Search Through Grants for Youth Programs in Virginia in the U.S.

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

England Family Foundation Grant

Our mission is to give boldly of our resources and amplify local solutions that chart a course towards inclusive prosperity.

We envision a vibrant DC where all individuals — especially racialized people and those who have experienced systemic discrimination — are healed from injustices of the past, have access to the resources they need to fulfill their potential, and participate in an inclusive, equitable, and thriving community of their design.

We know that how we do this work is just as important as what we do. We make general operating grants because we trust that our partners who are closest to the issues know best how to allocate resources.

Our Strategic Priorities:

We provide funding to organizations whose mission and programs align with the England Family Foundation’s strategic goals.

• Economic Justice: Preserving people’s dignity and ensuring that poverty has no endurance.
  • We believe that everyone should have equal opportunity to excel so that we can all benefit from a vibrant, dynamic economy. Extreme inequality creates barriers to access opportunities that are probative to this goal. In DC, economic inequity falls starkly across lines of race with white households holding 81 times the wealth of Black households and 22 times the wealth of Latinx families . If our vision, as a foundation, is for all individuals to fulfill their potential and participate in a thriving community, we feel it is imperative that we focus a portion of our grantmaking on strategies that create pathways out of poverty for DC families.
  • Our economic justice grants focus on meeting the urgent needs of people in crises today, while scaffolding solutions to create generational wealth and financial security in the long run. Specifically, we fund organizations working in: Food Security, Housing Equity, Family Support Services and Financial Strength.
• Next Generation of Leaders: Preparing local youth to be a force for positive change.
  • Our goal is to prepare the next generation to be leaders with vision and compassion. To achieve this, we partner with organizations that value youth’s experiences, present positive avenues for them to develop their passions, and create opportunities for youth to voice their perspectives.
  • Understanding that a quality education is a critical pillar for lifelong success, the Foundation also aims to eliminate academic achievement gaps, especially for those students who face significant barriers to success. We support programs and organizations that help students achieve through high school, and ultimately attend and persist through college.
• Representative Democracy: Celebrating diverse voices to shape a more just and multiracial democratic system.
  • As a place-based funder focused on Washington, DC, the England Family Foundation upholds that DC’s ability to maintain home-rule and jurisdiction over its own constituents is critical to ensuring the wellbeing of its people.
  • We trust in the power of the American democratic system. Its only limitation is the effective participation of all its people and the ability for institutions to respond to their needs, once heard. The Foundation makes grants with the goal of ensuring that all people can and know how to participate in their democracy, and that its systems are able to adapt to legitimate calls for reform.
• Special Initiative – Community Safety and Harm Reduction: In pursuit of a peaceful, healed and safe community, we are committing $1,000,000 over five years to end gun violence in DC.
  • Too many tragedies result from gun violence, and it must stop. The England Family Foundation supports coordinated city-wide efforts to reduce gun violence in DC. Our goal is to ensure that every child grows up in a neighborhood free from violence and harm.

Background

The John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation was created in 1964 by Pearl Gunn Fowler in memory of her late husband, John Edward Fowler, a Northern Virginia businessman. In recent years, the Foundation awarded about $3 million in annual grants to organizations in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Typically, first-time grants receive less than $10,000, depending on the nature and size of the applicant. Larger grant requests are commonly approved where there is a need, on-going relationship, or capital purpose grants (which are awarded only to prior grantees).

Smaller, grassroots, neighborhood-based organizations that derive at least 50% of their revenue from private sources tend to be more successful applicants. Hands-on, direct service organizations are given preference over “umbrella” agencies. The Foundation looks for evidence of sound management, fiscal responsibility, and volunteer involvement. The Foundation is delighted to receive information about grantees’ activities and programs.

Above all, Fowler is interested in working with grantees who have identified an actual need and are focused on serving that need. Fowler celebrates creative innovation and unique approaches as well as traditional forms of need-based giving.

The Fowler Foundation has historically focused giving toward empowering underserved and at-risk people; but past giving is not indicative of future potential grantees.

The Fowler Foundation has the following focus areas: 

• Adult literacy
• At risk children
• Childhood education
• Homelessness
• Hunger
• Job training & placement
• Medical and Legal Services

About Us

Appalachian Community Fund is bold, forward-thinking, inclusive—a champion of the people of Appalachia.

