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MARCH 28, 2019 — Now in its 6th year, Power of Good is a celebration for National Volunteer Week to honor those who power good in our community. Led by The Spark Mill and HandsOn Greater Richmond (a service of the Community Foundation), this annual recognition event asks the public to submit the name of a person who is "powering good" in our region through service — a volunteer, a neighbor, a colleague, a family member or friend.
Power of Good honorees will be featured on the Power of Good website and are invited to a celebration in their honor on May 22 in Scott’s Addition (more details to come). At the celebration, the Power of Good honorees, the organizations they work with, and the community will come together over food, drinks, and fun.
Submissions are anonymous and will be open until April 8. There is no limit to how many people you can recognize.
sUBMIT A NAME TODAY
Below are all the different ways one can engage in the “Power of Good”:
Recognize: Tell us, in 20 words or less, who you know who powers good in the Richmond region. It could be a volunteer, your neighbor, a colleague, a family member or friend. You can submit as many names as you’d like by April 8.
Celebrate: Join us at the party in their honor on Wednesday, May 22, 4:30-6:30 p.m., in Scott’s Addition (details coming soon) where we will recognize and meet up with honorees, community organizations, and neighbors over food, drinks, and fun. Free, but tickets are required (registration coming soon).
Publicize: Submit your volunteer recognition event, award, or campaign for us to share.
Resources: Access volunteer recognition best practices and tools.
Map: See where all the good work is being done in our region.
Visit https://powerofgoodrva.org to submit a name and to RSVP for the celebration (coming soon).
MARCH 4, 2022 — The Richmond region is tremendously generous. Time and time again, you step up to address the critical needs of our community to ensure a better quality of life for all who live here. While we continue to focus on the important work being done here at home, we know you also may be searching for ways to support the people of Ukraine as they face tremendous loss and displacement. The United Nations estimates that 12 million people inside Ukraine will need relief and protection, while more than 4 million Ukranian refugees may need protection and assistance in neighboring countries in the coming months. Right now the best way to help is with philanthropic dollars for humanitarian aid in Ukraine and the surrounding countries.
Below we have compiled a list of trusted organizations offering guidance and funding opportunities for your consideration.
Local Organizations
The following organizations provide refugee resettlement services for individuals who arrive in the region seeking safety and a new start.
HandsOn Greater Richmond, our region's volunteer hub and a service of the Community Foundation, is an affiliate of the Points of Light Foundation. Please see the following blog for guidance on what to do or not to do as a volunteer in disaster response - plus, information about affiliates working in and around Ukraine.
We are here for you. Please call us at 804-330-7400 if you have any questions and check here for future updates.
A generous $20M bequest will support nonprofits in Richmond and Mount Airy, NC.
James M. (“Jim”) Frye died in April 2015, leaving a philanthropic legacy to the communities he loved. The $20 million bequest to The Community FoundationServing Richmond and Central Virginia endows an unrestricted fund that will enhance local grantmaking, as well as restricted endowments that will provide ongoing support to over 30 eligible organizations in Richmond and Mt. Airy, NC. In addition to the bequest to The Community Foundation, his estate provided direct charitable bequests to a number of organizations.
At age 84, Jim looked back on a life of singular accomplishment. He rose from depression-era poverty in Mount Airy, North Carolina to become Director of Government Relations for Phillip Morris, one of the world's largest and most profitable public companies. After retirement in 1988, he served the company as a consultant for 19 more years, completing a remarkable 55 years of service. Jim and the many leaders who worked alongside him helped build the company into the leader in the tobacco industry.
Jim was known for his deep friendships, his good humor, and his integrity in business and in life. He graduated from the University of Richmond in 1953, gaining admission on a football scholarship. Then he joined his lifetime employer as a management trainee, earning an MBA from Richmond while working full-time. He served his country two years in the Army, including a year in Japan right after the Korean Conflict.
His potential for leadership was recognized in 1966 with a posting to the Brookings Institution as a Public Affairs Fellow, and there he served Congressman Gerald Ford, who would go on to be America's 38th President. That relationship would result in a lifelong friendship. The President's balanced and unselfish approach to problems influenced Jim in business and philanthropy.
