Above: Frances Emerson (left) and Grant Gerlich (right) from the Wytheville Department of Museums receive a grant check from CFNRV board president, Pat Hyer (middle) at the Grantee Reception on November 16.
Christiansburg, Virginia; November 17, 2022: This fall, the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV) awarded a total of $208,366.99 through its Responsive Grants program to 71 nonprofits serving the New River Valley. This total represents the most the CFNRV has ever given out during its competitive grants process. Since 2002, the foundation has awarded nearly $7 million in grants.
These grants are for operating support, which allows organizations maximum flexibility in how they use the funds. The applications came from organizations that support localities across the New River Valley with missions that focus on a variety of areas: animals, arts and culture, community and civic affairs, education, environment, health and wellness, poverty, and support, parenting, and care.
“The CFNRV grant process is both intuitive and a pleasure to work through,” said Andy Kegley, Executive Director of Helping Overcome Poverty’s Existence, Inc. (HOPE, Inc.) in Wytheville. “HOPE will be using this grant to support the expanded production of locally grown food for our innovative ‘donate-what-you-can restaurant, the Open Door Café.”
These grants are made possible by many generous donors. Individuals, families, and businesses establish endowed funds with the foundation that match their charitable interests; the funds are invested with the goal of awarding grants for generations to come.
This year, 54 different funds contributed to the $208,000+ total, with several making grants to multiple organizations. Through each step of the grants process, the CFNRV team works with its grants distribution committee to read and score each application and help match applicants to the funding available.
The foundation also engaged the public in the grant-making process by encouraging community members to make donations through its online Grant Catalog throughout the month of October. Through these combined efforts, 74% of applications were partially or fully funded.
At a lunch reception on Wednesday, November 16, the CFNRV recognized each of the 71 grantees. Hosted at the Wytheville Department of Museums, 65 guests attended the event. The event was sponsored by Atlantic Union Bank, First Bank and Trust Company, HHHunt, and National Bank of Blacksburg.
A full list of this year’s grantees can be found below. The Responsive Grant application will open again in summer 2023. More information on the application process can be found at cfnrv.org/grants or by contacting the CFNRV team at cfnrv@cfnrv.org or 540-381-8999.
2022 Grant Awards
Adaire Theatre: $4,000 total from the Loving Care Fund, Litschert Family Fund, & the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Beans & Rice: $4,000 from the Ann & H.W. Huff, Jr. Family Fund
Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation: $1,000 total from the Gerus Blieszner Fund, 4-17 Fund, & the Community Services Fund
Bland Ministry Center: $2,000 total from the Wythe County United Legacy Fund & the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia: $4,000 total from the Young Women’s Life Experiences Fund, the Janice Woodard Endowment, & the Piscura Family Fund
Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia: $3,170 total from the Wythe County United Legacy Fund, the Hazelton Family Fund, & the Jacobs Family Fund
Brock Hughes Free Clinic: $4,000 total from the Ghia Borg Memorial Health Care Fund & the Wythe County United Legacy Fund
Calfee Community & Cultural Center: $4,000 from the Ann & H.W. Huff, Jr. Family Fund
Cayambis Institute for Latin American Studies in Music: $500 total from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund & public contributions
CHIP of the NRV, New River Community Action (NRCA): $2,000 total from the Endowment for Giles County, Gerus Blieszner Fund, & the Nelle Oakey Ryan Gardner Fund
DePaul Community Resources: $2,000 from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Emergency Assistance Program (NRCA): $2,000 total from the Endowment for Giles County, Endowment for Floyd County, & the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Engagement Center for Creative Aging at Virginia Tech (formally VT Adult Day Services): $3,100 total from the Bell Family Fund & the Jacobs Family Fund
Family Resource Center: $3,500 from the Wythe County United Legacy Fund
Feeding Southwest Virginia: $2,000 from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley: $2,000 total from the Rosina & Dean Carter Fund for the Visual Arts & the Sarah Lee Alderson Memorial Fund
Floyd Community Center for the Arts: $1,000 from the Endowment for Floyd County
Floyd County Humane Society: $4,000 total from the Beverly A. & Homer T. Hurst Family Fund
Free Clinic of Pulaski County: $4,000 from the Ann & H.W. Huff, Jr. Family Fund
Giles Animal Rescue: $4,000 from the Endowment for Giles County
Giles County Christian Service Mission: $4,000 from the Endowment for Giles County
Giles County Shelter: $4,000 from the Endowment for Giles County
Giles Health & Family Center: $4,000 from the Endowment for Giles County
Habitat for Humanity of the New River Valley: $4,000 total from the Ann & H.W. Huff, Jr. Family Fund & the Warren Lloyd Holtzman Merit Grant Fund