By lifting up the voices of our community, supporting our community’s vision for change, and advancing local leadership, Appalachian Community Fund (ACF) embodies the power of collective action and bottom-up transformation. Inclusivity is paramount to our definition of community, and this value is lived out in our efforts to give many different voices a platform. To everyone at ACF, “y’all means all” is much more than a fun catchphrase.

ACF’s commitment to effective, people-driven progress is bolstered by our firm Appalachian roots. Beyond honoring Appalachian culture and heritage, our approach to change-making fundamentally reflects the spirit of Appalachia: gritty and resourceful with a well-developed instinct for problem-solving. At the heart of the fund is a staunch belief in the sharing of resources, energy, time, and ideas with each other to achieve a common vision for change and to shift the narrative about Appalachia.

Our Mission

ACF funds and encourages grassroots social change in Central Appalachia. We work to build a sustainable base of resources in order to support community-led organizations seeking to overcome and address issues of race, economic status, gender, sexual identity, disability, and the environment. As a community-controlled fund, ACF aims to expand and strengthen movements for social change—to change systems and institutions—by leveraging our collective power.

LGBTQ Initiative (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning Initiative)

These grants are dedicated to expanding resources for LGBTQ organizing efforts in Appalachian communities. The LGBTQ fund is primarily focused on growing LGBTQ communties’ institutional resources, building capacity in LGBTQ efforts, and assisting organizational development. Special priority will be given to new and emerging efforts, particularly among LGBTQ youth.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Funding Criteria

ACF provides grants to community-based organizations working for social, economic, racial and environmental justice in Central Appalachia.

We look to fund organizations that have developed a realistic plan for creating social change and prioritize work that utilizes organizing and education as strategies to achieve this end. We invite projects that are startup in nature.

We fund organizations working to:

• End racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, ageism, and ableism
• Promote non-violent communities
• Build organizations that are fair, inclusive, and democratic

For more than 170 years, Washington Gas has been an integral part of the growing metropolitan Washington, D.C. region. As a responsible corporate citizen, Washington Gas has developed a Charitable Giving Program that is designed to make a meaningful and lasting impact on the communities it serves through contributions, in-kind support and volunteer resources.

Focus Areas

The Charitable Giving Program focuses on three primary areas:

Bright Futures

• Emphasis is placed on educational activities targeted toward youths in the kindergarten to twelfth grade age range. Attention is given to the development of math, science, technology and business skills. Consideration is also given to arts-related programs.

Environmental Champions

• The focus in this area is on programs that promote cleaner air and water and that protect and preserve the ecological system of the metropolitan region.

Healthy and Safe Communities

• Consideration is given to health organizations that strive to improve the health and well-being of individuals within the community.
• Emphasis is also placed on energy assistance programs for low-income residents to heat and cool their homes, reducing illness and casualties resulting from exposure to extreme temperatures.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles A Womack, Sr., established the Womack Foundation in 1963 in order to provide financial assistance to improve educational and recreational opportunities for citizens of Caswell County, North Carolina and Danville and Pittsylvania County, Virginia. The stated mission of the foundation remains:

• To provide non-interest bearing loans to area individuals who wish to further their post-secondary education and/or training and who might not otherwise be able to undertake such education or training due to financial constraints; and,
• To provide grants to organizations for the planning, implementation, and/or development of programs which enhance and improve the educational and recreational opportunities for area youth who would not otherwise be able to engage in such activities or programs due to financial constraints.
• To provide funding for organizations that are not normally funded by other people and agencies.

