Search Through Grants for Education Nonprofits in Virginia in the U.S.

Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a unique federal-state partnership providing social and economic support for a 13-state region stretching along the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi, including western North Carolina.

Established by the United States Congress in 1965, when Appalachia was considered "a region apart" from the rest of the nation, ARC has worked to bring Appalachia's 26 million people into America's economic mainstream.

Area Development Program

ARC’s Area Development program relies on a flexible “bottom up” approach to economic development, empowering Appalachian communities to work with their state governments to design impactful investment opportunities supporting our mission and investment priorities.

Within the scope of our Strategic Plan, ARC’s Area Development program makes investments in two general areas: critical infrastructure and business and workforce development. Critical infrastructure investments mainly include water and wastewater systems, transportation networks, broadband, and other projects anchoring regional economic development. Business and workforce investments primarily focus on entrepreneurship, worker training and education, food systems, leadership, and other human capital development.

ARC Strategic Plan

A comprehensive strategic planning process involving federal, state, and local officials and citizens resulted in, Appalachia Envisioned: A New Era of Opportunity – ARC Strategic Plan 2022-2026, which focuses investments under these five general goals:

• Building Appalachian Businesses:
  • Strengthen and diversify the region’s economy through inclusive economic development strategies and investments in entrepreneurship and business development
• Building Appalachia’s Workforce Ecosystem
  • Expand and strengthen community systems (education, healthcare, housing, childcare, and others) that help Appalachians obtain a job, stay on the job, and advance along a financially sustaining career pathway.
• Building Appalachia’s Infrastructure
  • Ensure that the residents and businesses of Appalachia have access to reliable, affordable, resilient, and energy efficient utilities and infrastructure in order to successfully live and work in the region.
• Building Regional Culture and Tourism:
  • Strengthen Appalachia’s community and economic development potential by preserving and investing in the region’s local, cultural heritage, and natural assets.
• Building Community Leaders and Capacity:
  • Invest in the capacity of local leaders, organizations, and communities to address local challenges by providing technical assistance and support to access resources, engage partners, identify strategies and tactics, and conduct effective planning and project execution.

Vision

While talent may be spread evenly throughout humanity, opportunity is not. Comis Foundation envisions that every child has access to opportunities to not only succeed in life, but to thrive.

Mission

Comis Foundation invests in organizations that provide opportunity and access to equip children with skills to explore, learn, and thrive in their chosen communities.

Guiding Principles

Comis Foundation has 5 principles which guide our focus: We work to build relationships of mutual trust with our grantees; We value sustainable systems and solutions; We are not experts, we want to learn and enable learning; We are willing to accept risk when warranted to achieve greater impact; We value both new and established ways of serving communities.

Area of Interest

Comis Foundation supports programs and policy work that drive improvements in educational outcomes for children and youth. We are interested in programs that support the community as well as children and youth directly. We embrace the whole child concept of full community engagement to drive better outcomes for the child and our society at large.

Comis Foundation Grant

Pilot and Proof of Concept: $5,000 – $25,000

• New programs within existing organizations, standalone new organizations just getting off the ground, or testing new approaches within a current scope
• Smaller-scale research or data collecting project or other similar short-duration investigations
• Timeframe is single-year; multi-year research or evaluation projects will not be considered under this program

Capacity Building and Innovation: $25,000 up to $75,000 per year

• Capacity building for organizations, including but not limited to staff professional development, strategic planning, leadership development, and supplemental expertise (e.g., communications)
• General operating support for innovative organizations. We consider the concept of innovation broadly: organizations that create opportunity for children to explore, learn and thrive are by definition innovative until all children can engage with the world through the same set of opportunities.
• Multi-year research or evaluation projects will be considered under this program, particularly as a pre-cursor to scaling innovative programs
• Multi-year grants will be considered under this program at $25,000 – $75,000 per year

FirstEnergy Foundation Grant

The FirstEnergy Foundation's contributions to local nonprofit organizations help strengthen the social and economic fabric of our communities. Funded solely by FirstEnergy, the Foundation extends the corporate philosophy of providing community support.

The FirstEnergy Foundation priorities: 

• Improving the quality of life in our communities and supporting key safety initiatives
• Empowering our communities’ workforce development and educational initiatives
• Promoting local and regional economic development
• Supporting employee leadership and volunteer interests that align with our business interests

We envision a just, connected, and inclusive Greater Washington community in which systemic racism and its consequences no longer exist. The Meyer Foundation pursues and invests in solutions that build an equitable Greater Washington community in which economically disadvantaged people thrive. We apply a systems approach to achieve a just, connected, and inclusive Greater Washington. This means our work and the work we support seeks to:

• Address the root causes of racial disparities in our region
• Shift the conditions, policies, practices, priorities, culture, and power to create systems that are equitable and inclusive. 
• Build the power and leadership of the people most directly affected by inequity based on the unique context of their experiences.

