Best Fairfax County Grants for Nonprofits in Virginia

What We Do

Since our creation by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation’s largest private conservation foundation. We work with both the public and private sectors to protect and restore our nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations.

NFWF supports conservation efforts across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Since our founding, we've funded over 23,300 rigorously evaluated projects, awarded to both large environmental organizations and small local initiatives. We do not fund advocacy or litigation, and do not conduct membership campaigns. Instead, we focus on achieving results and building a better future for our world.

Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership, is soliciting pre-proposals through the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) Grants program to improve water quality and reduce nutrient and sediment pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. Major funding for the INSR Grants program is provided by EPA, with other important contributions from Altria Group, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S. Forest Service. 

Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) Program

The Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) Grants Program delivered in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supports efforts to improve the condition and connectivity of habitats for at risk and federally listed species.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is committed to operating in full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and Executive Orders. We continuously monitor legal and regulatory developments to ensure our policies, procedures, and operations align with current federal directives. We encourage all applicants to do the same.  

The ability and extent to which NFWF is able to make awards is contingent upon receipt of funds from federal agencies and/or other funding partners. Final funding decisions will be made based on the applications received and the level and timing of funding received by NFWF.

The WILD Program Pillars are:

• Pillar 1: Restore, conserve, and connect fish and wildlife habitat
• Pillar 2: Improve water quality for fish, wildlife and people
• Pillar 3: Align the power of nature to adapt to changing landscapes
• Pillar 4: Expand access to nature and outdoor recreation for all Americans
• Pillar 5: Build partnership capacity to collaborate and coordinate actions

The Chesapeake WILD Grants Program has three distinct tracks:

• Collaborative Conservation
  • Grants of up to $200,000 will be awarded for projects that support and enhance the capacity of partnerships, networks, and other collaborative models working collaboratively to advance place-based, landscape-scale, and crossjurisdictional habitat restoration, conservation, and connectivity outcomes.
• Planning and Technical Assistance
• Implementation

Community Finance Initiative 

Advancing the financial resilience of low-income households across the U.S.

This model enables us to engage and support a broad range of organizations across the globe to tackle some of the most pressing social issues of our time.

The Citi Foundation’s 2026 Community Finance Initiative commits $35 million to support programming that bolsters the financial stability, strength and safety of low-income households in the U.S.

Focus Areas

The Foundation seeks to support organizations advancing low-income household financial resilience in the United States across three focus areas:

Stabilize: Programs that help low-income households to build financial skills and confidence to manage daily finances and navigate financial stress.

• Financial coaching on budgeting, credit, debt reduction and savings strategies.
• Digital tools offering personalized financial guidance and product navigation.
• Assistance with public benefits and social safety net programs.

Strengthen: Programs that help low-income households build and repair credit, as well as short- and long-term financial assets.

• Financial products or services for credit building and credit repair.
• Initiatives to increase savings, including emergency funds.
• Support for homeownership, including readiness, preservation and long-term stability (e.g., first-time buyer assistance, preventing displacement and support systems for aging in place resources).

Safeguard: Programs that protect low-income household financial security by preventing and addressing financial losses.

• Education and support for the safe and confident use of digital financial tools.
• Fraud and scam awareness, prevention and recovery initiatives, including protection from identity theft.
• Interventions to help households recover from major financial shocks (e.g., healthcare costs, extended family care, job transitions or natural disasters).

Funding Opportunity

The Foundation plans to award 70 $500,000 (USD) grants (to be disbursed over two years) totaling $35 million to community organizations working in select communities where Citi has a presence.

The grants will be restricted and are anticipated to be disbursed in two annual payments in 2026 and 2027. Proposed projects should be for a term of 24 months, starting no sooner than August 1, 2026 and ending no later than December 31, 2028.

Our Work:

The Citi Foundation commits $20 million to help nonprofit housing developers overcome financial and operational barriers to building and preserving affordable housing in the U.S.

Apply for Funding

Citi Foundation primarily provides funding through open Requests for Proposals (RFP). This model enables us to engage and support a broad range of organizations across the globe to tackle some of the most pressing social issues of our time. Each RFP launched is accompanied by detailed information on goals, selection criteria and relevant application deadlines.