About the Hughes Memorial Foundation

Hughes Memorial Foundation was established by John Edward Hughes who built his fortune in the tobacco industry and upon his death in 1922 left most of his estate to build Hughes Memorial Home, an orphanage located in Danville, Virginia. He established a trust fund, which was governed by a Board that was elected and approved by the church, to financially assist with the needs of the facility. The orphanage was self-sufficient in that the staff and children raised vegetables and animals to assist with the cost of food. The agricultural program also served as a training program for the residents. Many of the individuals that were raised at the orphanage still consider it their "home". The alumnae of Hughes Memorial Home meet annually. Being a non-profit organization, Hughes Memorial also received charitable contributions from individuals wishing to help financial support the orphanage and the children. In the mid 1970's because of the reduction in need for the orphanage, Hughes Memorial became a residential treatment facility for abused and neglected adolescents. The residential treatment program was discontinued in 1999 and the Board of Hughes Memorial Home made the decision to become a private foundation that kept as its focus the example of Jesus Christ and the legacy of Mr. Hughes' original wishes which was to help children "most in harm's way" ... they chose to do this by awarding grants and scholarships that were targeted for the benefit of children. The first awards were made by the Board in November of 2000. Since then, the Hughes Memorial Foundation has awarded $5.1 million in grants to nonprofit organizations for programs benefiting children, and educational scholarships.

Our Mission

The Hughes Memorial Foundation is a charitable non-profit organization that seeks to aid deserving children in Virginia and North Carolina, and linear offspring of Hughes Memorial Home alumnae. Guided by the example of Jesus Christ and continuing the legacy of John E. Hughes, the Foundation will be prudent stewards of the resources entrusted to us and will provide scholarships and grants, support projects, and initiate programs which will provide care, training, and nurture.

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

The Venable Foundation envisions that its philanthropic investments provide essential resources to nonprofit organizations in communities across the country. Guided by the belief that everyone has the right to equitable employment opportunities, healthcare, housing, food, and a vibrant cultural community, Venable grantees ensure that economically disadvantaged people are given the tools they need to thrive.

The average size of a Venable Foundation grant is approximately $10,000. First-time awardees are usually on the smaller end of the spectrum. It is up to the organization to determine what it feels is an appropriate request.

Funding Priorities

Grant support is provided to assist with general operations and projects. Currently, the Venable Foundation’s funding priorities include:

• Human Services
• Legal Services
• Education
• Workforce Development
• Youth Impact
• Health
• Environment
• Arts and Culture

You can learn more about each of these funding priorities below:

Human Services – The Foundation has a strong track record of supporting a breadth of essential human services, including programs that impact people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, incarcerated and returning citizens, LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities, and those affected by domestic violence and housing insecurity.

Legal Services – We support the delivery of free or affordable legal services in our communities. Pro bono consulting and representation focus on a variety of issues, including domestic violence, housing, immigration, public benefits, and discrimination, among other areas. Legal service nonprofits providing “know your rights” training and other activities are also supported. The Foundation also supports training for youth and adults to ensure diversity and access to careers in the legal profession.

Education – The Foundation supports a wide array of early childhood, in-school, and out-of-school time initiatives that provide in-depth opportunities for learning and engagement to position children for success and level the playing field for economically disadvantaged youth.

Workforce Development – We believe that every individual deserves the opportunity to pursue gainful employment. Thus, we support organizations with the goal of developing the workforce of today and tomorrow. Successful programs recruit and train individuals and place them in relevant jobs so that they can earn a sustainable living wage for themselves and their families. Skill development is focused on low-income, underemployed, and unemployed community members, and on preparing youth for careers after their schooling is complete.

Youth Impact – The Foundation invests in services that impact children in each of our communities. These initiatives ensure economically disadvantaged youth are healthy and safe and have opportunities to thrive.

Health – The Foundation is committed to improving wellness and increasing access to care for economically disadvantaged individuals in the region. Successful organizations and programs work to eliminate barriers to healthcare for all ages and provide accessible and no-stigma testing for a variety of diseases. We support pediatric to geriatric services that address a variety of health concerns.

Environment – We support organizations involved in the preservation of our natural resources and those that are addressing natural or man-made disasters in our target regions. Programs educate communities and work for change on a variety of environmental issues, from wildfires to pollution.

Arts and Culture – The Foundation supports initiatives in the arts that promote deeper public engagement and build up the creative economy, with an emphasis on low-income and underserved communities.

Background

Every community faces unique barriers that require collaborative solutions to thrive. The Dow Promise Program supports educational and economic challenges Black youth and adults face in the United States by addressing community-identified needs and advancing equitable opportunities. Through grants of up to $10,000 towards social, economic or environmental initiatives, Dow Promise not only fosters a thriving community, but a shared future.