Head Start (NRCA): $4,000 total from the Luba Fabyrcky Memorial Endowment, the Janice Woodard Endowment, & the Endowment for Giles County
Helping Overcome Poverty’s Existence (HOPE): $3,750 total from the Robert & Emily Stuart Grassroots Leadership Fund & the Wythe County United Legacy Fund
Inmate Family Assistance of the NRV: $1,000 from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
InStill Mindfulness SWVA: $2,000 total from the Blue Roads Educational Fund & the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Iris Brammer Public Library: $4,000 total from the Lydia Roeske Wright Memorial Fund, the Endowment for Giles County, & the Hazelton Family Fund
Literacy Volunteers of America – New River Valley: $4,000 total from the Shuler Family Reading Fund, Dan & Beverly Fleming Family Fund, Fund For Equity & Compassion, & the Piscura Family Fund
Live, Work, Eat, Grow: $2,380 total from the Piscura Family Fund, the Gerus Blieszner Fund, Ghia Borg Memorial Fund, & the MANISTAL Fund
Millwald Theatre: $2,000 from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Montgomery County Christmas Store: $2,000 total from the Talbot Family Fund & Litschert Family Fund
Montgomery Museum of Art & History: $2,600 total from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund & public contributions
Mountain Community Action Program: $3,000 from the Wythe County United Legacy Fund
Mountain View Humane: $4,000 total from the Paws & Claws Fund, Beatrice S. Kalka Fund, the Highlands Fund, & the Nelle Oakey Ryan Gardner Fund
New River Conservancy: $4,000 total from the Piscura Family Fund, the Susan Garrison Memorial Fund, & public contributions
New River Family Shelter: $2,000 total from the Diana, Princess of Wales Fund, the Gerus Blieszner Fund, & the Nelle Oakey Ryan Gardner Fund
New River Valley Agency on Aging: $4,000 from the Ann & H.W. Huff, Jr. Family Fund
New River Valley Community Services: $2,000 total from the Matthew Allen Special Memorial Fund & the Highlands Fund
New River Valley Disability Resource Center: $2,000 total from the Endowment for Giles County & the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
New River Valley Home: $2,100 total from the Hazelton Family Fund, Ghia Borg Memorial Fund, & public contributions
New River Valley Senior Services: $4,000 total from the Worthington-Dolloff Cancer Treatment Fund
New River Valley Youth Cycling Alliance: $1,000 total from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
NRV CARES: $2,000 total from the Parenting Skills Fund& Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
One-on-One Literacy Program of Wythe & Grayson Counties: $3,000 total from the Wythe County United Legacy Fund
Plenty!: $4,000 total from the Endowment for Floyd County & Litschert Family Fund
Pulaski Community Youth Center: $4,000 from the Ann & H.W. Huff, Jr. Family Fund
Radford-Fairlawn Daily Bread: $4,000 from the Ann & H.W. Huff, Jr. Family Fund
Roanoke Wildlife Rescue: $2,000 from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Rural Retreat Depot Foundation: $2,000 from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Rx Drug Access Partnership: $4,000 from the Ghia Borg Memorial Health Care Fund
Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary: $2,000 total from the Susan Garrison Memorial Fund & the Litschert Family Fund
Springhouse Community School: $4,000 total from the Mary E. Sanders Family Fund & Sarah Lee Alderson Memorial Fund
St. Michael’s Micah’s Backpack Program: $4,000 total from the Children’s Shelter Home Endowment Fund & the Loving Care Fund
The June Bug Center: $4,000 total from the JJ Fund, Kathy & Bill Sanders Family Fund, & The Children’s Shelter Home Endowment Fund
The Mayapple School: $4,000 total from the Loving Care Fund, the Piscura Family Fund, the Gerus Blieszner Fund, the Nelle Oakey Ryan Gardner Fund, & the Wellness Fund
To Our House (NRCA): $4,000 total from the David & Lillian Francis Charitable Fund & the Piscura Family Fund
Town of Wytheville Department of Museums: $1,000 from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Valley Interfaith Child Care Center: $4,000 from the Luba Fabyrcky Memorial Endowment
Virginia Cooperative Extension – Pulaski: $2,086 total from the Ann & H.W. Huff, Jr. Family Fund & public contributions
Virginia Hunters Who Care: $4,000 total from the Ann & H.W. Huff, Jr. Family Fund, Miller Family Fund, & The Community Services Fund
Warm Hearth Foundation: $2,000 from the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Wilderness Road Regional Museum: $2,480.99 total from the Piscura Family Fund, the Nicholson Family Fund, the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund, & public contributions
Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley: $2,700 total from the Hawk’s Ridge Fund & the Endowment for Giles County
Wonder Universe, A Children’s Museum: $4,000 from the Loving Care Fund
Wythe County Breast Cancer Coalition: $1,000 total from the Wythe County United Legacy Fund
Wythe County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence: $2,000 total from the Wythe County United Legacy Fund & Ghia Borg Memorial Fund
Wytheville Training School Cultural Center: $4,000 total from the Wythe County United Legacy Fund & the Stoop Family Fund
Virginia CARES (NRCA): $2,000 total from the Endowment for Giles County & the Litschert Family Fund
YMCA at Virginia Tech: $2,000 total from the Cottingham Stuart Fund & the Ghia Borg Memorial Fund