Best Pittsylvania County Grants for Nonprofits in Virginia

Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) Grants

The Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) leverages local and private resources to achieve market-driven redevelopment of vacant and deteriorated industrial and commercial properties. The program is targeted toward vacant structures whose poor condition creates physical and economic blight to the surrounding area in which the structure is located. Eligible properties include those formerly used for manufacturing, warehousing, mining, transportation and power production, as well as large-scale white elephant structures, such as department stores, theaters, hotels and shopping centers. 

Request for Proposals: Launchpad Funds

Background

Coefficient Giving is increasing its giving, primarily to prepare for the billions of dollars in new philanthropic capital that may become available in the coming years. Our increased giving in global health and wellbeing is a temporary surge, with two objectives: to smooth funding and pull forward initiatives we expect to be cost-effective, and to help create an ecosystem of regrantors and implementers with the capacity to allocate this new money as cost-effectively as possible. Additional context on our scaling is provided in this blog post. 

With new potential capital on the way, we want to increase the supply of actionable and fundable plans to address some of the world’s hardest problems. We’re looking for specific, credible strategies to convert funding into measurable progress. Our ideal funds are:

However, we are also open to funds that are thematic and don’t have a quantified goal — for example, a fund organized around a promising type of intervention. Such funds still need to be led by a single, identifiable person who is accountable for the fund’s direction.

Through this request for EOIs, we aim to seed or scale Launchpad Funds that can grow to $100m+ over the next few years. We don’t seek scale for its own sake; it is a proxy for the ambition of the fund, and a signal that the problem is large and tractable enough to justify deploying significantly more capital over time.

What we will fund

• We expect to support established ideas that have either not yet secured anchor support or could significantly scale beyond their existing level of funding.
• This funding can cover operating expenses, but we expect most of it to be used for activities that make progress on the fund’s goals — whether through regranting or direct implementation.
• For exceptional proposals, we may consider funding levels beyond $50m. We anticipate higher funding levels will involve more thought partnership from our team.
• While we don’t expect to make grants longer than 36 months, funded proposals may later be considered for additional funding beyond the initial period.

About

What We Do

The Achieve Foundation promotes high-quality education that prepares South Orange-Maplewood School District students for the future.

We support our students, families and educators by addressing inequities, inspiring innovation and fostering community.

Riecke Professional Development Fellowship

About the Program

Achieve’s Michelle T. Riecke Fellowship funds summer professional development opportunities for faculty.

Fellowships are awarded to individuals (up to $3,000) and/or teaching teams (up to $5,000).

This year, Achieve awarded $9,111 to support four professional development programs for six teachers.

The Michelle T. Riecke Teaching Fellowship was established with the Achieve Foundation in 2004 in memory of former Board of Ed president Shelley Riecke, who passed away at age 39.

The Fellowship fosters outstanding teaching by enabling educators to undertake continuing education in their fields in the summer, and inspiring them to share the new knowledge they acquire with their District colleagues upon their return to school.

While fellowships are awarded for both subject-specific and broader educational interests, faculty are encouraged to look for programs that nurture their professional passion.

About the Russell Sage Foundation

One of the oldest American foundations, the Russell Sage Foundation, was established by Mrs. Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” In its early years, the foundation undertook major projects in low-income housing, urban planning, social work, and labor reform. The foundation now dedicates itself to strengthening the methods, data, and theories of the social sciences to diagnose social problems and improve social policies. It also funds researchers at other institutions and supports programs intended to develop new generations of social scientists.

Margaret Olivia Sage (MOS) Grants

The Russell Sage Foundation (RSF) is launching a new competition, the Margaret Olivia Sage (MOS) Grants, to support research by multi- or inter-disciplinary teams on social, economic, and political challenges with generational consequences for social and living conditions in the United States. Such challenges are typically national in scope, involve both systemic and individual factors, and the questions they raise are as urgent for policymakers and communities as they are for researchers.

About

Founded in 1971, the Mensa Foundation was established by members of American Mensa to extend the organization’s impact. While connected by a shared purpose, the Foundation operates independently, guided by its own Board of Trustees, strategic plan, and initiatives.

Awards

Excellence in Research

The Mensa Foundation’s Awards for Excellence in Research recognize researchers who are building new knowledge in intelligence.

Presented annually, these awards honor exceptional work published in peer-reviewed journals or presented at professional conferences.

Details

A prestigious recognition in the field, the Awards for Excellence in Research celebrate innovative contributions that redefine how intelligence, giftedness, and related fields are studied and applied.

Award Components

Criteria for Entry

STEM Competition Team Grants

The STEM+C Competition Grant application is available to schools seeking to establish a new STEM+C competition team or to enhance an existing team. Eligible schools may request up to $5,000 per team, with a maximum of two teams funded in a division during the academic year. The total award per division may not exceed $10,000. 

The purpose of the STEM+C Competition Grant is to: 

• Increase awareness of career pathways in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science (STEM+C) among educators and students. 
• Engage students in extracurricular STEM+C-related activities through problem-based and project-based team competitions. 
• Support the development and expansion of STEM+C competition teams across the Commonwealth. 
• Strengthen STEM+C literacy through hands-on, problem-driven, integrated learning experiences that promote collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making while exploring the challenges and opportunities central to the STEM+C Competition Team Grant Initiative. 