Since 2000, this annual competitive program has committed to uplifting communities in which Dow operates by supporting their needs and investing in positive social change for long-term success.

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.

Grant Intent

The Suffolk Foundation is interested in engaging in charitable grant-making to benefit the people of the City of Suffolk, Virginia, and the surrounding area. It is the intent of the Suffolk Foundation to assist in maintaining and enhancing health, education, arts, culture and humanities, public and societal benefits, human needs and services, environmental and animal welfare, and youth and elderly programs in the City of Suffolk and surrounding areas through the support of qualified non-profit organizations.Grant CategoriesGrants may be awarded in a wide range of categories, such as:

• Human Needs
• Artistic, Historical, and Cultural Programs
• Education
• Environmental and/or Animal Welfare
• Health

Priorities

Grant applicants should keep in mind that priority is given to projects and programs which:

• Reach a broad section of the community, and/or that target needs that are not being served by other resources
• Improve the quality of life for families and neighborhoods
• Provide practical approaches for dealing with current pressing community problems
• Promote collaboration and resource sharing among organizations
• Yield substantial benefits for the costs involved
• Meet demonstrable local needs
• Encourage matching gifts or added funding from other sources

Who We Are

At CarMax, our commitment to innovation and iconic customer experiences have made us the nation’s largest retailer of used cars. As the original disruptor of the automotive industry, our “no-haggle” prices transformed car buying and selling from a stressful, dreaded event into the honest, straightforward experience all people deserve. We’ve been raising the bar on customer  experiences ever since. 

Our Communities

We invest both time and resources where we live and work, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because we are passionate about helping our communities thrive. Between CarMax and The CarMax Foundation, we have invested over $65 million to date in causes important to our associates.

The Home Office Giving Program

Associates in our hometown also support many of these organizations through volunteerism and monetary donations.

The Carmax Foundation supports programs in the following areas:

Educational & Workforce Success

• Anti-bullying/character development
• Career & workforce readiness
• College preparation
• Cultural arts programs
• Dropout prevention
• Entrepreneurship
• Financial literacy
• Leadership development
• Literacy, language arts & ESL
• Mentoring & tutoring
• Out-of-school time programs
• Quality preschool and childcare
• Special needs education
• STEM
• Tools & resources to support learning

Health & Wellness

• Access to food & nutrition
• Connected & healthy older adults
• Disease research & support
• Domestic violence assistance
• Emotional health
• Health education & prevention
• Physical activity
• Prenatal care
• Trauma-informed care

Resilient Communities

• Building household income & financial stability
• Civic engagement & volunteerism
• Disaster relief & recovery
• Housing, shelter & homelessness
• Revitalizing neighborhoods
• Wraparound services to maintain housing & employment

 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

Ms. Foundation for Women

The mission of the Ms. Foundation for Women is to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. We achieve our mission by investing in, and strengthening, the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural and economic change in the lives of women.

Birth Justice Initiative

In 2022, Ms. Foundation for Women launched our first national, open call request for proposals for our Birth Justice Initiative to support Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities in addressing racial based health disparities in birth experiences and birth outcomes. Through this initiative, Ms. will mobilize funding and capacity building resources nationally to organizations implementing birth justice strategies rooted in movement building and organizing.

The Birth Justice Initiative will build upon our decades of experience supporting grassroots leaders fighting for reproductive justice. The overall goals of our initiative are to:

• Build power within the birth justice movement
• Increase connectivity and collaboration between Birth Justice Organizations and movement leaders.
• Provide philanthropic advocacy, thought partnership, and thought leadership, to influence the movement of more resources to the Birth Justice movement.

We are committed to deepening our investment in grassroots Black, Indigenous and WGOC-led organizations working toward achieving birth justice. In our first round of grant making, we will invest over $1,000,000 in support of birth justice organizations across the spectrum of movement building and organizing, and supporting our communities to advance more equitable birth outcomes.

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

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.

The NRA Foundation: Virginia Grants

Grant funding provided by The NRA Foundation must meet all NRA Foundation requirements and be used to further a charitable purpose as defined by the Internal Revenue Code under section 501(c)(3) and accompanying rules, regulations, and other IRS law and materials. Eligibility and funding amount are determined solely by the Foundation.

