Impact Stories

Responding to Need

Community Foundation Awards Healthy Kids Grants for 2020-2021

September 22, 2020
Parkour, virtual yoga, outdoor gardening, the truth about dieting, and nutrition and sugar are just some of the projects represented by this year’s Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Healthy Kids Grants recipients. Seven public Elementary, Middle, and High School programs were recently selected after a competitive application process to receive grants up to $2,000 to support programs promoting healthy lifestyles through increased exercise and physical activity or healthy nutrition. The grants totaling $10,212 are for the 2020-2021 school year.

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Innovation Breakfast Series: The Reinvention of Food

September 21, 2020
A crowd of more than 100 joined with the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia at its latest Innovation Breakfast Series: The Reinvention of Food virtual event on Thursday, September 17, 2020, to discuss the challenges facing the emergency food safety net since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Greater Washington region in March including some persistent racial and social inequities that exist, and possible paths forward to address them.

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PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION EXPLORES HISTORY BURIED BENEATH A NAME IN ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA PRESENTING THE WORK OF LYNDA ANDREWS-BARRY

August 20, 2020
Arlington Arts Center (AAC) and the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia are pleased to present Passage, a site-specific public artwork by artist Lynda Andrews-Barry. The work will be featured on AAC’s lawn at 3550 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington from August 22 through December 13, 2020.

Passageis the result of a unique partnership between AAC and the Community Foundation. The work was funded by the Foundation’s Ross-Roberts Fund for the Arts and is undertaken in cooperation with Arlington Public Art. Passage will include 26 large-scale sculptures created from driftwood, rebar, metal hardware, and canvas sails—designed to evoke the ships that transported more than 12 million kidnapped and enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean between the 16th and 19th centuries.

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Community Foundation Awards $250,000 in Scholarships to high school, college students for 2020

July 30, 2020
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia announced today that it has awarded over $250,000 in scholarships to more than one hundred area students to support their higher education goals beginning this fall. This year’s awards went to students pursuing either undergraduate or graduate degrees in areas like STEM, medicine, health, and education, as well as students planning to attend Northern Virginia Community College.

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Build Back Better After COVID-19

July 20, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has pulled back the curtain and exposed longstanding structural and systemic inequities that exist in communities of color across our nation. From the education system to the labor market, to housing, health, and economic stability the coronavirus has had a disproportionate impact on African American and Latino communities.

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia recently hosted a virtual Town Hall – Build Back – Dream Forward where local leaders representing business, education, economic development, and philanthropy gathered to raise awareness around the uneven playing field that pre-existed COVID-19 and potential paths forward for greater equity in our economic systems.

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Community Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund Announces A New Round of Grants, Totaling $440,000

June 30, 2020
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia announced today it has awarded $440,000 in its fifth round of COVID-19 Response Fund Grants to 22 local organizations providing relief and services to communities in the region disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, including vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.

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Arlington Free Clinic: Serving our Low-Income Neighbors During COVID-19

June 3, 2020
For over 25 years, Arlington Free Clinic (AFC) has provided free, high-quality healthcare for low-income, uninsured adult Arlingtonians through the generosity of donors and volunteers. With the help of close to 500 volunteers, we deliver patient-centered, comprehensive, integrated healthcare to approximately 1,600 vulnerable residents each year.

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GIVING CIRCLE OF HOPE ANNOUNCES 2019 GRANT AWARD RECIPIENTS

May 27, 2020
(Reston, VA) - For the 16th consecutive year, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia's Giving Circle of HOPE(GCH) evaluated and is awarding grants to eight nonprofits that are serving the needs of families in Northern Virginia. The GCH reviewed 31 grant requests and, through the power of collective giving, will award $56,000 this year--with over $1.25 million over its history--to further the aims of nonprofits working to improve the lives of those in our community.

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Round Four Grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia Offer Direct Financial Assistance to Families and Individuals

May 26, 2020
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is pleased to announce the Round 4 grantees from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia.

So many individuals and families in our region continue to suffer terribly under the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus and its fallout. Applications for unemployment benefits are at an all-time high, and local human service nonprofits now report a 3-5 fold increase in demand for their services. Direct financial assistance to individuals and families hardest hit by the crisis remains a top priority for our COVID-19 Response Fund.

Each of the following Round 4 grantees have the experience, community reach, and infrastructure to deploy financial assistance to our most vulnerable families and individuals. The grants, which total $280,000, will provide direct cash payments, emergency loans, and direct payments of rent, utilities, and groceries to those who most need it, as more fully described below.

