The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia

To reach its vision, the Community Foundation pursues the following goals:

Goal #1: Advance the social and economic mobility of people living in Northern Virginia
Goal #2: Advance racial justice and equity across the region
Goal #3: Help develop and advance more inclusive systems of economic growth
Goal #4: Help build the region adapt and transform in the face of change, uncertainty, unpredictability, and surprise, building community resilience

The Community Foundation has strategies to accomplish each of its leadership goals, and has already invested in a growing philanthropy team to raise more funds to support the general operations and the grantmaking abilities in these areas.

Goal #1: Social and Economic Mobility
To address this goal, the Community Foundation plans to develop stronger partnerships with nonprofit organizations and residents in underserved neighborhoods, identify donors and external stakeholders interested in this work, and invest strategically in programs that will build opportunities for residents to move out of poverty. Data from our Insight Region Center for Community Research can help measure family and individual self sufficiency, financial stability, access to affordable preschool, health and mental care, wealth, income, net worth, power and agency, and other helpful indicators.

Goal #2: Racial Justice and Equity
To address this goal, the Community Foundation will conduct outreach and develop stronger relationships with Black and minority led advocacy organizations throughout the region, engage in local, regional and national initiatives, and identify new donors and external stakeholders interested in advancing racial justice and equity for all.

Goal #3: Inclusive Systems of Economic Growth
To address this goal, the Community Foundation will develop deeper relationships with local and regional chambers of commerce, particularly the multicultural chamber group that includes the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. Research and reporting from Insight Region, in partnership with economic research centers and economic development authorities across Northern Virginia, can help bring data to bare on ways to promote inclusive systems of economic growth.

Goal #4: Community Resilience
To address this goal, the Community Foundation will support programs and civic literacy educational opportunities for our region. It will bridge divides by advancing constructive convenings and civil dialogues that encourage diverse thought across our civic and social divides. It will build funding sources and use discretionary grant cycles as opportunities to build community resilience.

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s staff members bring expertise with backgrounds in law, nonprofit management, social services, and finance. Its board members are local business leaders representing a diverse segment of the local economy with a variety of expertise that supports the Foundation’s operations, campaigns and initiatives.

Its staff and board are members of local Chambers of Commerce, participate on other nonprofit Boards of Directors, which expand the network of support available to the Community Foundation.

With certification in the National Standards and membership on the Council on Foundations as well as the Washington Regional Association for Grantmakers, the Community Foundation is in a position to operate with the greatest efficiency and collaborate with the individuals and organizations in the region with the influence to make significant change.

In 2020, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia launched Insight Region, a research center that analyzes local trends, convenes civic leaders, and promotes civic and social action. Its reports and data analyses are focused on understanding and promoting Inclusive Prosperity — increasing self-sufficiency, expanding economic opportunity, and forging pathways for long-term movements out of poverty for all Northern Virginia’s residents. It is uncovering some startling statistics, helping to contextualize Northern Virginia with the rest of Metro DC and the rest of the country.

The Community Foundation presents a number of events and conferences designed to convene members of all sectors throughout the region to learn about issues critical to the health and well-being of the region as well as introduce new, innovative ideas that could spur growth and help build a community that works for everyone. These events include an annual Shape of the Region Conference, an Innovation Breakfast Series, Build Back - Dream Forward events addressing equity, and a Raise the Region Gala.

Its asset base has grown substantially in recent years from $31,878,137 at the end of FY2013 to $89,074,533 in FY2021, and its discretionary granting has increased from $456,938 in 2013 to $1,236,920 in 2021.

In 2018, the Community Foundation kicked off a campaign to build The Permanent Fund for Northern Virginia, an endowment to support its work and its discretionary grantmaking funds for current and future grants. It currently stands at more than $30 million in current and planned gifts.