Jim knew that both organizations and community needs change over time. This made him reluctant to set aside significant capital for a cause unless he could be assured that the organization would be monitored and his committed funds managed professionally. Jim learned of The Community Foundation in 1997 and, true to his creed, investigated it. He crafted a careful plan to give nearly all of his savings to charitable causes after the death of he and his wife, Virginia Nash Frye. In the meantime, he gave generously and always anonymously each year. His plan included meaningful capital gifts to selected charities including St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church (his church), Virginia Home for Boys and Girls (board member for 15 years) and others in Mount Airy.
The balance of his estate was gifted to The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia to fund endowments for ongoing support of his chosen causes, but with 25% reserved to address community needs as identified by the Foundation. Of particular importance to Jim Frye was the duty of the Foundation to monitor the organizations selected and to move endowment support to other organizations if they failed to perform effectively or if the need served dwindled.
Always a very private person, Jim requested toward the end of his life that the details of his plan be publicized after his death. This was not for his aggrandizement ("After all I won't be around," Jim said with typical wry humor) but to encourage others to give.
Frye’s philanthropy was influenced by his life experience – growing up during the Depression when basic things were scarce; mentors during his life who coached and encouraged his talent and leadership; the loss of loved ones due to health considerations; and, his faith. His legacy of philanthropy is captured in the themes of helping children, promoting the dignity and well-being of less fortunate persons, supporting health and expressing faith through community outreach. Jim’s wife of 47 years, ‘Lucky’ as she was known to her close friends, died in 2010. In addition to his charitable gifts, Jim Frye left meaningful bequests to his and Lucky's extended family members and a few close friends.
During the time Jim worked with Philip Morris, the company was making its first charitable grants. Today, the company’s philanthropic legacy spans 50+ years, setting a corporate culture of giving and community engagement by company leaders and employees. Jim was fully invested in Philip Morris, and contributed significantly to the company’s strong performance during his career. In his eulogy to Frye, long-time friend Bill Leidinger exclaimed that “Jim just didn’t work for Philip Morris. Jim was Philip Morris! He was Philip Morris personified.”
Friends report that Frye never sold a share of Philip Morris and he would acquire the stock whenever he could. The Philip Morris Companies (now Altria) investment story has been an amazing one in its own right. A $360 investment in just 10 Altria shares in 1970 would have grown to more than $500,000 today, with reinvested dividends. But it was Frye’s investment acumen and discipline that Jim brought to actively managing his own money in retirement that proved to be brilliant and produced the wealth that enabled his philanthropy.
Jim’s loyalty to Altria, his entrepreneurial spirit and his compassion for others translated into millions for the communities he loved and will now benefit countless people through this bequest to The Community Foundation.
Organizations benefiting from Frye’s Estate are as follows:
Learn more about establishing a fund at The Community Foundation.
APRIL 13, 2021 — The Richmond region is home to countless people who freely give their time and talents to foster a community where everyone can thrive. During National Volunteer Month this April, the Power of Good RVA campaign is celebrating those individuals and groups who have demonstrated an inspiring dedication to service in the past year.
Now in its 8th year and led by HandsOn Greater Richmond (a service of the Community Foundation) in partnership with the Greater Richmond Association for Volunteer Administration, the Power of Good RVA regional volunteer recognition campaign asks the public to submit the name of a person or group who is “powering good” in Greater Richmond through service – a neighbor, a volunteer, a colleague, a family member or friend, a church group, etc. Power of Good Honorees are displayed at the Power of Good RVA webpage and will be featured on social media by HandsOn (@handsonrva on Instagram and Facebook) throughout April and beyond.
“This past year especially, volunteers have been so critical to our resilience as a region. Volunteers have been delivering meals, sewing and distributing masks, and supporting virtual learning by mentoring, tutoring, and providing encouragement, appreciation and supplies for students and teachers — plus so much more,” said Gail Cavallaro, Volunteer Program Manager for the Community Foundation. “We want to thank as many people as we can for everything they’ve done for our community.”
