All News

Related

• Community Foundation Announces 2019 Community Impact Grants

  

  

  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:

  • Continued investment in housing, from homelessness to home ownership;
  • Support for coordinators who are helping to advance the work of the out-of-school time programming and workforce development systems;
  • Support for the arts focused on removing barriers for participation;
  • Increased support for organizations serving Petersburg, which shares similar challenges and opportunities as Richmond City, primarily in education and health; and
  • A growing portfolio that includes investments in systems and advocacy, in addition to program delivery, because we believe that increased coordination of services and targeted public policy can accelerate and scale the kind of change that will improve lives across generations.

  “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.”  

  Community Vibrancy

  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.

  Arts and Culture

  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.

  Community Building

  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.

  Natural Resources

  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.

  ---

  Economic Prosperity

  Grants awarded in this category aim to ensure that the region’s resources are sustainable, and its residents are economically stable and secure.   

  Affordable Housing

  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.

  Homelessness Reduction

  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.

  Neighborhood Development

  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. 

  Workforce Development

  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.

  ---

  Educational Success

  Grants awarded in this category aim to ensure that young people achieve in school, engage in their community and are prepared for the workforce.  

  College and Career Readiness

  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.

  K-12 Academic Success

  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,

  Kindergarten Readiness

  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.

  ---

  Health & Wellness

  Grants awarded in this category aim to ensure that community members are healthy and safe.

  Access to Primary Care

  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.

  Basic Physical Health

  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.

  Targeted Interventions

  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.

   

  Total Grants: $3,058,000

  
  

• Community Foundation Announces 2021 Community Impact Grants

  

  JULY 27, 2021 — Made possible by donor established funds, the Community Foundation announces its 2021 Community Impact grant awards, totaling over $3.5 million to 111 organizations across the region.  Sixteen new organizations received funding this year.