Core Grantmaking

We partner with organizations and projects that build the power of Greater Washington communities to reimagine, recreate, and reform systems in the pursuit of racial equity and justice.

At the Meyer Foundation, we believe systemic racism has led to our deeply inequitable economy and unjust systems, preventing too many people from accessing prosperity and opportunity. Our social contract–the moral code by which we live–is broken.

Instead, we believe that the social contract should be redefined to become inclusive and race-centered, to support a just economy that works for people most directly affected by racial inequity and injustice, and to improve the relationship between systems and the people they serve. This vision is an important component of the framework for our core grantmaking.

Through our grantmaking, we support work that strives toward a better future–one that is rooted in equity, justice, and our shared humanity and that helps build a more racially just society where everyone in our region can thrive.

What We Support

In addition to our eligibility requirements, organizations or projects seeking funding should:

• Address the root causes of inequity through systems change work. We define systems change as challenging and changing the culture, policies, practices, and priorities that create and perpetuate inequities. These inequities have only been further exposed and exacerbated during the pandemic.
• Build power for purposes of advancing racial and/or economic justice.
• Leverage one or more of these tactics for change:
  • Organizing & Base Building - Organizing is a grassroots method for building relationships and power, particularly among people and communities who have traditionally been excluded from decision making. Organizing may also be referred to as base building—recruiting and retaining a large group of members from impacted communities who participate in and help direct and implement the work of the organization.
  • Advocacy - Any action that speaks in favor of, recommends, argues for a cause, supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others. It includes public education, regulatory work, litigation, and work before administrative bodies, lobbying, voter education, voter registration, and more.
  • Coalition Building - A coalition is a collection of people and organizations with similar interests working together to influence outcomes around a specific cause. Coalition building is the process by which people and organizations come together to grow their base, coordinate efforts, deploy resources, and provide leadership and guidance to achieve objectives broader than a single organization might accomplish on its own.

• Actively participate in broader organizing, movement, and/or field-building work to advance racial and economic justice in Greater Washington.

What Does Meyer Look for When Selecting Grantee Partners?

We are most interested in how your work and approach align with our strategy and vision. To evaluate Interest Forms or proposals, we look at:

• Building power and leadership: To what extent is your organization or project building and supporting the leadership and power of those closest to the issues and most affected by racial inequities?
• Tactics: How does your organization/project apply one or more of the tactics of organizing and base building, advocacy, and/or coalition building?
• Movement building: How does your organization’s work contribute to broader work in DC, Maryland, or Virginia to advance racial and economic justice?

What Types of Grants Does Meyer Make? 

Meyer awards one-year and multi-year grants for general operations and projects. Meyer’s primary grantmaking strategy is to provide general operating support. We award project-specific grants (including, in a limited number of circumstances, for capital campaigns) when a particular project aligns with Meyer’s goals, but the overall work of the organization does not, or where the organization is based outside of Greater Washington but is carrying out work in the region.

Multi-Year Grants

Organizations that are good candidates for multi-year support are those that most closely align with the approach described above. We are especially interested in multi-year support for:

• Community organizing groups who have: 1) a proven track record building the leadership of people with lived experience in the issue(s) being addressed and 2) the ability to act and make change.
• Coalitions working on multi-year campaigns that address the priorities and/or concerns identified by their constituents.
• Anchor organizations hosting multi-stakeholder coalitions focused on changing policies and institutions that perpetuate racial inequity.
• Emerging organizations that have promising ideas and/or fill a critical gap in movements to shift systems toward racial and economic justice.

Strengthening Our Communities

The Steel Dynamics Foundation, Inc., awards grants to nonprofits in the local communities where our employees live and work.

Our Primary Goal

Enhancing the quality of life and improving local economies in the communities where our employees live and work.

Our Top Priorities

• Higher Education:
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)
  • Finance and Business
• Economic & Community Development
• Human Services

Post-secondary education and economic and community development

• We believe a better-educated workforce creates a stronger economy with higher living standards and more opportunities for everyone to benefit from it, including those less fortunate.

Human Services

• Improving the quality of life and making our communities more attractive places to live and work. We consider applications for nonprofit organizations that have significant impact in our communities, serve a large population, meet the greatest needs and have the widest access.

Management at your local facility will review your request and make a decision based on level of support by facility and employees. If local SDI facility has not been involved with your organization management may consider, at their discretion, to forward your request to the Foundation, to hold for consideration of a donation from their facility, or to decline the request.

The Wawa Foundation provides financial grants on a local, regional and national level ensuring that our commitment extends from the local communities Wawa serves. Only registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations operating in Wawa’s areas are eligible to apply. Organizations must fall into The Wawa Foundation’s three key areas of focus: Health, Hunger and Everyday Heroes. To learn more, review our Criteria for Success.

Wawa Foundation Financial Grants

Our submission windows for grants over $2,500 will be the months of January, April, July and October. Qualified organizations can submit grant requests and Letters of Inquiry during those timeframes. Requests will be reviewed and organizations will receive a response before the next grant submission window opens.