Housing Affordability

Citi's Blueprint for Housing Opportunity

Recognized as the number one affordable housing lender in the U.S. by Affordable Housing Finance magazine, Citi knows increasing supply is essential to addressing housing affordability — one of the defining economic challenges of our time. That’s why we are putting our capital, community impact and expertise toward helping more Americans access housing they can truly afford.

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

In July 1973, Virginia took measures to ensure that the Commonwealth and its residents would be protected from the effects of disasters, both natural and human-caused. Just 13 months after Hurricane Agnes caused record-breaking flooding, the Virginia Office of Emergency Services was created. The office was renamed the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) in 2000 (Va. Code Ann. § 44-146.18). Today, VDEM works with with local, state, tribal, and federal agencies and voluntary organizations to provide crucial resources during all hazard disasters.

Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) provides funding support for target hardening and other physical security enhancements and activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist attack. The intent is to integrate nonprofit preparedness activities with broader state and local preparedness efforts. It is also designed to promote coordination and collaboration in emergency preparedness activities among public and private community representatives, as well as state and local government agencies.

The NGSP, via State Administrative Agencies (SAA), provides funds to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist or other extremist attack to meet the following three objectives throughout the period of performance:

• Enhance equipment and conduct security-related activities to improve the security posture of nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack.
• Address and close capability gaps that are identified in individual nonprofit organization Vulnerability Assessments via funding spent on Planning, Equipment, and Training and Exercises that aim to enhance the protection of soft targets and crowded places.
• Strengthen relationships across non-profit organization, state, local, and territorial homeland security agencies for a whole community approach to preparedness.

Given the evolving threat landscape, it is incumbent upon DHS/FEMA to continuously evaluate the national risk profile and set priorities that help ensure appropriate allocation of scarce security dollars. In assessing the national risk profile, the following National Priority Areas (NPAs) shape current and future guidance:

• Enhancing the protection of soft targets/crowded places.
• Supporting Homeland Security Task Forces and Fusion Centers
• Enhancing Cybersecurity
• Enhancing Election Security
• Supporting Border Crisis Response and Enforcement

Likewise, there are several enduring security needs that crosscut the homeland security enterprise. The following are second-tier priorities that help recipients implement a comprehensive approach to securing communities:

• Effective planning;
• Training and awareness campaigns; and
• Exercises

Effective August 13, 2020, FEMA recipients and subrecipients may not use any FEMA funds under open or new awards to:

• Procure or obtain any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology of any system;
• Enter into, extend, or renew a contract to procure or obtain any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology of any system; or
• Enter into, extend, or renew contracts with entities that use covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.

Virginia Applicants

Up to $3,381,162 will be available for Virginia applicants in 2025. Of that amount, funding will be split across two applicant groups: NSGP-Urban Areas (NSGP-UA), and NSGP-State (NSGP-S).

NSGP-State (NSGP-S)

Up to $2,400,000 will be available for applicants not located in a designated Urban Area by DHS. Individual awards may be up to $200,000.

Northern Virginia Health Foundation

Since the Northern Virginia Health Foundation’s inception in 2005, we have held to a clear mission: to improve the health and health care of residents of Northern Virginia, with a particular emphasis on the health needs of the uninsured. 

We focus our investments and partnerships on strengthening the region’s health safety net and addressing the conditions that shape residents’ health outcomes in order to build a healthier, stronger Northern Virginia. Over the past two decades, the Foundation has awarded more than $24 million in grants to organizations that:

• Increase access to primary care, mental health, oral/dental health, and/or specialty care for low-income uninsured or underinsured residents of Northern Virginia
• Respond to emerging community needs
• Address the social determinants of health

Northern Virginia Health Foundation Grant

The mission of Northern Virginia Health Foundation is to improve the health of residents of Northern Virginia. Many of the health issues confronting Northern Virginians are preventable and are not solely related to direct medical care. Those circumstances, the so-called social drivers of health, include such things as poverty, education level, race, and where people live, work and play. In turn, these social drivers are shaped by multiple factors including policies and systems of all kinds.

Collaboration across sectors is a key ingredient in working “upstream” to improve health outcomes. Meaningful partnerships among government agencies, nonprofit organizations and healthcare providers can lead to systems change. Moreover, collaboration across sectors can have a greater impact than the efforts of a single organization or a single sector.

As part of its 2026 grantmaking, the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Health Foundation is issuing this call for proposals for efforts that strengthen systems, change policies, or empower community change.