Grant requests must conform to, and foster the purposes in, The NRA Foundation’s mission statement, such as:

• Promote, advance, and encourage firearms, the shooting sports, and hunting safety.
• Educate individuals, including the youth of the United States, with respect to firearms, firearms history, participation in the shooting sports, hunting safety, and marksmanship, as well as with respect to other subjects that are of importance to the well-being of the general public.
• Conduct research in furtherance of improved firearms safety and marksmanship facilities and techniques.
• Support activities of the National Rifle Association of America, to the extent that such activities are in furtherance of charitable, educational, or scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code which includes activities that are charitable, educational, or foster National or International sports competition.

The Cameron Foundation strives to transform the Tri-Cities and surrounding counties into a healthy, vibrant, and economically vital region by strategically leveraging resources for community impact. This service area includes the cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights, and Hopewell; the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Sussex; and the portion of Chesterfield County lying south of Route 10.

The Cameron Foundation’s General Grants include:

• Project or Program Grants 
• General Operating Grants
• Capital Grants

See complete details of each grant type here.

Funding Interests

The Cameron Foundation’s Board and staff periodically review the Foundation’s grant priorities and make adjustments to reflect what we have learned from past grants and to respond to new sources of information, such as the Foundation’s needs assessments, regarding emerging issues. As part of the most recent review that took place in June 2013, the Foundation has consolidated from seven to six funding categories and has clarified priorities within each of the areas, which are described below. The Foundation believes that these updates will help applicants gain a clearer understanding of the Foundation’s areas of interest. In turn, the Foundation will be better positioned to focus its grantmaking resources in more impactful ways for the benefit of the community.

Whereas previously civic affairs activities were funded through a stand-alone funding area, these endeavors will now be considered through the other funding areas, depending on the type of activity. For example, a proposal to fund civic engagement in a neighborhood revitalization effort will now be reviewed under the Community and Economic Development funding area.

Health Care

The Foundation supports programs that provide access to primary health services for the poor, uninsured, under-insured and underserved. This funding area also provides for capital improvements and technology advancements in healthcare. Our grantmaking strategy supports the following priorities:

Human Services

The Foundation supports programs that provide basic human needs and promote the development of life skills in children, youth and adults in an effort to improve the quality of life for individuals and families in the service area. Our grantmaking strategy supports the following priorities:

Community & Economic Development

The Foundation supports a holistic approach to community and economic development, including revitalization of distressed neighborhoods; workforce development and increasing workforce quality; and, expanding the capacity of economic development agencies to successfully pursue local and regional economic development opportunities.

Education

The Foundation supports funding for schools, organizations, and programs seeking to improve educational outcomes in ways that support success in school and life. The Foundation’s strategy in this funding area places priority on:

Historic Preservation & Conservation

The Foundation recognizes that the unique history and unsurpassed historic architecture in the region are significant assets which contribute to the quality of life. Historic preservation has an important community development and conservation role by strengthening existing neighborhoods and conserving resources by recycling older buildings. Environmental conservation also plays a critical role in protecting natural resources and ecosystems upon which communities depend. The Foundation has an interest in the following:

Arts & Culture

Arts and culture are vital to the health and well-being of individuals and communities and also serve as a catalyst for community revitalization. Equally important is the long-term growth and viability of arts and culture organizations as part of our community. Recognizing the importance of arts organizations, museums and other cultural venues, the Foundation has a special interest in the following:

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.

 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 nonprofits, 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.  

Planning Grant

AmeriCorps planning grants provide resources, technical assistance, and support to develop the framework for an AmeriCorps program to propose for a subsequent operational grant. Awards range from $75,000 to $240,000 to cover the costs and staff time needed to design an AmeriCorps program. Planning grants do not support costs associated with AmeriCorps members in service.

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

Why It matters:

We believe the educational, social and emotional well-being of youth can be positively influenced through arts and culture programs.

Studies show that high-quality arts programs support youth development in engagement, productivity and navigational skills which, in turn, lead to life-long qualities of resilience, self-worth, individual contentment and community engagement.

Community Grants for Cultural Vitality

Community Grants for Cultural Vitality support programs offering hands-on arts and cultural experiences for area children. Our goal is to help the educational, social or emotional well-being of youth through arts and culture.

