Impact Stories

Faith Boettger’s path to collective philanthropy began with her passion for making a meaningful impact in her local community and involvement with the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. 

When CFNOVA launched the Business Women’s Giving Circle, the idea of collective giving (also referred to as giving circles) appealed to Faith as a way to meet like-minded women and invest in programs to support girls and women’s success.   Recognizing that her own path faced discouragement in high school about pursuing a math-based career, the idea of inspiring and encouraging others to overcome obstacles was appealing.  As a founding member and the first Chair of CFNOVA’s Business Women’s Giving Circle (BWGC), Faith encouraged the group’s members to make a difference for girls and young women throughout Northern Virginia by applying their collective strength to support STEM programs over the past ten years.

Fairfax, VA (February 18, 2025) – The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Fund (IDD), a component of the Permanent Fund for Northern Virginia, has reached the $1 million endowment milestone. The IDD Fund is the second issue-focused fund to reach the $1 million milestone, following closely behind the Environment Fund, which achieved this goal in August 2024. This achievement is made possible by the Delman Family, donor advisors of the Delman Family Charitable Fund, held at the Community Foundation.

On November 7, 2024, Belong! (a 2024 grantee of the Child and Youth Development Fund) welcomed Sari Raskin and Amanda Bomfim from the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia (CFNOVA) during an after-school session at Cunningham Park Elementary School. Serving Fairfax County, Belong! offers weekly after-school mentoring to 81 immigrant and refugee children from low-income families in grades K-8. The organization received a $15,000 grant to enhance resources (such as math and reading curriculum materials) and support staff capacity. Our team had the opportunity to see those resources at work during the visit, as mentors and mentees worked on puzzles, completed homework, or played Jenga, cards, and Legos.

January 31, 2025 (Greater Washington Area) - Several of the region’s leading community foundations have partnered to launch the DCA Together Relief Fund, a crisis support fund for Flight 5342 and Army Black Hawk Families, in conjunction with the Wichita Foundation. Managed by the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the fund will provide aid to impacted families, first responders, and nonprofit organizations to support the immediate and basic needs, recovery, and healing of impacted families and communities.

Community Foundation staff recently visited Bryant High School and met administrators and representatives from Food for Neighbors, a nonprofit dedicated to ending child hunger across Northern Virginia through community support. This year, Food for Neighbors is a proud recipient of the Lamond Fund grant.

Benton Fisher, a Northern Virginia local and an economic consultant at FTI Consulting, has long championed community-driven causes. Long before he founded his donor-advised fund, the Avalon Charitable Fund, with the Community Foundation, Benton was the child of a Naval officer and a Unitarian minister. This upbringing ingrained an interest in service and has shaped his philanthropic endeavors ever since. Benton’s journey toward philanthropy was further influenced by his time coaching his children in team sports, which fostered his passion for leadership and collaboration. These experiences taught him that the most meaningful rewards come from uplifting others.

Michelle Sullivan, Executive Director of All Ages Read Together (AART), truly embodies the organization’s mission. Inspired by her early childhood experiences, Michelle is passionate in providing accessible preschool education across Northern Virginia. Passion is essential to every mission; however, Michelle appreciates that operating a successful organization requires thoughtful long-term planning. That’s why she, alongside the AART Board, established the All Ages Read Together Fund at the Community Foundation.

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.

Recently, the Executive Director of the Family Counseling Center of Greater Washington (FCCGW), Chun-Shin Taylor, PhD, welcomed Sari Raskin and Amanda Bomfim of the Community Foundation to FCCGW’s office and counseling space. Their conversation was a wonderful teaching moment for Sari and Amanda, as the two learned more about past and present Korean-American culture and the client services FCCGW offers.

On June 11, 2024, Amazon announced it would replenish its Housing Equity Fund with an additional $1.4 billion, dedicating substantial resources to affordable housing in Arlington, VA, near its HQ2. The initial investment of $2.2 billion—devoted to Nashville, Seattle, and the DMV—took only 4 years to allocate, of which $1.1 billion was dedicated to boosting affordable housing across the Metro D.C. area. Such significant investments from the private sector are crucial, particularly since the government’s limited resources alone struggle to meet the demand for affordable housing.

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is awarding $805,940 in grants to 49 local organizations through its 2024 Community Investment Funds (CIF), Environment Fund, and Ross-Roberts Fund for the Arts competitive cycles. These grants, supported by charitable endowments and managed by the Community Foundation, will address current and emerging needs in the region.
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The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia launched the Afghan Relief and Resettlement Fund in September 2021 to support Afghans fleeing their home country who either pass through or are resettled in Northern Virginia. To date, grants from the Fund total $282,490, and have focused on critical needs such as food, shelter, healthcare and mental health services, as well as longer-term efforts such as legal services, housing, transportation, education, and English language skills.