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This Earth Day, Conserve the Future Fund has announced five new grants totaling $100,000 to support organizations in Greater Richmond that focus on benefiting the environment, conserving natural resources and enhancing regional sustainability. This year’s grants support a wide array of projects, including supporting a K-12 STEM program and the planning & construction for greening a community center.
Click here to download an overview.
Give to the Conserve the Future Fund
City Bees RVA is an engaging, program that demystifies our understanding of honeybees & helps educate the community on the importance of bees in our lives.
Thank you, committee members of Conserve The Future, for your commitment to environmental issues.
APRIL 22, 2022 — On Earth Day 2022, the Conserve the Future Fund has announced five new grants totaling $126,000 to support organizations and projects in Greater Richmond that focus on benefiting the environment, conserving natural resources and enhancing regional sustainability. This year’s grants support a wide array of projects, including a workforce development initiative for green jobs and new infrastructure to expand a local farm focused on youth engagement.
The Blue Sky Fund’s Outdoor Leadership Institute brings high schoolers from diverse backgrounds together to build leadership, unity and community involvement through service.
Over the past four years, this fund has awarded $514,000 in grants to local organizations. This year’s grant descriptions are listed below:
APRIL 22, 2021 — In celebration of Earth Day 2021, the ConseRVAtion Fund has announced five new grants totaling $90,000 to support organizations and projects in Greater Richmond that focus on benefiting the environment, conserving natural resources and enhancing regional sustainability. Grants support a wide array of projects, from the Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program to the 12,000 tree giveaway program during Arbor Day 2021.
“What makes this grant process exciting for me is seeing the different ideas that the community can come up with,” said Ron Felmus, a ConseRVAtion Fund advisor. “We try to give applicants a lot of room to get creative in finding new solutions for environmental sustainability.”
Darquan Robertson, Groundwork RVA’s landscaping crew chief, tends to a garden plot. Groundwork RVA is a local nonprofit that works with Richmond youth to facilitate environmental, economic and social wellbeing in neighborhoods by transforming blighted, neglected open spaces into public assets
This year marks the second grant cycle from the ConseRVAtion Fund, a donor advised fund of the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond. Grant recipients and descriptions are listed below:
Click here to learn more about the ConseRVAtion Fund.
This November, SisterFund awarded the largest grant in its history — $40,000 — to support Girls For A Change, a youth development organization empowering black girls and other girls of color to advance their 21st Century skills and visualize their full potential. This award will fund the Girl Ambassador program, which prepares 9th–12th grade girls of color for 21st century jobs, especially in the STEAM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics). Participants will work with top employers, build their skills and widen their professional network.
"I am full of gratitude for the SisterFund and all they have done to support black women and black girl initiatives,” said Angela Patton, CEO of Girls For A Change. “To have black women come together in this way and support organizations who are intentional about advancing black girls is priceless to me. These women have jumped over unimaginable hurdles to be the successful women they are today. I want my girls to be like them.
“Beyond receiving the grant, I am most excited about being in this amazing sister circle and giving my girls a chance to benefit from having these women in their lives. A girl can't be what she can't see, which is why this partnership is so important."
SisterFund is a giving circle that provides a forum for philanthropic-minded African American women to pool their time, talent, and treasure to support organizations that are working to transform the lives of African American women and girls in the Greater Richmond Metro Region. Click here to learn more about SisterFund and how you can get involved.
Richmond, VA – October 25, 2017 -- The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia (TCF) and solar power company Secure Futures have partnered to support local governments and K-12 public school systems seeking to transition to solar energy. TCF donors established the RVA Solar Fund out of their common interest in advancing solar energy in the Richmond region. The fund will provide grants of up to $100,000 to support administrative costs, education and training, and related sustainability initiatives for public entities going solar.
Each grant recipient will engage in a solar power purchase agreement with Secure Futures to finance, install, own, and operate an estimated 15,000 solar panels at the recipients’ sites, for a total local investment of approximately $12 million. The public entities will pay no capital or maintenance costs for the equipment and will enjoy reduced total electricity costs by using the power generated by the panels. Together, this initiative represents an innovative public-private collaboration to build five megawatts of clean solar power – enough to power 700 homes — and avoid the equivalent CO2 emissions from burning 5 million pounds of coal per year.
“The Community Foundation is delighted to help local donors achieve their charitable goals by facilitating meaningful investments in clean energy,” said Sherrie Armstrong, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Community Foundation. “We believe solar energy will bring positive, long-term benefit to our community, our environment, and local taxpayers.”
The RVA Solar Fund provides a unique opportunity for public agencies in the 13-county, 4-city Richmond region to generate solar power on-site and save money at the same time.
