2023 Annual Report: Social Trust and Civic Healing

As more Americans report feeling lonely either all of the time or most of the time, there is a need to build greater community resilience as an antidote to the "loneliness epidemic." Our 2023 annual report clearly shows more strategic action towards the goal of community resilience, one of four pillars of our current strategic plan to help build a community that works for everyone. During this year, the Community Foundation became part of a national movement to help rebuild social trust and civic healing. Through this, we learned that the way back to unity is us. When we show up, do what we can, and hold hope, we become the cure.


In 2023, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia launched the Elevate NOVA Book Circle with the book "I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times." More than 400 community members joined the book circle, each receiving a copy of the book, and participated in conversations with new or existing book clubs facilitated by discussion guides provided by CFNOVA. The initiative culminated with a fireside chat with author Mónica Guzmán in November of 2023.

Insight Region^® had its biggest year ever. In February of 2023, it released the "Shape of Youth Mental Health" report with a presentation and discussion at George Mason University. The report discusses the mental health needs of Northern Virginia’s youth, which have only increased since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. 

You can learn more about the Community Foundation's incredible 2023 by reading the full 2023 Annual Report report here.