Programs should be available to all area youth regardless of ability to pay. They should strive to increase participation of youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Grant applicants should offer meaningful arts and cultural experiences that engage area youth in hands-on activities such as:

• Gaining skills in visual, musical or creative expression through the written word or performing arts
• Participation in visual or performing arts

Grant proposals for program funding should address one or more of these outcomes:

• Children and youth demonstrate improved academic performance.
• Children and youth decrease occurrence of absenteeism.
• Children and youth display increased self-worth.
• Children and youth decrease engagement in risky and problem behaviors.

Purpose

To provide opportunities for students, educators, youth, and adult citizens throughout Virginia to participate in and learn through the arts by working with highly-qualified professional artists in both traditional and non-traditional learning environments

Description

Education Impact Grants fund hands-on participatory programs/residencies that enrich instruction in-school arts curriculum, engage diverse populations in community-based settings, and provide professional development for artists and educators. There is a 1:1 required cash match for the grant.

Why it matters:

We believe that preparing our children and youth for the future is paramount to our mission.

Educational success of a region’s people is a core element of a thriving and resilient region. An educated citizenry is fundamental to strong economic development and personal prosperity. Reaching developmental academic and socio-emotional milestones is critical to a child’s early success. Lack of kindergarten readiness crosses all socio-economic levels; however, children living in poverty often have multiple barriers that inhibit their educational success. Students who graduate from high school on time and successfully transition to college and complete a degree or career-based certification have a great likelihood of living healthier and more financially stable lives.

Community Grants for Educational Success strive to improve educational achievement of under-performing children and youth from our region. They encourage growth through opportunities for all students to excel in their educational pursuits and meet the region's current and future workforce demands.

We support innovative programs that improve academic achievement of our region’s public school students in the following areas:

• Projects that prepare children, academically and/or socio-emotionally, to succeed in kindergarten.
• Programs that prevent middle and high school students from dropping out of school.
• After-school time projects that have been proven successful at increasing the likelihood of students earning advanced or standard diplomas within four years of entering high school.
• Programs that help students successfully transition from high school into collegiate education or career-based certificate programs after graduation.

Desired Outcomes:

Grant proposals should address one or more of the following outcomes:

• Young children meet age-appropriate developmental milestones
• Children succeed in kindergarten and are promoted to first grade
• The number of quality-rated center-based or home-based pre-school facilities increases
• Public school students succeed academically and are promoted to the next grade on time
• The drop-out rate for public school students decreases
• Public school students graduate from high school on-time
• Public high school graduates enroll in collegiate education or career-based certificates after graduation

SCF Community Grants Overview

The programs considered for support by the Shenandoah Community Foundation (the Foundation) are located in Shenandoah County or will directly benefit the citizens of Shenandoah County. Currently we will consider grant awards in six broad areas.

However, we also welcome good ideas emerging from the community. In these six funding areas, the Foundation is interested in working with organizations and associations to build on community strengths and find solutions to community problems.

At the discretion of the Foundation board, unsolicited grants may be made to qualified charities or organizations known to be meeting needs in the Foundation’s service area.

Arts and culture priorities

• Improving public awareness and support of arts and culture
• Increasing access to–and awareness of–the arts
• Supporting effective arts in education

Civic affairs priorities

• Improving neighborhood quality of life
• Encouraging preservation/education of area history
• Supporting appropriate community development planning
• Promoting workforce development
• Advancing Leadership training for youth and adults
• Supporting emergency preparedness and disaster planning and education

Environment priorities

• Building citizen awareness and participation in responsible growth
• Strengthening environmental organizations
• Supporting education about environmental issues

Education priorities

• Supporting career planning and career awareness initiatives
• Strengthening community/education/parent involvement
• Bolstering awareness and support of early education initiatives and community involvement

Health priorities

• Supporting health care for the indigent and uninsured
• Improving care for people with chronic medical conditions
• Supporting preventive disease management
• Animal Welfare issues

Family, Child, and Social Welfare priorities

• Assisting the chronically poor
• Building organization capacity to meet area housing and social welfare needs
• Helping agencies respond to public policy changes
• Strengthening families and meeting needs of at-risk children

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. 

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.