Impact Stories

Leading and Convening the Community

Let's Show the World - 2024 Raise the Region Gala

October 21, 2024
Dear Community Foundation friends, supporters, and partners,

Last Friday night, I had the privilege of attending my first Raise the Region Gala as President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. I woke up this morning feeling both overjoyed by the celebration of philanthropy and deeply inspired by your contributions supporting the Northern Virginia community we all cherish.

The event was a resounding success, with hundreds of guests joining us both in-person and online. Wherever you were, your support was felt, helping us raise more than $730,000 to address the changing needs of our region. We couldn’t have done it without your incredible generosity and commitment.

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Towards Social and Economic Mobility

August 27, 2024
In alignment with our strategic priority to improve social and economic mobility in Northern Virginia, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia (Community Foundation) has embraced the growing momentum towards trust-based philanthropy in our grantmaking. Developing trust with community takes time and resources that are not typically prioritized in program-specific grants. Our trust-based approach to grantmaking has allowed nonprofits to support programs or initiatives that foster deeper community engagement. Over a three-year period, the Community Foundation’s Lamond Fund to Benefit Children and Youth invested $200,000 in United Community through unrestricted, multi-year grants. With these unrestricted funds from the Community Foundation, United Community pursued an innovative, theory-based Lived Experience Consultants (LEC) initiative to understand the community along the Route 1 corridor in Alexandria and Fairfax County, helping build trust and provide deeper access to community supports. The LEC initiative demonstrated impact on LEC participants, the community, and United Community, itself.

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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.

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Afghan Relief and Resettlement Fund Recipient: Annandale High School

June 12, 2024

The hardships of those who flee their homes due to war, persecution, or natural disasters aren’t over when they arrive in an asylum country. Integrating into a new culture presents an array of novel (yet still demanding) challenges and obstacles. With that in mind, the Community Foundation team established the Afghan Relief and Resettlement Fund in 2021 to help the thousands of asylum seekers resettling in Northern Virginia.

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Building Virginia’s Philanthropic Future Together

May 28, 2024

Collective action ushers in community-wide impacts. This principle underlies the Virginia Funders Network (VFN), a statewide association of 130+ philanthropy organizations seeking to address the region’s most urgent needs. At the beginning of May, the VFN held its 3rd annual conference in Richmond, a sold-out event that drew over 300 members of the Commonwealth’s philanthropic community. The Community Foundation’s Sari Raskin, Vice President of Grants and Community Leadership, and Renée Byng Yancey, President and CEO, had the opportunity to attend the event. There, they learned about the issues Virginians face and the innovative programs emerging to address those issues.

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Leading to Support Women and Girls in our Region

April 24, 2024
On Monday, April 8, Senior Director of Insight Region® Denise Bellows, PhD, moderated the Business Women’s Giving Circle’s event, “Fostering STEM Learning, Experiences, and Careers for Girls."

During the event, Denise shared several enlightening statistics:
  • Only 1.8 percent of charitable giving is dedicated to women and girls, and the share dedicated to women of color is even smaller; approximately 0.5% in the U.S. (Source: Women and Girls Index, 2023)
  • In 2021, women represented 35% of the STEM workforce; up from 32% in 2010 (Source: National Science Foundation). Specifically, women make up 25% of jobs in computer science and 15% of jobs in engineering (Source: Pew Research Center, 2021)
  • In evaluating STEM programming by impact on girls interest, confidence, competence and value, GirlScounts USA found that participation in even ONE program can make a difference

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Ten Years of the Business Women's Giving Circle

March 13, 2024
March is Women’s History Month, and this year marks the 10-year anniversary of launch of the Business Women’s Giving Circle (BWGC) at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. In that decade, the BWGC has invested more than $535,000 in grants, inspiring thousands of girls and young women to join the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields and connecting countless donors, changemakers, and constituents alike.

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Social Trust in Northern Virginia

February 12, 2024
Trust is critical for social cohesion and economic growth, yet only a quarter of Americans say that most people can be trusted. Americans’ belief that others can be trusted has reached a historic low, declining 47 percent from 1984 through 2022. Northern Virginia is not immune to these national trends. Our Insight Region® Report revealed that social trust in Northern Virginia reached a 5-year low in 2022. Only 33% of Northern Virginian’s believed that most people could be trusted. In the past 3 years, Northern Virginian’s belief that others will be helpful declined 18 percent.

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Eileen Ellsworth's Transformative Impact

December 8, 2023
In 2005 when Eileen Ellsworth assumed the role of President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, CFNOVA had awarded, since its 1978 founding, about $8.2M in grants and scholarships. As of 2023, we’ve awarded $92,463,995.

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Elevate NOVA Fireside Chat Discusses Social Trust and Civic Healing

November 15, 2023
On November 14th 2023, a diverse group of Northern Virginians gathered at the Community Foundation’s events space, the Penthouse at Three Flint Hill. A week prior, Virginians, Mississippians, New Jerseyans, Pennsylvanians, and a myriad of other Americans had cast votes, and it was in that context of voting, elections, and the bipolarization of America that inspired Mónica Guzmán to write I Never Thought of it That Way.

Mónica shares in her book that both of her parents voted for Trump in 2016, and she voted for Clinton. As a family, they had to figure out how to talk about their fears and worries by engaging productively. Community Foundation President and CEO Eileen Ellsworth mentioned that her parents, who were born in 1910 and 1915, did not discuss with each other who they voted for, even though they voted in every primary and every general election— which in Virginia, are every November.