Anyone who wants to honor someone who serves our community in any capacity can submit a Power of Good Honoree here. The HandsOn website also has a Nonprofit Toolkit for any organization looking to participate in the campaign.
(RICHMOND, VA)…Members of the Ujima Legacy Fund – a giving circle created by and for African American men – announced two new grants of $20,000 each to Richmond Cycling Corps and Excel To Excellence. They honored the recipients at a celebration at the Richmond Cycling Corps Bike Park on June 2, 2016.
The grant to Richmond Cycling Corps will provide employment opportunities for youth who participate in this unique program that uses the bicycle as a tool to help youth in public
housing break free from systemic poverty. While the program has proudly produced the only two inner-city youth cycling teams in the nation, it also offers its youth participants a good dose of tough love. Central to its mission, Richmond Cycling Corps provides a range of case management services to help these young people navigate life and learn personal accountability. This year, with support from Ujima Legacy Fund, 6 young people will be offered summer jobs as assistant coaches, bike patrol members and maintenance staff for a large scale community garden project.
The grant to Excel to Excellence will allow the program to expand from two to four schools in 2016, reaching an additional 60 students. Developed by Richmond native and former NFL player Michael Robinson, Team Excel is an ongoing academic program that encourages youth to excel in the classroom throughout the school year. The program uses a “reverse” fantasy football concept in which students are coached by professional athletes and community mentors. Each week, youth participants receive individual and team scores based on their grades, attendance and community service. Aimed at bridging the achievement gap in Henrico County, Team Excel is designed to help students increase their classroom performance, learn life skills and explore career opportunities.
“Richmond Cycling Corps and Team Excel represent two inspiring examples of what can happen when you believe and invest in the potential of young people,” said Immanuel Sutherland, leadership team member, of Ujima Legacy Fund. “The members of the Ujima Legacy Fund are proud to make a collective investment that will help these organizations continue to grow and innovate and to provide young people from our communities with life-changing opportunities that will help them achieve in school and in life.”
In 2013, The Ujima Legacy Fund was launched as a way to make philanthropy engaging and accessible for African American men in the Richmond region. Ujima is named after the third day of Kwanzaa and means collective work and responsibility. One of three giving circles created in partnership with The Community Foundation, Ujima members pool contributions of $1,100 each to generate greater community impact. Together, they select at least one local nonprofit organization annually that they feel best demonstrates the ability to empower youth through education-related initiatives, with a particular emphasis on underserved youth. Since inception, membership has grown to 43 men and has awarded a total of $128,000 to six organizations.
JULY 9, 2019 — Made possible by donor established funds, the Community Foundation announces its 2019 Community Impact grant awards, totaling over $3 million to 83 organizations across the region. Community Impact grants are awarded through a competitive process and support local nonprofits whose strategies and outcomes align with the Foundation’s four focus areas: community vibrancy, economic prosperity, educational success, and health and wellness. Within these areas, the Community Foundation has adopted funding priorities in education, housing, and workforce development initiatives that will increase access and opportunity for low-income residents in Richmond.
Here are a few notable highlights from this years’ selection of grants:
“While we will always support program delivery,” Scott Blackwell, Chief Community Engagement Officer for the Community Foundation said, “we are growing our support for systems level and policy work. We need all three strategies to make lasting change for our community.”
Grants awarded in this category aim to ensure that community members enjoy good quality of life, with access to and an appreciation for the arts, cultural opportunities, and natural assets.
Art 180 - $35,000 To create and deliver innovative arts-based programs to youth in challenging circumstances.
CultureWorks - $60,000 To support CultureWorks service and leadership for the Richmond and Tri-Cities region. (third year of a three-year grant)
Richmond Ballet - $20,000 To support afterschool dance programs for students in Greater Richmond.
Richmond Symphony - $20,000 To fund the Big Tent Festival and ongoing music education programs.
SPARC - $30,000 To support out-of-school time arts programs that address the needs of low-wealth youth in Greater Richmond.