Forest Sustainability Fund for Local Government

Forestland provides many benefits to landowners, but also to communities. Landowners directly realize timber, wildlife and recreational values, while the benefits of watershed protection, clean air and scenic beauty are enjoyed by society at large. Realizing this, the Virginia Code enables localities to provide use value taxation that can assist owner in keeping their land as forests. Under use-value taxation, properties are taxed based on the productive value of the land rather than the current market value, which results in lower property taxes.For county and city governments, maintaining forest land is beneficial, as land devoted to forest land use generally requires less cost in providing services than more intensive uses. However, property in forest land use does result in less revenue to local governments. As a result, the General Assembly established the Forest Sustainability Fund in 2022 for localities to apply for an allocation from the Fund to help offset lower, or forgone tax revenue. Forgone revenue is the fair market value of forest land minus the forest use value of forest land times the locality tax rate.The Code states that monies will be used for public education, outdoor recreation or forest conservation.

Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation

The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation goes beyond food aid to create lasting change. Through innovative programs, strategic partnerships and volunteer action, Stop Hunger tackles the root causes of food insecurity.

In 2025, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation and the Hunger Center awarded grants to 131 programs representing 118 communities in 37 states plus the District of Columbia. Collectively, these programs provided an estimated 22,000 backpacks full of shelf-stable food items for students to take home for the weekend or holidays when school meals are not served.

Since 2006, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has been a driving force behind weekend and holiday hunger relief for students across the U.S. Through support of food backpack programs, the Foundation partners with local food banks and schools to discreetly provide K-12 students with backpacks filled with nutritious, shelf-stable meals. These backpacks are distributed in safe, familiar settings – typically on the last school day before a weekend or school break – ensuring that all children who rely on free or reduced-price school meals don’t go hungry when school is out.

K-12 Backpack Grant

The K-12 Backpack Grant is an initiative launched by the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation and administered in partnership with the Congressional Hunger Center to support community backpack programs. Grants of $1,000 will be issued to community organizations with established backpack feeding programs that provide students with shelf-stable, nutritious meals when school is out of session.

Virginia Economic Development Partnership

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official economic development authority and has offices in Virginia, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Since 1995, VEDP has served as a professional, nonpartisan public authority with a long-term focus on strengthening Virginia’s economy across administrations. Working with state, regional and local partners, VEDP supports business expansion, attraction and investment through services that span site readiness, incentives, global trade and strategic planning. 

Virginia Investment Performance Grant

The Virginia Investment Performance Grant (VIP) encourages continued capital investment by existing Virginia companies, resulting in added capacity, modernization, increased productivity, or the creation, development, and utilization of advanced technology. The program targets existing manufacturers or research and development services supporting manufacturing. There must be an active and realistic competition between Virginia and another state or country for attracting the project, and matching local financial participation is expected.

The amount of each VIP grant is determined by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, based in part on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Return-on-Investment analysis and recommendation, and is subject to the approval of the Governor.

Highlights

Company must be an existing Virginia manufacturer or research and development service that supports manufacturing, and the project must result in capital investment of at least $25 million.

VIP grants are paid in five equal annual installments beginning in the first year after the capital investment and job creation or retention are achieved.

Virginia Economic Development Partnership

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official economic development authority and has offices in Virginia, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Since 1995, VEDP has served as a professional, nonpartisan public authority with a long-term focus on strengthening Virginia’s economy across administrations. Working with state, regional and local partners, VEDP supports business expansion, attraction and investment through services that span site readiness, incentives, global trade and strategic planning. 

Virginia Economic Development Incentive Grant (VEDIG)

The Virginia Economic Development Incentive Grant program (VEDIG) assists and encourages companies to invest and create new employment opportunities by locating significant headquarters, administrative, or service sector operations in Virginia. There must be an active and realistic competition between Virginia and another state or country for attracting the project.

The amount of each VEDIG grant is determined by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, based in part on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Return-on-Investment analysis and recommendation, and is subject to the approval of the Governor.

Highlights

The program offers cash grants to qualified applicants. Grants are paid in five equal annual installments beginning in the first year after the capital investment and job creation or retention are achieved. There are no restrictions on expenditure of the grant proceeds.

Minimum capital investment, new job, and wage thresholds are based on the area of Virginia in which the company is located.

In collaboration with Cummins Inc., the American Library Association (ALA) invites applications from U.S. public libraries to participate in A Year of STEM, 12 months of curated STEM programming to foster curiosity and STEM-mindedness in early childhood learners across the country. 

Twenty-five libraries will be chosen to participate in A Year of STEM, receiving professional development to prepare them for the project, copies of a newly created A Year of STEM programming guide developed by librarian advisors, a $5,000 programming stipend, four STEM kits (to be delivered quarterly), and support from ALA’s Public Programs Office staff throughout the project implementation period.