Areas of Focus

Health

The Wawa Foundation will provide funding to organizations committed to saving and improving lives in the communities Wawa serves. Specifically, The Wawa Foundation will support organizations dedicated to Championing Life-saving Research & Care for People in Need by:

• Providing grants to hospitals with a focus on pediatric institutions
• Funding research
• Supporting care and comfort Initiatives

Hunger

The Wawa Foundation will play a leading role in hunger relief in the communities Wawa serves. To achieve this, we will support programs that enable us to Lead Hunger Relief Efforts by:

• Providing food donations to local pantries daily through Wawa Share
• Improving access to food through financial grants
• Enabling Feeding America Food Banks to reach more communities through annual in-store campaigns

Heroes

The Wawa Foundation is committed to Supporting the Heroes Making a Difference Every Day by:

• Showing appreciation and care to our military, veterans, first responders and other heroes in our local communities
• Enhancing the education and mentoring of at-risk youth in grades K-12.
• Supporting heroes through crisis response, blood drives, and volunteering

Perdue Farms is a fourth-generation, family owned U.S. food and agricultural company. We were founded on trust—a value that carries through everything we do. Through our two operating divisions, Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness, we’re making steps every day toward our goal of becoming the most trusted name in food and agricultural products. Our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger.

We're Committed to Being Careful Stewards. Stewardship is one of our company's core values. Our stewardship platform, "We believe in responsible food and agriculture®," challenges us to continually improve. Learn more about the progress we've made in the areas of food, environment, animal care, people, community and our partners.

What we support

We believe in putting our resources where there is a direct benefit to a broad-based spectrum of the community.

• We strive to strengthen our communities by focusing our efforts on agriculture and the environment, education, fighting hunger and poverty, health and social services, and public safety
• We also support organizations that celebrate the heritages and cultures of our communities

Our Responsibility

• Food Producing: Quality Food
• Environment: Protecting the Environment
• Animal Care: Providing for the Welfare of Animals
• People: Caring About Others

Background

The Foundation seeks to be responsive to community issues and needs. Our process is highly competitive and is open to new projects and new organizations. The following summary, Examples of our Grant-Making, is offered to help guide applicants. While this is not intended to be an exhaustive description and may, as appropriate, change over time, we hope that the following will suggest the kind of meaningful work in which the Foundation is seeking to invest.

Generally, the Foundation looks to support work that improves the lives of DC-area residents, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable and underserved individuals. We encourage organizations that provide comprehensive services and work towards systemic change, which addresses all levels of, and all who are affected by, the issue. The goal is that all in the region become self-sufficient and lead healthy, fulfilling lives. We search for nonprofits that also employ effective partnering and show cultural competence in engaging effectively with communities and people of various cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. On occasion, the Foundation invests directly in strengthening the nonprofit sector by helping current grantees to build organizational capacity and by supporting advocacy and other efforts.

Grants are made in five program areas:

Arts and Humanities

The Foundation recognizes the intrinsic value of the Arts and Humanities, as well as their power to innovate and create social change. The funds distributed support an array of artistic disciplines, as well as organizations that promote the humanities. These nonprofits demonstrate the depth and breadth of their initiatives, including how to meaningfully engage communities that have been historically underrepresented in the Arts and Humanities.

Community Services - The Community Services portfolio includes, but is not limited to:

• Community Development
  • The Foundation seeks to ensure access to safe housing and economic development across the region. These awards support affordable housing production and preservation, services for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability, programs to address wealth disparities, as well as civic engagement and volunteerism.
• Children, Youth and Families
  • Grants in this area help young people improve their academic performance, gain employment, develop relationships with trusted adults and make connections to the larger community. The Foundation prioritizes programs that promote youth voice, empowering young people to advocate for change within their schools and communities.
• Justice
  • The Foundation seeks to ensure access to justice for all individuals in order to create a more equitable region. These grants support civil legal aid, services to survivors of violence, efforts to help people stay out of the criminal justice system and advocacy for system reform.
• Workforce Development
  • The Foundation supports organizations that focus on specific fields and career pathways as well as those that concentrate on broader job- and career-readiness.
• Capacity Building
  • The Foundation supports capacity building organizations that improve the sustainability, quality and impact of nonprofits in the region.

Education

The Foundation recognizes that a high-quality and equitable education system can reduce barriers to opportunity and transform lives. These grants aim to ensure that from the first day children enter an early childhood setting, to the day they receive a technical certificate or a degree, they are receiving an education that is founded in strong relationships, responds to their unique needs, and equips them with the skills they need to thrive and succeed in life.

Environment

The Foundation strives to restore and protect our region’s natural resources so that all individuals can have equal access to clean water, air and land. These grants focus on the restoration and protection of local parks, the Anacostia and Potomac rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Grants to environmental education and stewardship programs for people of all ages create greater awareness of the dangers of an unhealthy environment and the need to protect open natural spaces.