Science Museum of Virginia Foundation - $20,000 To support a year-round "applied STEM learning" pipeline for Richmond students in grades 5-8.
Virginia Museum of History and Culture - $40,000 To support the exhibition, "Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality."
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation - $20,000 To support the exhibition, "Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop."
Virginia Repertory Theatre - $25,000 To support live theater productions communicating to Greater Richmond youth about human trafficking.
Virginia Voice - $15,000 To support equitable access to information, culture and community for individuals with disabilities through technology and the human voice.
Visual Arts Center of Richmond - $20,000 To continue the growth of art education and youth mentoring programs.
Leadership Metro Richmond - $10,000 To support two Leadership Quest scholarships for community leaders in low-wealth communities.
Re-Establish Richmond - $10,000 To support programs that empower refugees and immigrants in Richmond to rebuild their networks and become self-sufficient.
Sports Backers - $50,000 To advocate for equity-based transportation infrastructure through the development of safe and accessible places for people to bike and walk in greater Richmond.
Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities - $30,000 To fund inclusion and equity workshops, retreats, and assemblies for students, educators, business leaders, law enforcement, elected officials, and citizens.
Blue Sky Fund - $20,000 To provide educator support and hands-on outdoor learning opportunities for elementary school students facing disadvantages.
Capital Trees - $15,000 To complete the Low Line and restore 2.5 historic acres of land between the 17th Street flood wall and Great Shiplock Park.
Enrichmond Foundation - $28,000 To provide landscaping- and horticulture-based job skills training for Richmond residents working to reclaim Evergreen, East End, and Paupers Cemeteries.
James River Association - $15,000 To protect the James River, improve water quality and connect people to the river for enhanced community vibrancy and individual health.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden - $30,000 To support a corps of community volunteers trained to lead urban greening initiatives in their own neighborhoods.
Maymont Foundation - $20,000 To implement the Maymont Explorers Program for Richmond youth.
Grants awarded in this category aim to ensure that the region’s resources are sustainable, and its residents are economically stable and secure.
Better Housing Coalition - $60,000 To support operations and fund consulting work to develop a business plan for resident services.
Habitat for Humanity Powhatan - $15,000 To support general operating costs and enable hiring of additional Habitat Store staff.
Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia - $75,000 To support work with housing choice voucher clients to help them find affordable housing in high opportunity neighborhoods.
Partnership for Housing Affordability - $25,000 To support collaborative work among community members, nonprofit leaders and local government representatives to create the Regional Housing Framework.
project:HOMES - $50,000 To support the Immediate Response Fund that quickly addresses hazardous living conditions of low-income families.
Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity - $50,000 To revitalize homes in the Maymont and Randolph neighborhoods.
CARITAS - $35,000 To support case management and shelter staff in the CARITAS shelter.
HomeAgain - $20,000 To support general operations of emergency shelters and community housing programs.
Homeward - $50,000 To support Homeward’s collaborative work with over 30 public and nonprofit homeless service providers of the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (third year of a three-year grant).
Housing Families First - $35,000 To support general operations, expand housing program capacity, and prepare for future rapid re-housing program expansions.
St. Joseph’s Villa - $40,000 To support families and individuals in Greater Richmond who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Virginia Supportive Housing - $35,000 To help our community end homelessness by providing permanent supportive housing services to ensure formerly homeless individuals remain stably housed.
Side by Side - $15,000 To support programs for LGBTQ+ youth ages 18-25 who are experiencing housing instability in the Richmond region.
HumanKind - $30,000 To support individuals as they build their financial well-being through employment, financial and benefits coaching or through facilitation of a fair-interest vehicle loan.
Neighborhood Resource Center - $30,000 To support NRC Works, Out-of-School-Time and Food Programs.
Richmond Opportunities, Inc. - $150,000 To support the Executive Director's salary, technology and data, and strategic communications.
Sacred Heart Center - $30,000 To support the general operating costs of the Sacred Heart Center, in providing educational and human service programs to adults, children, youth, and families.
Thriving Cities Group - $30,000 To support RVA Thrives' efforts to increase neighborhood leadership in the Jefferson Davis Corridor and disseminate the Community Voice Blueprint to improve how local organizations engage historically marginalized communities.
