Impact Stories

Donor Advised Funds

Making a Difference for Cancer Patients

September 17, 2024

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and it is a great time to spotlight the Yolonda Pajot Memorial Fund for Ovarian Cancer, a Donor Advised Fund.

Read More

Julie Simmons and the Amy Takayama-Perez Memorial Fund for George Mason University

July 26, 2024

The legacy of Amy Takayama-Perez is characterized by a commitment to educational opportunity, equal access, and inclusivity. According to her best friend Julie Simmons, Amy wanted to “build a longer table and make room for diverse perspectives at the table,” a goal she pursued for 23 years as the Dean of Admissions at George Mason University. Yet Amy’s time was cut tragically short when she passed away last year following a courageous battle against triple-negative breast cancer.

Nevertheless, Julie and the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia team carry on Amy’s torch through the Amy Takayama-Perez Fund for George Mason University and its scholarship programs. Here, we survey Julie’s philanthropic career with the Community Foundation and why she started a fund in memory of her best friend.

Read More

Get to Know the Brian N. Vogel Positive Change Fund

May 29, 2024

A lifetime of generosity can ignite a legacy of philanthropy. Brian Vogel is a perfect example, so much so that—to honor him—the Brian N. Vogel Positive Change Fund with the Community Foundation’s Family Giving Program was created. This was established by Brian's trusted, loving, inspirational, and once-in-his-lifetime significant other Cathy Tran, Principal and Senior Client Advisor at Bessemer Trust. Community members can remember Brian and support those in need by donating to a charity through this fund.

Read More

Get to Know the Swirski Family Fund

May 14, 2024

The combination of compassion and action can leave an enduring legacy. Indeed, one individual’s goodwill can achieve more than short-term relief—it can create a ripple effect of generosity. Take Sandra Swirski, who recently described how gratitude for philanthropy inspired her to launch a career in philanthropy law and the Swirski Family Fund with the Community Foundation’s Family Giving Program.

Read More

Levelling the Field for College Graduates

August 15, 2023
Often, philanthropy and the nonprofit sector at large may lose sight of just how much even small, incremental investment can make a meaningful change in people’s lives. The real impact of a couple of hundred dollars on some people can be literally life changing.

Karen Lipsey and Christie Worrell became lifelong friends through their children’s friendship, and over the past few years launched the Level the Field Fund, which they moved to the Community Foundation in April 2023. This fund helps Black college seniors graduate college by paying off the relatively small account balances that may be left when commencement season arrives. In the most stark terms, the Level the Field Fund embodies the spirit of large impact with small investment: most of the awards it gives college students are a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. These gifts enable a student to get their degree and set their lives in positive motion. Level the Field’s goal is to help as many deserving students as possible graduate.

Read More

William J. Foreman Memorial Scholarship Crosses $100,000 in Awards

June 15, 2023
The William J. Foreman Memorial scholarship was launched in 2007 by Louise and Mark Foreman, to honor the memory of their son Will Foreman, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident on February 24, 2006. Will had a generous heart, a loving spirit, and was drawn to helping those less fortunate than himself. He had faced personal adversity during his high school years, but successfully overcame it to graduate and begin college studies in computer science. In those seventeen years, the scholarship has awarded $100,000 to 57 students who, like Will, have overcome adversity. The Community Foundation spoke with Louise Foreman, who offered some thoughts on this remarkable and incredible achievement.

Read More

A Family Fund's Origin, and the Gift of Giving

June 14, 2023
Charitable giving can be nebulous and intimidating, but the millions of small donations made by regular people each day towards causes they care about prove that many give in spite of whatever fears or reservations they may have. In the past few years, people have become fairly familiar with things like a gofundme or a Facebook fundraiser, where people very quickly come together to support a cause or individual in need. But family giving doesn’t always have to look like this. I recently spoke to Marcy Mager and Mimi and Truman Deliee, who launched a family fund in 2022.

Read More

About the Mager-Deliee Family Fund

June 13, 2023
In the fall of 2021, Mimi and Truman Deliee were 16 and 12 years old respectively. They told their grandmother, Marcy Mager that since they had everything they needed, she should take any money she intended to spend on holiday gifts and donate it to charity. She was not entirely surprised, since the children had long helped their parents working in food pantries and the family sometimes gave donations in addition to the more typical gifts of clothes, books, toys and electronics.

Read More

The Gemini 3 Group Launches Charitable Fund with $1.5M Donation to the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia

January 26, 2022
With a $1.5 million dollar donation, the Gemini 3 Group of Stafford, Virginia is partnering alongside the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia for its philanthropic goals in the region. We recently asked G3G President and CEO Linda Blakemore to share some thoughts on the importance of philanthropy.