All area K-12 public school systems and local governments are urged to apply as soon as possible. The $200,000 fund will be distributed among multiple grantees, with a maximum single grant amount of $100,000. Interested applicants must submit a non-binding Notice of Interest through The Community Foundation’s website by November 17, 2017.
“The Richmond region is well-positioned to become a national leader in sustainability and innovation, and the cost of clean energy is no longer an obstacle,” says Anthony Smith, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Secure Futures, a Virginia-based Certified B Corp recognized for its commitment to exacting standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. “Solar’s time has come. And with this initiative, we can jump start local schools’ and governments’ transition to clean solar power while saving them money for decades to come.”
To assist with outreach throughout the Greater Richmond region, Charlottesville-based non-profit organization Generation 180 is collaborating on the project.
“We are dedicated to supporting a cultural shift in energy awareness and advancing the transition to clean energy,” says Tish Tablan, National Organizer, Generation 180. “And there is nothing more powerful for shifting mindsets in the future than children seeing solar energy being used in their own schools. We hope to see this partnership in the Richmond region spread to communities around the country who are dedicated to a healthier, cleaner future with a workforce prepared for the 21st century economy.”
Two additional non-profit organizations are supporting this effort: The Richmond Region Energy Alliance (RREA) and the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED). They are helping with outreach to prospective grant recipients and curriculum and training for schools, respectively.
About The Community Foundation
The Community Foundation is a public charity that serves its donors and community in Richmond and Central Virginia. Since 1968, TCF has been solving problems, preserving legacies and building permanent endowments. In the intervening years, TCF has granted more than $800 million to hundreds of local nonprofits with more than 900 funds of all sizes.
About Secure Futures, LLC
As a market and policy leader, Secure Futures builds, owns, manages and funds affordable US made Resilient Solar Solutions® for public purpose entities. Headquartered in Staunton, Va., the Company combines state-of–the-art solar technology with an innovative business model to make commercial scale solar readily affordable in Virginia, helping customers to realize the economic, environmental, and community benefits of solar energy. In 2017, Secure Futures became a Certified B Corporation®, having met the exacting standards for social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability established by the nonprofit B Lab®.
About Generation 180
Generation 180 is a non-profit committed to advancing the transition to clean energy and supporting a cultural shift in energy awareness through original content, digitally enabled campaigns, and an empowered volunteer network. We help people understand the trends that are moving us toward a more energy aware lifestyle, and the specific actions we can take to advance clean energy in our homes, schools, businesses and communities. Generation 180 helps schools across the country take advantage of the benefits of going solar with current research, resources and community volunteers.
Learn about giving through TCF
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.
APRIL 15, 2020 — Just weeks after the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond and the Emergency Management Alliance of Central Virginia activated the Central Virginia COVID-19 Response Fund as a way to rapidly raise funds and align resources where they are needed most, the fund announces its first round of grants totaling $1.1 million to 25 organizations providing immediate support to those most impacted by the pandemic.
While the region is in the early response phase of this crisis, the fund is initially focused on ensuring support for those most likely to contract the virus or those whose health could be further compromised during this time because of barriers to food access, healthcare or stable shelter.
“While the pandemic has impacted the operations of virtually every organization in our community,” says Scott Blackwell, Chief Community Engagement Officer at the Community Foundation, “We are currently targeting those on the frontline that need to pivot and adapt quickly to an ever-increasing demand for their services. Some organizations have repurposed their buildings, others require additional staffing to make up for fewer volunteers, and others need to purchase additional cleaning supplies and PPEs to ensure the safety of their staff and clients.”
An advisory committee from the philanthropic, business and public sectors are reviewing and distributing grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund on a rolling basis. The first round of grant recipients includes:
For a full list of grants awarded thus far, click here.
“By working in collaboration with local officials and our many fund partners, we are tapping into deep community knowledge to ensure we are doing the most good for the most people throughout every phase of this crisis,” said Ben Ruppert, finance chair of the Emergency Management Alliance and a fund advisory committee member. “As funds are available, we will remain flexible to the evolving needs as the situation continues to unfold.”
To date, the Central Virginia COVID-19 Response Fund has raised $4.25 million in contributions from foundations, businesses and individuals across the region. This includes a $100,000 matching grant from the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg to incentivize new donations made through their website.
“Organizations stepping up to help will continue to need funding,” said James Taylor, President & CEO of United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg. “We are pleased to support this first round of grants, but we know there is a lot more to do. I encourage everyone in our region to join our local United Way in donating to the COVID-19 Response Fund.”
The campaign to raise funds and enlist support from the public continues as the impact from the crisis will likely stretch out for weeks and months. To learn more about how the fund works and how you can help response efforts, please visit www.togetheroneregion.org
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