Virginia Local Initiatives Support Corporation - $20,000 To support continued work convening residents and partners to develop plans and actions that uplift the Northside neighborhood.
Center for Nonprofit Excellence - $15,000 To provide salary support for the consultant coordinating the Workforce Development Coalition.
Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia - $50,000 To support co-locating skill-building training, career advising, digital literacy and job placement and retention services at two pilot sites in coordination with the Work Access Collaborative.
IT4Causes - $20,000 To support programs that help low- to moderate-income technology students build on-the-job experience, soft skills and professional networks.
Reynolds Community College - $50,000 To support the new Kitchens at Reynolds facility located in the East End.
Grants awarded in this category aim to ensure that young people achieve in school, engage in their community and are prepared for the workforce.
FutureRVA - $50,000 To support FutureRVA’s three-year talent development and school-to-job strategies in high schools (third year of a three-year grant).
Partnership for the Future - $35,000 To support programming for low-income, college-bound students.
Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond - $50,000 To support high-quality staffing, learning programs and mentorship programs in Richmond and Petersburg.
Chesterfield Education Foundation - $25,000 To grow the operating capacity to support a growing school division.
Communities In Schools of Chesterfield - $25,000 To support expansion of programming to L.C. Bird High School.
Communities In Schools of Petersburg - $25,000 To support Integrated Student Support services in all Petersburg City Public Schools.
Communities In Schools of Richmond - $100,000 To deliver the Integrated Student Support model across 32 high-poverty Richmond Public School sites.
Henrico Education Foundation - $25,000 To support a Trauma-Informed Education Coordinator position at Glen Lea Elementary School.
Higher Achievement - $50,000 To support Summer and Afterschool Academies for underserved middle school students.
Junior Achievement of Central Virginia - $20,000 To provide financial literacy, workforce readiness, career discovery and entrepreneurship education for middle and high school students.
The Literacy Lab - $35,000 To support rigorously-trained, full-time tutors in high-need K-3 classrooms.
NextUp RVA - $200,000 To coordinate and deliver high-quality afterschool programs in four Richmond middle schools and expand services into Albert Hill Middle School.
Peter Paul Development Center - $50,000 To support afterschool and summer educational programs that help strengthen the academic performance of students in grades 2-12 in Richmond's East End.
The Podium Foundation - $15,000 To continue youth writing programs in Richmond, expand into Henrico County, and implement a trauma-informed care approach.
Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation - $25,000 To support general operations as the Foundation transitions its focus to fundraising in support of RPS' strategic goals.
Virginia Commonwealth University Foundation - $75,000 To continue the Richmond Teacher Residency - Petersburg program, creating a sustainable pipeline of highly effective teachers committed to the students of Petersburg City Public Schools for the long term.
Virginia Mentoring Partnership - $20,000 To support training, technical assistance, quality assurance and evaluation services for youth mentoring programs.
YMCA of Greater Richmond - $50,000 To support out-of-school time programs for low-wealth students in Richmond and Petersburg,
Family Lifeline - $25,000 To sustain the Early Childhood Home Visiting initiative serving vulnerable families in Richmond.
FRIENDS Association for Children - $25,000 To provide high-quality early childhood, preschool and school-age development programs.
Partnership for Families - $35,000 To implement programs that ensure Northside youth have the literacy skills necessary for kindergarten.
Smart Beginnings Greater Richmond - $100,000 To provide capacity building support (third year of a three-year grant).
Smart Beginnings Southeast - $25,000 To support quality and access to the early childhood system in Petersburg through Westview Early Learning Center.
SOAR365 - $25,000 To support services for children with disabilities by supporting therapists' travel to the child's natural environment and translation costs for non-English speaking families.
Virginia Early Childhood Foundation - $20,000 To support a Community Liaison position to work with families and service providers in the East End.
Virginia Literacy Foundation - $25,000 To support a project that helps achieve equity in kindergarten readiness and family literacy among children and families in Petersburg and Richmond's Southside.