Health & Wellness

The Foundation takes a holistic view of health and wellness to ensure that across the region people of all ages can live healthier lives, regardless of income or zip code. These grants include healthcare provision and supportive services, food and nutrition, as well as coalition building and advocacy.

Philip L. Graham Fund Grant

Named for the late Publisher of The Washington Post and President of The Washington Post Company (now Graham Holdings Company), the Philip L. Graham Fund devotes its resources to the betterment of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The Fund awards several million dollars in grants annually to groups providing educational, health, community enrichment, and arts programs and services to communities in and around Washington, D.C.

What We Support

Understanding the broad and changing needs of the communities in and around Washington, D.C., the Philip L. Graham Fund is dedicated to supporting organizations that provide a wide array of direct services to individuals and families. The Fund awards grants across four focus areas and a geographically vast area that includes 10 counties in Virginia and Maryland as well as the District of Columbia.

The Fund is always looking for innovative and efficient organizations to support. Over the past several decades, the Fund has invested tens of millions of dollars in the physical infrastructure, information technology, and transportation needs of local nonprofit organizations. The Fund’s five-member board prefers to fund requests for one-time projects or expenses, but does occasionally award grants for program and general operating expenses.

In 2017, the Philip L. Graham Fund awarded $4.1 million in grants to 138 organizations across Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Twenty grants went to first-time grantees. Together, grants in the Health & Human Services and Education focus areas represented 84% of the Fund’s giving last year.

Focus Areas

From its inception, the Fund’s mission has been to use its resources for the betterment of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. In the past, the Fund also worked to foster improvements in the fields of journalism and communications. Grantees include large, regional organizations as well as small, community-based groups; all share a commitment to our community.

Health & Human Services

The Health & Human Services segment of the Fund’s portfolio is the largest portion of the Fund’s giving and includes a wide array of services designed to ensure everyone in the greater metropolitan area has access to the tools necessary for healthy and productive living. Nonprofits providing shelter, food, medical care, and workforce development programs to members of our community are a high priority for the Fund as well as efforts to increase access to fresh foods, legal services, routine primary care and dental visits, and comprehensive behavioral health services for children and adults.

Education

The Philip L. Graham Fund is committed to supporting efforts to advance and expand educational offerings for children and adults in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The Fund gives high priority to programs that improve public education and adult literacy.

Arts & Humanities

From its earliest days, the Philip L. Graham Fund has supported both large and small arts organizations in and around Washington, D.C. Many of the city’s largest and most innovative theater companies, museums, dance companies, and arts education programs can trace their earliest funding back to the Graham Fund. The Fund remains committed to supporting longstanding organizations devoted to bringing high-quality and unique programs to the community and to seeking out new organizations bringing fresh ideas and offerings to the metropolitan area. The Fund is specifically interested in arts programming that shows a clear intersection with one of the Fund’s other focus areas.

Community Endeavors

Recognizing the importance of Washington, D.C., to the nation and the world, the Fund considers requests from institutions that tell the stories of our country’s history, values, and accomplishments and strengthen the greater metropolitan community as a whole. This includes support for a broad spectrum of organizations, such as institutions of national significance located in the metropolitan area, improvement of local parks and playgrounds, and efforts to help our community through programs that strengthen families and neighborhoods.

Perdue Farms is the family-owned parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness. Perdue Farms are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for everyone we touch through innovative food and agricultural products.

Through Perdue Farms Perdue, Harvestland and Coleman Natural food brands; through Perdue Farms agricultural products and services; and through Perdue Farms stewardship and corporate responsibility programs, Perdue Farms are committed to making Perdue the most trusted name in food and agricultural products. At Perdue, Perdue Farms believe in responsible food and agriculture.What We Support

• We strive to strengthen our communities by focusing our efforts on agriculture and the environment, education, fighting hunger and poverty, health and social services, and public safety
• We also support organizations that celebrate the heritages and cultures of our communities
• We may give additional preference to organizations in which our associates have direct involvement, but the overarching consideration is the betterment of the community

Supporting Critical Need in Northern Virginia

The Community Investment Funds are the signature grant cycle managed by the Community Foundation in which funds are invested in organizations serving the Northern Virginia community in the areas of child and youth development, education, health, mental health and aging, military personnel and their families, and poverty relief.

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia conducts an annual grant cycle through the Community Investment Fund. Nonprofit organizations providing services in Northern Virginia are invited to apply.

The Community Foundation will accept requests in the following categories.

• Aging
• Arts
• Child & Youth Development
• Education
• Environment
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Fund
• Lamond Fund to Benefit Children and Youth in Alexandria and Fairfax County
• The Latino Engagement and Achievement Fund (LEAF)
• Mental Health
• Military Personnel & Their Families
• Safety Net Fund

The Foundation

When Herb Block died in October 2001, he left $50 million with instructions to create a foundation to encourage the art of editorial cartooning and to support charitable and educational programs that help promote and support the causes he championed during his 72 years of cartooning. The Foundation is committed to defending basic freedoms, combating all forms of discrimination and prejudice and improving the condition of the poor and underprivileged.

Pathways Out of Poverty

This program will focus on helping needy young people and adults gain a quality education. For projects serving youth, The Herb Block Foundation seeks proposals which focus on improving student achievement and healthy development of young people. Projects may include in-school and community-based educational programs, after-school activities, and mentoring programs. Programs designed to increase high school graduation rates are encouraged to apply.

For projects serving adults, The Herb Block Foundation seeks proposals to provide literacy education and GED preparation, and to offer vocational training and job placement.Grants in the range of $5,000 to $25,000 will be considered. Grants will be considered for one year's funding.

WHO WE ARE: AN OVERVIEW

The mission of the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington is to create strong and vibrant communities by connecting caring citizens with worthy community causes. For donors‚ this means we take the guesswork out of giving by identifying the best community-based charities in Washington D.C. and nearby Maryland and Virginia counties. For nonprofits‚ it means we raise visibility through the distribution of our annual print Catalogue‚ events‚ and campaigns‚ and we create resources and run educational workshops throughout the year to help elevate their capacity to do good.

PLEASE NOTE: The Catalogue is NOT a grant-making organization. To facilitate the giving process for donors‚ we accept donations as agents of our charities and pass these on to them‚ as directed by donors. (Donors also make direct contributions to our nonprofit partners. We ask donors to tell their recipients that they found them in the Catalogue.) We charge no fees for the work we do and are supported entirely by outside donations.

WHY APPLY

Being part of our network means you’ll be recognized as one of the best high-impact‚ community-based nonprofits in our region—something that means so much to supporters‚ both existing and new. While we do not guarantee a specific financial benefit‚ our track record shows that when nonprofits engage in a committed partnership with us‚ they receive both financial and other returns. (The Catalogue has helped raise over $40 million since 2003.)

Benefits of a Catalogue Partnership

What we'll do:

Collaborate with you on a powerful story about your work and your impact, to use in our Catalogue, and in your marketing, fundraising and other materials;

Promote your story through our direct mail efforts (70,000+ local households), media partnerships (e.g., City Paper), our Giving Tuesday campaign, a personalized webpage on our website, features in our blog, social media promotion, and more;

Give you access to our Nonprofit Portal, with access to an online resource library and marketing materials (e.g. Catalogue seal);

Invite you to professional development workshops, webinars, and collaboration events through our Learning Commons program. These trainings, which are free to our partners, include our Orientation workshop for new nonprofits, as well as workshops and collaborative sessions on development, communications, program evaluation, volunteer management, and board development;

Continue this partnership for four years.

There is no financial obligation of any kind associated with applying to or being featured in the Catalogue for Philanthropy. Leading institutions and generous individuals in the Washington region support the Catalogue as a service to the community.

What you'll do:

Work with Catalogue staff to approve written content and provide photos or other imagery for your Catalogue feature;

Meet the rest of the Catalogue network and learn how to make the most of your partnership by attending our Orientation workshop and our annual event, Community Changemakers;

Be available to participate in media opportunities and donor education events when appropriate;

Help us track our impact, by reporting Catalogue-inspired donations made to you throughout the years that you are featured in print and online;

Bring your Catalogue webpage to life by uploading information about your events, recent press hits, volunteer opportunities, and impact throughout the year;

Spread the word by using the Catalogue's co-branded materials, especially the "One of the Best" stamp, on your homepage, stationery, newsletters, and email signatures.

About the Foundation

Founded in 1957 by Mr. Robert G. Cabell, III, and Mrs. Maude Morgan Cabell, the Cabell Foundation was established as a private, non-operating foundation to support the permanent needs of charitable organizations throughout Virginia, with particular emphasis on agencies in the metro Richmond region. Since its inception, the Cabell Foundation has provided permanent gifts and challenge grants to a diverse mix of nonprofit institutions. Mr. and Mrs. Cabell believed the Foundation should be responsive to human need in its deliberations and in taking initiative that would inspire the community to action. Early awards supported higher education and the cultural arts, including the Valentine Museum, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Randolph Macon College and Hampden-Sydney College.Mr. and Mrs. Cabell and the founding board members recognized the value of focused, strategic support and chose not to blanket the community with token grants. Today, Cabell Foundation support provides important leverage for the charitable sector in challenging the generosity of the donor community. The long term vision of the Foundation is to continue to meet the philanthropic needs of the community and to exist in perpetuity. Communities across the Commonwealth have been enriched by Foundation support to cultural arts institutions, historic preservation sites, environment and conservation initiatives, community development efforts, higher education infrastructure and the social services sector.