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What is The Economic Impact of Mental Health in Northern Virginia?

October 16, 2023
In 2019, worker mental health represented a salient but relatively uncommon issue for Northern Virginia employers: approximately 11 percent of working adults were experiencing mild anxiety or depression, and 7 percent fell into a clinical range.

During the pandemic, these rates spiked, and have remained high. As of May 2023, 58% of Northern Virginia's workforce was experiencing some level of anxiety or depression, and a quarter were in the clinical range— requiring any degree of treatment or intervention. This research estimates that since 2020, Northern Virginia has lost $8 billion each year in unrealized economic output due to the impaired mental health of its workforce: a quadrupling of losses seen prior to the pandemic. We now know that the Commonwealth of Virginia lost $22 billion in potential gross state product in 2022.

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Thank You for Supporting the 2023 Raise the Region Gala!

October 13, 2023
Dear Community Foundation Friends and Supporters,

Last Friday evening we came together for the Community Foundation’s 2023 Raise the Region Gala to celebrate our home, Northern Virginia, and the change-makers in it who never fail to help meet the region’s challenges and expand its opportunities. Our theme for the event was renewal, as every community, and everything in it, must be continuously renewed and reimagined.

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2023 Greater Washington Champions for Accountability

September 18, 2023

The 2023 Champions for Accountability Badge, awarded in partnership between the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia and the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, recognizes more than 40 employers willing to collect, share, and act on data about the diversity of their leadership. To receive the badge, an organization must operate in Virginia, Maryland, and/ or Washington DC; collect demographic data on board members and/or c-suite members and executives; and have completed the application by 31 August, 2023. By accepting their badges, the Champions commit to the following action:  

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Getting By: How Northern Virginians Respond When There is Less to Go Around

August 28, 2023
On August 29, 2023 The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Insight Region® Center for Community Research released Getting By: How Northern Virginians Respond When There is Less to Go Around. In 2021, one in five families (20 percent) in Northern Virginia did not earn enough money to meet their basic needs for shelter, food, medical care, and other essentials. An additional nine percent could not cover these basic needs, and pay for childcare. The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia published this report which includes perspectives from real Northern Virginians collated by InsideNOVA and Northern Virginia Family Services.

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A Changemaker's Theory of Resilience

April 18, 2023
One of the Community Foundation’s pillars in our revised mission is “resilience,” the ability to build on and endure. As the past three years have shown us, there is no set formula to endure and prevail but there are many good ways to do so. The Community Foundation recently spoke with Yolonda Earl-Thompson, the founder and leader of the LAZERA Ministries. She has been a Rt 1 Corridor resident for 14 years, and is formerly the Community Impact Officer of United Community.

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Shape of the Region 2023

March 24, 2023

Aging in Northern Virginia


On March 23, 2023, Elizabeth Hughes, Senior Director of Insight Region®, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia's Center of Community Research, presented the findings from the report Growing Old Together in Northern Virginia at the annual Shape of the Region Conference. The report and the conference highlighted the complex challenges older Northern Virginians face, focusing on three questions that leaders across government, business, and non-profit can ask themselves in addressing these needs:
    1. How do we make it easier to be a caregiver?
    2. How do we increase the supply and affordability of senior housing?
    3. How do we help individuals afford to age in place?

Over 350 people attended the conference online and in person, from a near complete cross section of civil society, including government officials, non-profit and foundation staff, social changemakers, business leaders, and representatives at the local, state, and federal level. The conference featured multiple panels of national and local experts for candid discussions of the challenges older Northern Virginians face, and what innovative ideas and opportunities may exist in addressing this critical issue that impacts everyone.

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Aging in Northern Virginia

March 22, 2023

Research and Investments to support those 65 and older


Northern Virginia is home to more than 310,000 adults over 65, of which 82 percent are living in a condo or house that they own. These aging homeowners have high rates of disability (28 percent) and poverty (13 percent are living below 200 percent of federal poverty).  Source: American Community Survey, 2015-19; Insight Region® 2023 Growing Old Together in Northern Virginia Report

To address the needs of our aging population, the Community Foundation has produced data-driven reports, developed a permanent endowment, and makes grants annually to support non-profit partners working to support our neighbors 65 and older each year - having awarded $225,000 since 2011 in this field.

Connect with all of our Aging Resources below.

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Community Foundation Joins 17 Other Philanthropic Organizations Providing Mental Health Education and Training

March 2, 2023
Oakton, Virginia: March 2, 2023— The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is collaborating with 17 other philanthropic foundations from throughout Virginia to provide funding for expanded REACH behavioral health trainings for primary care providers treating children, adolescents and young adults across the Commonwealth. More than $170,000 has been contributed by these foundations in an effort to address the growing need for improved access to mental health care.

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2022 ANNUAL REPORT: RENEWAL

February 6, 2023
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia released its 2021-2022 Annual Report, "Renewal," which highlights the surge of entrepreneurial ventures in the region during the past year, as well as the Community Foundation's work mental health, and adopting a new four pillar strategic plan that focuses on advancing equity.

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The Shape of Youth Mental Health

January 31, 2023
On February 1 2023, The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Insight Region® Center for Community Research 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. 

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