This spring, the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV) awarded 43 agency fund grants totaling $135,575 to community organizations. This is the CFNRV’s first major round of funding for the year. Each beneficiary organization received a grant from an endowed fund set up to support specific agencies both in the New River Valley (NRV) and outside the area.
These funds were set up either by donors interested in supporting specific organizations or the organizations themselves can set up the funds. These funds are meant to exist in perpetuity to provide a long-term source of funding for the organizations’ missions. Once an agency fund is fully endowed, the CFNRV issues an annual grant to the designated agency. The CFNRV currently manages 48 agency funds, which provide support for dozens of organizations.
Annual Grants Provide Reliable, Long-term Support
“The CFNRV’s donors can establish various kinds of endowments to meet their unique giving interests,” shares Jessica Wirgau, chief executive officer of the CFNRV, “For those donors who wish to support just one or two of their favorite organizations, an agency fund is a great choice. Their chosen agency receives an annual grant from the fund to support its mission in whatever way it sees fit. These funds provide a reliable, long-term funding source for the organization, and are an effective way for the donor to leave a legacy.”
The CFNRV manages more than 200 endowed funds, totaling $26 million in assets. Each of these funds has a specific purpose that aligns with donors’ interests and passions. Each year, these funds award grants to charitable organizations and scholarships to students. Since awarding its first grant in 1997, the foundation has awarded more than $9.5 million in grants and scholarships.
Next Round of Funding Opens May 29
The CFNRV’s next major round of grant funding will be through our competitive grant process. This process offers operating support grants to charitable organizations and programmatic grants to public school systems. The application for these two programs opens on Friday, May 29. The deadline to apply for either grant is Friday, July 17 at 5 p.m. Learn more and apply here on the CFNRV’s website.
2026 Agency Grant Awards (By locality)
Floyd County (1 organization)
- Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary
Giles County (1)
- Giles Animal Rescue
Montgomery County (25)
- Blacksburg Breakfast Lions Club
- Blacksburg Community Band
- Blacksburg High School Band
- Blacksburg New School
- Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department
- Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad
- Community Health Center of the NRV
- Literacy NRV
- Live, Work, Eat, Grow, Inc.
- Lyric Theatre
- Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Foundation
- Montgomery County Christmas Store
- Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program
- Montgomery Museum of Art & History
- New River Family Shelter
- NRV CARES
- NRV Leading Lights
- Renaissance Music Academy
- Rotary Club of Blacksburg
- SEEDS, Inc.
- Town of Blacksburg Senior Center
- Valley Interfaith Child Care Center
- Virginia 4-H Foundation (Montgomery Co. 4-H)
- YMCA at Virginia Tech
- Young Life of the New River Valley
- Zeta Beta of Alpha Phi Omega
Pulaski County (5)
- Friends of Claytor Lake
- Friends of the Pulaski Library System
- Humane Society of Pulaski County
- New River Community College Foundation
- Pulaski County Library System
City of Radford (2)
- Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley
- Radford and Pulaski Young Life
Wythe County (1)
- Open Door Community
Based outside the NRV:
- Bladen County Library System (North Carolina)
- Piedmont Community Services (Henry County, Virginia)
- Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation (Austin, Texas)
Read on for the details on which of the CFNRV’s funds contributed to each organization’s grant award.
2026 Agency Fund Grants List
- Blacksburg Breakfast Lions Club received $8,000 from the Blacksburg Breakfast Lions Club Endowment
- Blacksburg Community Band received $1,040 from the Blacksburg Community Band Founders Scholarship Fund
- Blacksburg High School Band received $660 from the Jim & Janet Johnson Band Endowment
- Blacksburg New School received $1,220 from the Blacksburg New School Endowment Fund
- Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department received $580 from the Brickey Family Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department Fund
- Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad received $600 from the Brickey Family Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad Fund
- Bladen County Library System received $1,780 from the Roy and Vivian Davis Memorial Fund
- Blue Mountain School received $198,000 from the Endowment for Lifelong Learners at Blue Mountain School
- Community Health Center of the New River Valley received $1,520 from the Community Health Center of the New River Valley Endowment
- Community Health Center of the New River Valley received $5,960 from the NRV Dental Benevolence Fund
- Friends of Claytor Lake received $2,700 from the Friends of Claytor Lake, Inc. Endowment
- Friends of the Pulaski Library System received three grants from two different funds:
- $720 from the Betty B. Kegley Endowment
- $1,640 from the Ethel C. Flippin Endowment for general use
- $50,000 from the Ethel C. Flippin Endowment to support the Pulaski County Sports Plex Library Project
- Giles Animal Rescue received $1,080 from the Giles Animal Rescue, Inc. Endowment
- Humane Society of Pulaski County received $720 from the Donald L. and Lois H. Stafford Endowment for the Humane Society of Pulaski County
- Literacy NRV received $780 from the Literacy Volunteers of America – NRV Endowment
- Live, Work, Eat, Grow, Inc. received $540 from the Hale Community Garden Endowment
- Lyric Theatre received $620 from the Susan Mattingly Lyric Theatre Endowment
- Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Foundation received $1,160 from the Sharon Scott Leadership & Business Endowment
- Montgomery County Christmas Store received $780 from the Montgomery County Christmas Store Endowment
- Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program (MCEAP) received $540 from the MCEAP Endowment
- Montgomery Museum of Art & History received $460 from the Montgomery Museum of Art & History Endowment
- New River Community College Foundation received $6,580 from the John & Mary Jean Brown Fund
- New River Family Shelter received $780 from the New River Family Shelter Fund
- NRV CARES received $1,600 from the Nancy & Thomas Murray Endowment for NRV CARES
- NRV Leading Lights received $1,960 from the NRV Leading Lights Endowment
- Open Door Community received $310 from the Robbie Armbrister Memorial Family Services Fund
- Piedmont Community Services received $310 from the Robbie Armbrister Memorial Family Services Fund
- Pulaski County Library System received $1,040 from the Pulaski County Library System Endowment
- Radford & Pulaski Young Life received $1,040 from the Young Life Kids to Camp Fund
- Renaissance Music Academy received $600 from the Frank & Shirleigh Marvin Scholarship Fund for the
- Renaissance Music Academy
- Rotary Club of Blacksburg received $15,000 from the Youngs Memorial Fund
- SEEDS, Inc. received $860 from the SEEDS Endowment
- Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary received $520 from the Spikenard Farm Fund
- Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation received $205 from the Robbie Armbrister Memorial Family Services Fund
- Town of Blacksburg Senior Center received $2,460 from the Town of Blacksburg Senior Center Endowment
- Valley Interfaith Child Care Center received $2,880 from the Valley Interfaith Child Care Center Fund
- Virginia 4-H Foundation (Montgomery County 4-H) received $1,350 from the Lineweaver Family Fund
- Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley received $1,560 from the Women’s Resource Center Endowment
- YMCA at Virginia Tech received $1,350 from the Lineweaver Family Fund
- Young Life of the New River Valley received $9,520 from the Fritz and Emma Spengler Loving Memorial Fund
- Zeta Beta of Alpha Phi Omega received $660 from the Zeta Beta Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega Endowment for Leadership, Friendship, & Service