Semi-Annual Competitive Grants

The cornerstone of the competitive grants program provides support for permanent, capital projects. Generally, awards are made on a challenge or match basis in order to help stimulate broad community support. The challenge may be in any form, such as matching the award in some multiple of the grant, raising a stated percentage of the total goal, securing a specified number of new gifts or other parameters set by the Foundation. Typically, no more than 50% of the matching funds for a challenge grant may come from other private foundations. Depending on the specific circumstances of each project, other conditions may be required prior to payment. Grant periods are typically 12-18 months from the date of the award notification. Competitive grants are generally paid in one payment. Proposals are reviewed twice a year during the Spring and Fall Grants meeting.

Funding Areas of Interest

The Foundation is multi-purpose in its support and accepts proposals from organizations that represent the following categories. Funding is not allocated across these program areas. The competitive nature of the proposals drives funding recommendations and decisions. Representative examples of grants in each category are listed below.

Cultural Arts: Museum exhibitions and expansion; collection processing and storage; performing arts venue renovations; building acquisition; and, technology infrastructure.

Civic & Community: Neighborhood development initiatives; civic engagement projects; and, recreational projects that promote increased access to public spaces regardless of economic or physical limitations.

Conservation & Environment: Watershed protection and preservation; reclamation projects; wildlife protection; and, environmental outreach and education.

Education: Libraries; laboratories and equipment; technology; and, general physical plant support to private colleges and universities. Limited support for capital needs related to workforce training and development projects at the community college level. The Foundation also supports special projects at Virginia Commonwealth University, The College of William & Mary and Virginia Military Institute.

Historic Preservation: Site acquisition; infrastructure repair; exterior and interior renovations; and, exhibit installation.

Social Services, Health & Welfare: Building acquisition and/or renovation for health clinics; affordable housing; domestic violence shelters; vocational rehabilitation; and, mental health services. Technology and equipment support for hunger relief programs; healthcare clinics; and job training.

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.

Mission

The Richard & Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust was established by Mrs. Elizabeth Gwathmey Jeffress in 1981 in memory of her parents. Mrs. Jeffress was particularly interested in the history, literature, art and architecture of Virginia.

Guidelines

Applications from nonprofits focused on the following issue areas will be accepted for the March 1 deadline (notification by June 30):

• Ensuring access to basic services – food, health care, shelter and/or safety 
• Creating, sustaining and retaining a viable workforce for Virginia
• Preserving and protecting the environment

Applications from nonprofits focused on the following issue areas will be accepted for the September 1 deadline (notification by December 31):

• Providing access to arts, culture and/or humanities 
• Preserving the important history of Virginia
• Improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children, youth and/or adults

Consumer Financial Education Fund

The Consumer Financial Education Fund supports projects that relate to consumer financial education, with an emphasis on issues related to just and equitable banking, basic banking, financial literacy, access to financial services, retail banking accounts, and underbanked and/or vulnerable populations. 

Funding

It is expected that most proposals will be for 12-month grant periods; however, multi-year proposals are encouraged where appropriate. The maximum grant amount is $100,000, even for multi-year proposals.

George J. & Effie L. Seay Foundation Grant

Program type

• Arts, Culture, & Humanities; Education; Human Services

Area served

• VA

Mission

The George J. & Effie L. Seay Foundation was established in 1957 to support and promote programs and services provided by qualifying charitable organizations in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Guidelines

As each foundation has unique giving preferences for the type of support provided (program, operating, capital, etc.).  

The Seay Foundation makes grants primarily for programs and projects designed to provide specific services or training. 

Grants from the Seay Foundation are 1 year in duration. Because requests for support usually exceed available resources, organizations are advised to apply to either the Morgan Trust or the Seay Foundation.

 Program History or Background

AmeriCorps is a network of local, state, and national service programs that connects over 70,000 Americans every year in intensive service to meet community needs in education, the environment, public safety, health, and homeland security. AmeriCorps members serve with more than 2,000 non- profits, public agencies, and community organizations. AmeriCorps brings people together to tackle some of the country’s most pressing challenges through national service and volunteering.

AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Senior volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities. AmeriCorps helps make services a cornerstone of our national culture. AmeriCorps grants are awarded to eligible organizations proposing to engage AmeriCorps members in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions/practices to strengthen communities. An AmeriCorps member is an individual who engages in community services through an approved national service position. Members may receive a living allowance and other benefits while serving.

Upon successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal Education Award that they can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans. AmeriCorps State programs in the Commonwealth are managed by Serve Virginia, within the Virginia Department of Social Services. For more information on Serve Virginia and the activities promoting volunteerism, national service, and community support programs in the Commonwealth, including AmeriCorps, please visit here.  

Operational Grant

AmeriCorps operational grants support programs that engage members in evidence-based interventions to strengthen communities. Awards may include up to $27,000/MSY (AmeriCorps Member Service Year, equivalent to one full-time term of service), with no limits on the number of MSY.

AmeriCorps Focus Areas & Funding Priorities

Over the next two years, AmeriCorps will invest in existing and new partnerships with nonprofit, faith-based, and Tribal organizations, and state service commissions. To carry out Congress’ intent and to maximize the impact of investment in national service, and to achieve the goals laid out in its Strategic Plan, AmeriCorps has the following Focus Areas: 

• Disaster Services: Helping individuals and communities prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of disasters and increase community resiliency.
• Education: Improving educational outcomes for underserved people, especially children. AmeriCorps is particularly interested in program designs that support youth engagement and service learning as strategies to achieve high educational outcomes.
• Economic Opportunity: Improving the economic well-being and security of underserved individuals.
• Healthy Futures: Supporting for health needs within communities, including mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 and other public health crises, access to care, aging in place, and addressing childhood obesity, especially in underserved communities.
• Environmental Stewardship: Supporting communities to become more resilient through measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve land and water, increase renewable energy use and improve at-risk ecosystems, especially in underserved households and communities.
• Veterans and Military Families: Improving the quality of life of veterans, military families, caregivers, and survivors

In 2001, Food Lion created a 501(c)(3) foundation operated by a volunteer board of directors in order to streamline requests for financial donations to eliminate hunger.

The Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation supports a variety of hunger-related initiatives, including "Feeding the Hungry" grants each year. The foundation has given away more than $17.5 million across Food Lion’s operating area since its inception. Specifically, grants support children at risk of hunger and support feeding agencies by helping to increase their "fresh" capacity so families can put nutritious meals on their tables. The foundation also helps provide nutrition education to eliminate the health risks of the hungry.

Jack and Anne Glenn Foundation

The Jack and Anne Glenn Foundation was established in 2004 by the four Glenn sons to honor their parents.

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Jack & Anne Glenn Charitable Foundation is to provide program and project grants to nonprofit organizations which provide support and guidance to disadvantaged youth and their families who are at risk of poor educational, social, and health outcomes in the communities where our family lives.

The family members currently reside in the following locations:

• Metro Atlanta, GA;
• Brunswick/St. Simons, GA;
• Asheville, NC;
• Highlands, NC;
• Charleston, SC, and the
• Virginia Beach area, VA.

Types of Support: 

• Program Support
• Project Support

Grant Range

The average grant size is between $5,000 – $25,000.

About

The Preservation Leadership Forum of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is a network of preservation leaders — professionals, students, volunteers, activists, experts — who share the latest ideas, information, and advice, and have access to in-depth preservation resources and training.

Henry A. Jordan, M.D., Preservation Excellence Fund - Mid-Atlantic States

The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Henry A. Jordan, M.D., Preservation Excellence Fund provides funding to deserving organizations demonstrating commitment to the protection of natural and cultural resources in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The Jordan Preservation Excellence Fund was established in November 1996 in recognition of Dr. Jordan’s distinguished service to the National Trust and his visionary leadership of the national preservation movement. Applicants can apply for up to $5,000.

The fund awards programs and activities that:

• Facilitate positive dialogues between the diverse interests of historic preservation, land conservation, business development, transportation, and government in a search for common ground in protecting the environment
• Stimulate the development of local and state policies that protect the cultural landscape and its resources
• Heighten public awareness of or increase involvement in issues relating to the livability and sustainability of communities
• Encourage innovative partnerships and approaches to open space conservation and historic preservation

Norfolk Southern Grant

Norfolk Southern has been a long-standing supporter of the Hampton Roads nonprofit community. While it has transitioned its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, the company is committed to the Hampton Roads community and engaging with nonprofit organizations in the region. Norfolk Southern and the Hampton Roads Community Foundation will be distributing $1 million each year over five years through the Norfolk Southern Hampton Roads Community Fund to nonprofits working to make life better in the region. We are pleased to announce the guidelines for the fourth year of the program.

Grantmaking Priorities

Grant applications should explain how your organization addresses one or more of the following priority impact areas:

• Education and Workforce Development:
  • Preventing middle- and high-school students from dropping out of school
  • Engaging youth in successfully transitioning from high school into collegiate education or career-based certificate programs
  • Creating pathways to employment for adults with barriers to self-sufficiency
• Enriching the Community:
  • Providing support for organizations addressing food insecurity
  • Improving access to mental-health support
  • Preventing and ending homelessness and housing instability
  • Enriching the human experience through arts and culture
  • Improving public health and safety
• Sustainability:
  • Restoring and protecting the region’s land, forests, and natural waterways
  • Improving the region’s ability to adapt to the impacts of sea-level rise

Funding

In most cases, grants will be awarded for general support of your organization and can be used as the organization sees fit.