In addition, through the grant to CASA de Virginia, we have given special attention to the disproportionate impact of the virus on the Latinx and Hispanic communities in Northern Virginia. Most of our health districts now report COVID-19 cases disaggregated by race and ethnicity. In the Fairfax Health District alone, for example, their most recent data dashboard shows that Latinx and Hispanics constitute 16.8% of the total county population but 63.7% of the COVID-19 cases!

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$715,000 Awarded in Round Three Grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia

April 24, 2020
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is pleased to announce the Round 3 grantees from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia.

Organizations offering access to health care, mental health care, and dental health care for low income, uninsured and underinsured residents, and organizations offering direct services to victims of domestic violence which is soaring under stay at home orders across our region, were invited to apply. And while we originally estimated that approximately $350,000 would be awarded in Round 3, strong contributions to the COVID-19 Response Fund and a phenomenal demand for support has resulted in grants totaling $715,000 to the following 35 organizations on the front line of the pandemic.

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Our Community Responds

April 13, 2020
Eileen EllsworthEileen Ellsworth, President/CEO Community Foundation for Northern VirginiaDear donors, volunteers, grantees, and friends:

“Social distance” strikes me as such a mild, innocuous little phrase that doesn’t even hint at the 1 million small and large choices we are making to stay home, stay safe, and keep others safe as well. Turns out that successful social distancing is a puzzle that needs re-solving every day. And for those with school aged children or elderly parents who are also home and in need of care and attention, solving the daily puzzle is nothing short of heroic. This is the extraordinary role that we ordinary citizens have been asked to play in the COVID-19 pandemic.

But for just a moment, imagine this. On top of social distancing and the threat of the virus, you are laid off with little or no savings and your job is the only source of income that enables you to eat and pay rent. Imagine that you or a family member gets sick – with the virus or otherwise – and you don’t have heath insurance. Imagine you are elderly, homebound, and dependent upon the delivery of meals when the volunteer pool of delivery drivers disappears. Imagine having to shelter in place with an abusive spouse.

We all have a lot on our plate, but thousands of our neighbors have far more to bear in this moment.

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Announcing the Second Round of Grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia

April 3, 2020
Today, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia announces the grantees from Round 2 of the COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia.

Mindful that the coronavirus will have a disproportionate impact on people with the least ability to meet it, the Community Foundation directed Round 2 funding to local organizations meeting basic needs and offering emergency financial assistance to our most vulnerable neighbors. A total of $360,000 has been awarded to the following 28 organizations who continue to man the front lines of the crisis.

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Four Nonprofits Awarded 2020 Micron Opportunity Fund Grants

April 2, 2020
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, the leader in local philanthropy in the region, today announced the recipients of the 2020 Micron Opportunity Fund Grant. Urban Alliance, Rosie Riveters, Music for Life, and BELONG! Vienna are the 2019 - 2020 grantees. The funds, awarded in three $5,000 grants and one $4,000 grant will support academic programs that provide education, skills acquisition, and mentoring for underrepresented and under-funded student populations in STEM.

“Building a diverse, talented STEM workforce starts early, by ensuring that all young people have access and exposure to the skills, experience, and networks necessary for industry success,” said Christine McCurdy, Executive Director of Urban Alliance Northern Virginia.

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Community Foundation Announces 2020 Ross-Roberts Fund for the Arts Grantees

April 2, 2020
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia recently announced the 2020 Ross-Roberts Fund for the Arts Grantees. This year’s recipients include the Arlington Arts Center, American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras, and Creative Cauldron, Inc. All three organizations received grants of $20,000 for two years in $10,000 installments per year. Programs supported by the grants include performing and visual arts, education and training, and art exhibitions.

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Verisign Commits Major Donation to Northern Virginia COVID-19 Response Fund

March 31, 2020
In an effort to support the fast-emerging public health needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, VeriSign Inc. of Reston, Virginia announced that it is donating $500,000 to the COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia as part of a broader effort to support those in the region who are experiencing hardship due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

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Record Amount of Grants Awarded to Regional Nonprofits

March 25, 2020
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Community Investment Fund Grant Cycle. More than $422,160 has been awarded to 32 local organizations providing critical services and basic needs assistance to residents throughout Northern Virginia. Available funds for the cycle come from the Community Foundation’s Permanent Fund for Northern Virginia, which has been in development for more than 10 years, and additional donations from some of the Community Foundation’s donor advised fund donors who give generously every year to help us help our community.

