Elevate NOVA

About Elevate NOVA

Elevate NOVA is an initiative at the Community Foundation to help advance the 4 pillars of our mission and work: social and economic mobility, opportunities for all, inclusive systems of economic growth, and community resilience.

As Northern Virginia continues to grow and evolve, understanding the complex landscape of our region is more important than ever. As the community’s trusted advisor, we are committed to fostering collaboration, trust, inclusion, and innovation to help build a Northern Virginia that works for everyone. Elevate NOVA was created to elevate dialogue, deepen understanding, and inspire action around the most pressing issues facing our region.

Through thoughtfully designed programming, Elevate NOVA creates space for meaningful conversations rooted in lived experiences and informed by real-time, rigorously analyzed data from the Community Foundation’s Insight Region^® center for data and research. This data-driven approach provides a clear, accurate picture of our region—helping to set context, spotlight disparities, and identify opportunities for strategic investment.

By bringing together diverse voices and perspectives, Elevate NOVA empowers participants to connect, collaborate, and co-create solutions that drive lasting, equitable change across Northern Virginia.

Past Events 

People's Supper - September 2024 
We invited our community of donors, partners, changemakers, and prospects to join us for a community dinner as a capstone event to our 2024 Elevate NOVA Book Circle. The Community Foundation was able to leverage the expertise of The Dinner Party Labs through their People’s Supper model. This model equips communities with the tools they need to build trust across differences and to overcome any sources of rupture. Their simple premise: Healing is a collective enterprise. Forty-three guests joined us for faciliated, thought-provoking conversations over a great meal.  

Shape of the Region Conference - February 2024
David Brooks launched the 2024 Shape of the Region Conference as our keynote speaker. The event was hosted with a record 19 regional partners from diverse sectors, and featured a panel presented in partnership with WEAVE: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute. Together, we addressed the issue of broken social trust, aiming to bridge divides and foster connections within our community.

Elevate NOVA Book Circle - November 2023
Author and Speaker, Mónica Guzmán discussed her book, I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times, at the Elevate NOVA Book Circle event. The book is an excellent tool that offers a thoughtful process for how good citizens in tough times can help bridge what divides us. Her unique formula for civic healing got us all thinking about how deeper listening and curiosity can bridge gaps in understanding, especially when we disagree.


The Community Foundation’s 2023 5-year Strategic Plan lays out a roadmap for building a stronger, more equitable, more resilient community.