Applicants will not be asked on the application to request a specific grant amount. Award amounts will vary based on the applicant’s budget size and the number of grant requests received. To provide guidance for applicants, grant awards are anticipated to be in the following ranges:

• Organization Budget Size:  Under $1,000,000 then this is the Grant Award Range: $5,000 - $25,000
• Organization Budget Size:  $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 then this is the Grant Award Range: $10,000 - $50,000
• Organization Budget Size:  Over $5,000,000 then this is the Grant Award Range: $15,000 - $100,000

The Community Foundation reserves the right to award larger or smaller grants if warranted.

Our Focus Areas

Our goal is to have a positive impact on our communities through the power of our giving. We can only do this because of the strength of the relationships we have with our nonprofit partners. We are proud to invest in them to support their missions and their passions. We are also proud of the legacy of Pacific Life, its employees, and our participation in helping make our communities healthier, safer, and stronger. 

Supporting communities where Pacific Life employees live and work, the Pacific Life Foundation community impact-driven grants are focused on the areas of arts and culture; civic, community and economic development; environment; education; and health and human services. National and international philanthropic investments are focused on the areas of college and career readiness, food security, disaster relief, and ocean health, and mobilize our employees for social good.

Program Overview

The Pacific Life Foundation’s mission with our grants program is:

• To strategically support issue areas that align with the Foundation's interests and serve the communities where a concentration of Pacific Life employees work and live
• To support programs that recognize and encourage positive change in our local communities and populations served
• To respond to the greatest needs of our communities by partnering with organizations that can best identify opportunities or challenges, bringing forward proven strategies or finding innovative ways to have a meaningful impact on those most in need

Online grant applications are accepted from nonprofits seeking funds for programs or capital projects in the areas of arts and culture; civic, community & economic development; education; health and human services; and the environment. 

Every year, the Pacific Life Foundation receives more requests than it can fund. For this reason, the Foundation has established guidelines that allow it to use its resources as wisely as possible. Receiving and reviewing grant requests at a predetermined time each year provides the framework for a thorough and thoughtful grant making process.

Length of Funding Period

Nonprofits may reapply annually for funding; however, grants are made to any one nonprofit for no more than three consecutive years. Support may again be requested after a two-year interim period. Exceptions are made for nonprofits where a Pacific Life officer serves on the board of directors. During the two-year interim period, a nonprofit may submit an application for a capital grant

Types and Ranges of Funding - Program Grants and Capital Grants

Program grants range up to $15,000 for a one-year period of funding and are given to support programs, operating expenses, or collaborative programs with other nonprofits. If your organization would like to be considered for multi-year funding, you will have an opportunity to explain why your program should be considered for funding for up to a three-year period.

Capital grants typically range from $25,000 to $100,000 and are given to a nonprofit with an organized campaign already under way to raise substantial funds; for example, to finance a building or for major renovation. More than 50 percent of the campaign goal (excluding pledges of in-kind donations, anonymous gifts, and loans) must be pledged prior to consideration by the Foundation.

For more than 20 years, The Baltimore Life Companies have viewed community involvement as our responsibility, not only through financial support of local organizations, but through our employees’ commitment to volunteerism. To further demonstrate our belief in good corporate citizenship, Baltimore Life has established a community grants program to help nonprofit organizations enhance the quality of life in communities—Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, and the surrounding communities—where our employees live and work.

Grants of up to $500 will be awarded to multiple organizations. Our grants program is a continuation of Baltimore Life’s long-standing tradition of giving back to our communities.

The Ruth Danley and William Enoch Moore Charitable Fund is a private grantmaking foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, established in 1992. It focuses primarily on philanthropy and voluntarism, with an emphasis on charitable and educational purposes.

The fund specifically supports K-12 education for Native American children living on reservations, aiming to improve educational opportunities in these communities.

The foundation administers grants primarily to select regions based on donor preferences, including Pittsburgh and various counties in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Washington DC, and West Virginia.

Our Mission

Land O'Lakes, Inc. and the Land O'Lakes Foundation are dedicated to serving the rural and urban communities where our cooperative has members owners, employees, and facilities. Support is focused on organizations dedicated to Hunger Relief, Advancing Education, and Community Vitality.

Region Grants Program

The Region Grants Program is specifically for Land O’Lakes dairy communities in the East and West Regions of our member footprint. The purpose is to improve the vibrancy of the regions where our member-owners are located.

Funds are awarded through two grant rounds: Hunger Relief and Community Vitality.

Funding

• $125,000 total is awarded to both the East and West regions per grant round.
• Total annual program investment is $500,000.
• Organizations may apply for grants ranging from $1,000 to $20,000.
  • Generally, between 10-20 grantees are funded per grant round.
  • Average grant award is between $5,000 to $10,000.
• Funds are for local programs or projects supporting Land O’Lakes member-owner rural communities and their populations.

Region Grants Open Grant Round: Community Vitality

Organizations committed to strengthening community resources and opportunities, especially in rural areas:

• 4-H, FFA, and ag education programs
• Schools and educational institutions
• City improvement projects
• Fire/Ambulance departments
• Local United Way chapters
• Economic development programs