Read More

Remembering Brian N. Vogel

September 16, 2021
brian.vogel suitBrian Nicholas Vogel was born and raised in Trumbull, CT, attended St. Catherine of Siena and St. Joseph High School, and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from Indiana University, and later from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. After graduating from Indiana University, Brian taught business English at the Nankai University MBA program in Tianjin, China. When he returned, he worked at Morgan Stanley in Baltimore, the Bessemer Trust in Washington, DC, and then at Dodge & Cox in San Francisco. Brian’s Dodge & Cox friends and colleagues became his California family.

Brian had a passion for life. He was always loyal and devoted to his family, his treasured friends and respected colleagues, and known for his very special and truly caring relationships with his clients. Brian is sadly missed by all, and he would want to be remembered with a smile.

Read More

An Interview with Bradley Frey

August 8, 2019
Brad Frey is the donor advisor for the J. Watkins Fund for Arts and Education. We recently asked him to share some thoughts on how this fund helps honor his husband’s legacy.

Read More

An Interview with Joel Brown

April 3, 2019
Joel BrownJoel Brown, is a donor advisor for the XMS Fund, which supports youth, education, health and community improvement. We asked him to share some thoughts on how this fund helps the Northern Virginia region.

Read More

An Interview with Rod Harrell

April 1, 2019
Rod HarrellRod Harrell, is a donor advisor for the Rachel Harrell Memorial Fund. We asked him to share some thoughts on how this fund helps honor his wife's legacy.

Read More

Bruce and Jean Wyman, Active Philanthropists

July 16, 2018
Bruce and Jean WymanWe recently sat down with Bruce and Jean Wyman, who and are actively involved with the Community Foundation, as well as having a Donor Advised Fund with the Community Foundation. They are both members of the Giving Circle of HOPE, and focus their grant making locally.

Read More

John and Virginia Chapel Support Philanthropic Efforts

September 25, 2017
ChapelsThis is an interview with John and Virginia Chapel with the Chapel Family Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation. This fund provides direct grants to nonprofits and other programs benefiting child and youth development, poverty relief, health and aging, military personnel and their families, and community improvement. The Chapels are the 2017 Raise the Region Gala Challenge Sponsor, and are long-time supporters of the Gala.

Read More

Community Foundation Funds Help Establish New Computer Immersion Schools in Loudoun County

September 12, 2017

Funds from Chin Family Charitable Fund Provide Support

The Loudoun County Public School System recently announced that three schools will serve as computer science immersion schools – Meadowland Elementary, Moorefield Station Elementary and Round Hill Elementary. Each school will each teach 30 minutes of coding activities to students each day.

Read More

Community Foundation Announces New Funds for Capital Area Food Bank

August 9, 2017

Funds will establish three new Family Market Programs in Alexandria, Virginia

The J.O.Y. Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia made a $96,000 grant to fund three new Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) Family Market Programs for the 2017-2018 school year. The funds will help establish new Family Markets at three elementary schools in Alexandria, Virginia: Brynn Mar Park Elementary School, Hybla Valley Elementary School, and Weyanoke Elementary School.

Read More

Plant NOVA Natives and The Northern Virginia Regional Commission

July 12, 2017
This is an interview with Robert W. Lazaro, Jr., Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, recently sat down with us to discuss his involvement with The Community Foundation. Robert recently worked with us to establish the NoVA Natives Plant Fund.

Read More

Latino Engagement and Achievement Fund Launches

April 17, 2017

Anonymous Donor Challenges Community with $50,000 Matching Gift

The Community Foundation launched the Latino Engagement and Achievement Fund (LEAF) to promote and invest in the civic engagement, education, economic success, naturalization, health, leadership development, volunteerism, and advocacy of the Latino community in the Metro DC region. Inspired by a 2016 Aspen Institute Latinos & Society Program report titled “Unlocking Latino Civic Potential: 2016 and Beyond,” two visionary Northern Virginia leaders, Paty Funegra and Diana Katz, formed this committee advised fund at the Community Foundation to create a source of strategic, permanent funding that will strengthen and encourage the Latino community now and for generations to come. Abigail Golden-Vazquez, Executive Director of the Latinos & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and author of the report stated, “I am confident that the Latino community and many more will benefit, because when you have a fully participatory and inclusive society, you have a stronger healthier community and democracy for all.”

Read More

Regional Nonprofit Opens Funds to Support Regional Parks

January 17, 2017
Did you know that funds at the Community Foundation are not just for individual donors? Paul Gilbert is the Executive Director of NOVA Parks, a regional nonprofit organization that recently opened two funds to support its work: the NOVA Parks Fund and the Outdoor Kids Fund. Read our interview with him to see how how we partner with local nonprofit organizations through dedicated funds at the Community Foundation.

Read More

General Inquiries

info@cfnova.org
703-879-7640

3201 Jermantown Road
Suite 660
Fairfax, VA 22030
EIN# 51-0232459

Seal of TransparencyCFCCharity NavigatorAccreditedNOVA Champions
© The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy