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Community Impact Grants at the Community Foundation

The Community Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for residents of the Greater Richmond region.

Our Community Impact grants support nonprofits whose strategies and outcomes align with our four focus areas: community vibrancy, economic prosperity, educational success, and health and wellness.

See recent Community Impact grants

Our Philosophy

The Community Foundation’s funds create greater impact in the community by targeting opportunities to enable every resident of the region to thrive.

The Community Foundation’s grantmaking focuses on activities that are most directly tied to increasing economic opportunity for residents with low-wealth. We approach our grantmaking decisions through a priority of requirements that include access and equity for all — with a particular focus on racial equity for Black and Brown residents, high quality programming, capacity building, and collaboration with public, private, and other nonprofit partners. 

Focus Areas

Click each focus area below to see the broad framework guiding our decisions:

Community Vibrancy  |  Economic Prosperity  |  Educational Success  |  Health & Wellness

High Impact Areas

Narrowed from the focus areas above, the following strategies have been identified as those that have the greatest potential to create opportunity for low-income residents.

Affordable Housing  |   Early Childhood Education  |  Workforce Development

Our Grant Process

Eligibility

Letters of Introduction are accepted from 501(c)(3) charitable organizations located in the Community Foundation's service area, which includes: the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg and Richmond, the town of Ashland, and the counties of Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, and Powhatan.

Community Impact grant applicants are required to maintain a Guidestar Gold profile. We suggest making these updates as soon as possible. For more information on creating or updating your organization's profile, please visit Guidestar's Nonprofit Profile page.

All new applicants are required to request a meeting with a Program Officer before starting an application. Returning organizations are strongly encouraged to request a meeting. Onsite visits at your organization are often preferred.

Grant Priorities

We focus on four areas of community life that are most likely to produce positive and lasting change in the Greater Richmond region.

We work closely with our funding partners and grantees to advance these goals:

Community Vibrancy: Our goal is for community members to access and appreciate the arts, cultural opportunities, and our natural environment.
[Download Community Vibrancy Framework]

Economic Prosperity: Our goal is for our region's resources to be sustainable and our residents to be economically stable and secure. This includes stable and secure jobs and affordable housing.
[Download Economic Prosperity Framework]

Educational Success: Our goal is for young people to achieve in school, engage in their community and be prepared for the workforce.
[Download Educational Success Framework]

Health & Wellness: Our goal is for community members to be safe and healthy.
[Download Health & Wellness Framework]

Grant Amount

Grants typically range from $10,000 to $50,000.

Occasionally, we will identify a limited number of projects to receive multi-year and/or grants in excess of the current guidelines. Please discuss these invitation-only opportunities with a program officer.

How to Apply

Interested in applying? Download your Community Impact Grant checklist and complete ALL of the following steps prior to submitting an LOI: 

Step 1 – Become familiar with the grant guidelines, focus areas and strategy detailed in the Our Grants Process and Our Philosophy sections above.

Step 2 - Add important process dates to your calendar:

 


Step 3 – Log into the online grant system

First-time applicants will be prompted to create an account. If you have applied in the past, use your existing login.

ACCESS ONLINE SYSTEM

Returning Grantseeker

Returning Grantseeker

Returning grantseekers, please note that while you can copy and paste answers from last year, prompts for certain questions have changed. Take time to read each question thoroughly to ensure that you provide complete answers.

View Transcript
(English & Español)

New Grantseeker

New Grantseeker

 

View Transcript
(English & Español)

 

 


 

View Transcript
(English & Español)

Step 4 – Download the Letter of Introduction template for a preview of the fields you will need to complete through our online grants management portal. This is a structured document with required fields; it is not freeform.

Returning grantseekers, please note that while you can copy and paste answers from last year, prompts for certain questions have changed. Take time to read each question thoroughly to ensure that you provide complete answers.

LOI Template (English)

LOI Template (Español)

Step 5 – Register for a Q&A Session
Potential applicants are invited to learn more by attending one of our upcoming informational Q&A sessions. Each information session will provide an overview of the application process, the Foundation’s funding priorities for 2023, and time for questions.

Step 6 - Request a meeting with a Program Officer 
This meeting is a 30 minute to 1 hour opportunity to establish a relationship with the Community Foundation, share details of your work, and brainstorm ideas for a potential grant request. This conversation will be considered along with your Letter of Introduction.  

Step 7 - Submit a Letter of Introduction (LOI)
Refer to aforementioned videos and LOI template for detailed instructions.

Step 8 - Submit a Full Application (by Invitation Only)
If you are invited to submit a Full Application, the form will be accessible in the online grant system, and your program officer will contact you with guidance.

 

 Submitting a Community Impact Application

Application Question List - Program

Application Question List - Operating

Application Question List - Policy Systems

Tips for Completing the 2023 Community Impact Application

 

Reporting Requirements

Submit a midyear and final report.

Grantees must submit a midyear and a final report within the online grants system. Results should align with the outcomes described in your original full application. 
Reports will be shorter and more condensed this year than in years past. Community Impact Officers will contact you with guidance and important dates."