YWCA of Richmond - $40,000 To provide operating support to create access to opportunities, strengthen resilience, and advance equitable systems for lifelong success.
Grants awarded in this category aim to ensure that community members are healthy and safe.
Central Virginia Health Services - $50,000 To establish a school-based health center at Petersburg High School.
Conexus - $25,000 To support mobile vision clinic services in Chesterfield, Petersburg, Henrico and Richmond schools.
Free Clinic of Powhatan - $15,000 To support operating expenses vital to patient care, including salary support, prescriptions, dental services, medical and office supplies and marketing resources.
Richmond City Health District - $75,000 To support the Community Health Worker program.
Feed More - $50,000 To deliver healthy meals to food-insecure and homebound seniors and disabled adults in Central Virginia.
Greater Richmond Fit4Kids - $15,000 To equip parents and amplify their voices to lead policy and systems change efforts to improve their children's health and wellness.
Shalom Farms - $25,000 To improve the health and increase self-sufficiency of low-income communities with limited access to healthy food, resources, and supports to improve health.
Tricycle Urban Ag - $20,000 To increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in Richmond and Henrico.
ChildSavers - $50,000 To support quality early care and mental health care to help children overcome trauma through resilience.
Greater Richmond SCAN - $25,000 To reduce the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), build community resilience, and reduce the prevalence of ACEs in the region.
The James House Intervention/Prevention Services - $25,000 To provide trauma informed care, safe shelter, and advocacy for children and adults in the Tri-Cities affected by sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and child abuse and neglect.
Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging - $25,000 To support education and advocacy programs that increase equitable access to services, address the changing needs of our community, and enable more people to remain in their homes and communities.
The Community Foundation is excited to announce this year’s recipients of the Giving Black RVA Legacy & Ingenuity Awards: Robert L. Dortch Jr. and Collective 365. These awardees are recognized for their instrumental efforts in strengthening grantmaking institutions and advancing philanthropy as a means of social change, especially for Black communities.
Robert L. Dortch Jr. is a nationally recognized philanthropic thought leader, specializing in leveraging innovation, equity and partnerships to make catalytic place-based philanthropy accessible in the board room, philanthropic institutions and the nonprofit sector. He focuses on bringing about equitable results through advocacy and systems change that empower and strengthen the lives of children, families, and communities. His current philanthropic endeavors include being a co-founder of the Ujima Legacy Fund giving circle and serving as the current chair of the Board of Trustees for Philanthropy Southeast.
“To whom much is given, much is required. I am grateful for my parents and grandparents who made it possible for me to be here today and who taught me that if there is a problem, we have a responsibility not to complain about it, but to find a solution,” Robert said. I’m also thankful for the brothers who came together to figure out how we could show people the commitment that Black men are making in their communities. The majority of Black men are out here coaching, supporting, and giving back, and that’s what Ujima represents – collective work and responsibility. We celebrate the men who are coming together to make a difference in our community.”
Collective 365 was established with the intent to unite individuals who want to invest in, learn from, and celebrate Black and Brown communities. This giving circle is made up of people who are combining their resources to support positive change and sustainability in communities of color in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Collective 365 is reimagining philanthropy by removing barriers for individuals to become philanthropists and for those seeking funding, and by providing Black and Brown communities the platform to define their needs and solutions.
“At Collective 365, we are doing things a little differently. For example, we recognize that the mom who serves as the neighborhood resource is intricately connected in her neighborhood in a way that’s often been overlooked. Collective 365 is about investing in people like her who are doing the work,” said Fatima M. Smith, founder of Collective 365. “I ask everyone to join us in reimagining philanthropy and centering Black and Brown people as thought leaders and decision makers. It’s not enough to just dream of the day when we have unlimited funding – it’s time to act and create that funding.”
These awardees were honored at the 4th annual local celebration of Black Philanthropy Month, held each year in August by the Community Foundation. This event highlights the breadth and depth of Black giving in Greater Richmond through storytelling, education and giving initiatives. To join the mailing list for future Black Philanthropy Month events, contact us at diversity@cfrichmond.org.
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