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Record Amount of Grants Awarded to Regional Nonprofits

March 25, 2020

Community Foundation for Northern Virginia Awards $422,160 in grants to 32 organizations through its 2020 Community Investment Funds Grant Cycle

March 25, 2020 (Oakton, VA) –The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia has awarded a record $422,160 in grants to 32 local organizations through its 2020 Community Investment Funds Grant program. The funds will help support the work of organizations that are providing critical services to residents throughout Northern Virginia, including programs that help with poverty relief, job training, education, emergency housing, and more.
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Round One Grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia

March 20, 2020

Supporting Immediate Emergency Needs

NVFS Round One GranteeRound One Grantee, Northern Virginia Family Service

Our entire community, across all sectors, has come together to respond to COVID-19 and its impacts in our region. The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is glad to do its part and is especially pleased to announce today the Round One Grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia.

Round One Grantees


Northern Virginia Family Services - $25,000
NVFS provides services to the elderly and others who fall into high risk/vulnerable health categories, low income families, those without adequate health insurance, families experiencing food insecurity, and the immigrant community. This grant will support services in Prince William, Fairfax, and Loudoun County, including support for NVFS’s Food Distribution Center that serves approximately 10,000 clients per year, their health access programs providing access to free or reduced cost prescription medication and health care for 6,600 clients per year (including those who become ill with COVID-19), and their housing programs in Fairfax and Prince William that will help subsidize rent and other basic expenses.

Loudoun Hunger Relief - $20,000
Loudoun Hunger Relief provides fresh groceries for low income and other vulnerable Loudoun residents. Currently they are providing up to 950 emergency food preparedness bags per day for Loudoun County Public School children, the elderly, and low income households. Their pantry provides emergency food assistance, including fresh produce, frozen meat, and dry goods. They currently report that demand is up 50% since the end of last week, while at the same time grocery store donations, which constitute 55% of the food they distribute, is down 44%.

ACTS of Prince William County - $20,000
ACTS of Prince William County provides a myriad of programs that address the needs of the elderly and low-income families in the county. Their Hunger Prevention Center has now expanded its hours of operation and its grocery delivery service to the home bound elderly and disabled to meet the increased demand, even while capacity to meet that demand drops. They also offer emergency financial payments to avoid utility disconnections and have expanded their Senior Link program, provides more than 1,200 check-in wellness calls per month to this same population.

Food for Others - $20,000
Food for Others, a very large provider of free emergency groceries in Northern Virginia, distributes food to more than 2,000 families per week, and has seen a sharp increase in the number of families requesting food, coupled with a steep decline in food donations. They also provide services to the elderly, low income families experiencing short term financial crises, food insecure residents, residents with limited English language proficiency, and families from immigrant communities and communities of color.

Cornerstones - $15,000
Cornerstones promotes self-sufficiency by providing support and advocacy for those in need of food, shelter, affordable housing, quality childcare, and other human services. Cornerstones works closely with government and community partners to provide critical supportive services safely.

We are especially thankful for Amazon’s philanthropic giving in our region. On Wednesday, they announced a $1 million gift to 4 local community foundations, including ours, to kickstart collaborative philanthropy and bolster front line services and safety net needs across the DMV. You can see their generosity in action reflected in these Round One Grants. On behalf of a grateful community, thank you!

We have also benefited from the advice and information flowing from our local health and elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and donors. It has all combined to help us improve our response and effectiveness in real time. Even so, like many of you in your businesses and organizations, we feel like we have built the plane while we are flying it. We are working remotely as a team yet staying in constant contact both with each other and with other community leaders to optimize service to our community.

Overall, it is important we stay as responsive to local needs as possible in a highly dynamic environment. The COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia has attracted over $400,000 to date, and we are currently thinking through the Round Two Grants. Please give generously if you can through your donor advised fund or directly to our COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia.

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Our Community Responds to COVID-19

March 18, 2020
Eileen EllsworthEileen Ellsworth, President/CEO Community Foundation for Northern VirginiaDear donors, volunteers, grantees, and friends:

Here is some very good news: All sectors of our beloved community in Northern Virginia have come together to respond to COVID-19.

We are particularly blessed in our region with strong anchor institutions led by extremely well trained and responsive leaders. Of even greater significance, to my mind, is that existing relationships between and among our region’s leaders are also strong. Intra-sector and cross sector communications are active and ongoing. There is no doubt that the level and quality of these community-based conversations will drive better outcomes for our region.

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Amazon Donates $1 Million to Washington, D.C. Region Community Foundations

March 18, 2020

The donation will kick-start COVID-19 response funds  to four local community foundations

CFNOVA DoctorsAmazon has donated $1 million total to kick-start collaborative emergency COVID-19 response funds that will immediately benefit four local community foundations across the Greater Washington region who are working to support vulnerable populations disproportionately impacted amid the coronavirus outbreak. ACT for Alexandria, Arlington Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington Community Foundation will each use these funds for grants to nonprofits addressing food insecurity, housing/shelter, and providing emergency financial assistance.

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