudoun Community Response Fund is made possible through support from the County of Loudoun.

Community Response Grants – Round One 2025: Eligibility and Priorities

The Loudoun Community Response Fund announces the opening of its first grant cycle of Community Response Grants.

Areas of Need and Eligibility

Community Response Grants will be provided to human service organizations serving Loudoun residents within at least one the following areas of need:

• Crisis intervention and diversion
• Improved quality of human services
• Long-term support and prevention
• Self-sufficiency

Grants will be prioritized for organizations providing services with an emphasis on financial stability, well-being, safety, and long-term security for Loudoun residents. The initial October 2025 Community Response Grant program is the first round of funding for this new initiative; additional funding opportunities will also be released in the next twelve months.

Allowable Administrative Costs

Grant funds may be used for programmatic costs aligned with applicants’ application and as outlined on the grant budget form.

No more than 7% of a grant award provided from this grant program can be used for “facilities and administration” (F&A) costs to administer the grant. Allowable facilities costs are limited to rent, utilities, and building maintenance. Allowable administrative costs are limited to salaries for general staff in accounting, payroll, or administrative offices, or general oversight of this grant. All F&A costs cannot exceed 7% of an applicant’s total request and grant budget.

Grant Award Size

Grants are expected to range from $25,000 to $50,000. Requests below $25,000 may be considered but must meet a minimum of $10,000. Partial grants may be awarded.

Mission

The mission of Southern Partners Fund (SPF) is to serve rural Southeastern communities and organizations seeking social, economic and environmental justice by providing them with financial resources, technical assistance, training and access to systems of information and power. There are two central ideas embraced in the democratic philanthropy of Southern Partners Fund: compassion and community. Compassion implies an understanding or concern for community members lacking local political power to impact the decisions that affect their lives. Community relates to the things that bring us and hold us together.

Purpose

The Purpose of SPF Grantmaking is to:

• Develop and nurture grassroots community-based leaders and organizers.
• Build the capacity of rural, grassroots community organizing groups and leaders.
• Strengthen rural communities and people.
• Develop equitable peer relationships, which support real transformation toward a just society.

Hubert E. Sapp Regular Grants Cycle

Hubert Ellis Sapp, a transformative visionary and grassroots organizer, was instrumental in turning the concept of Southern Partners Fund, a democratically led foundation directed by grassroots leaders, into a reality. To honor his legacy in the wake of his passing in February of 2021, we are honored to add his name to our Regular Grant Cycle, which from here on, will be referred to as the Hubert E. Sapp Regular Grant Cycle. 

• Applicants may request general support or project support.
• Applicants must have operating budgets of $350,000 or less to receive general support.
• Organizations with operating budgets over $350,000 can apply for project support only.

Members of SPF’s grants committee will contact organizations being considered to schedule a site visit, required for new applicants, or phone interview. SPF’s grants committee, made up of SPF members, makes grants decisions during a September grants panel meeting, which are then ratified by the Board. Groups will be notified of grants decisions after October 1st, 2024.

If an organization has received five consecutive years of regular grant cycle funding, it must take a year off before making a new RGC grant request.