Foundation Donors Give Over $1 Million to Urgent Community Needs
In recent years, the Community Foundation team has focused on creative ways to connect donors with community needs, as many seek guidance on impactful giving. The Giving Store is a curated list of ten to fifteen urgent funding opportunities from local nonprofits, carefully vetted by Community Foundation staff and distributed to donors quarterly. Launched in 2021, the Giving Store offers donors a simple way to make an immediate community impact by funding a specific project. So far, Community Foundation donors have contributed $1 million in grants to support nearly 150 different projects, initiatives,, and nonprofit-identified needs in the community.
The Giving Store highlights ways that donors support local nonprofits and initiatives that might not align with the Community Foundation’s annual Community Impact Grant criteria or timeline. Funding opportunities cover a wide variety of needs, and the requests range anywhere from $1,000 to $25,000, allowing donors to contribute and pool resources together or fully fund projects on their own.
Earlier this year, local nonprofit KR Scholars requested $5,000 for their HBCU Starter Kits, to help first-generation and low-income high school students cover expenses during their transition to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
KR Scholars representatives accept a $5,000 contribution to the HBCU Starter Kits project.
“The Giving Store played a crucial role in funding essential dorm room supplies for the HBCU Starter Kit Initiative. This year, the program successfully supported 25 HBCU-bound students from Richmond Public Schools, alleviating financial burdens for families and empowering students to start their college journeys prepared,” shared KR Scholars co-founder Kristen Johnson.
A volunteer at Henrico Community Food Bank packs food to distribute to local families.
Even though KR Scholars’ request was $5,000, they received over $17,000 from generous Foundation donors who were inspired by the organization’s work. “Thanks to this partnership, KR Scholars continues to empower under-resourced communities and invest in the next generation of leaders.”
The Foundation’s latest Giving Store list includes Challenge Discovery Projects, an organization that operates the Youth Behavioral Health and Substance Use Outpatient Clinic. Their request of $25,000 will help with building repairs due to issues with structural integrity, mold, and pests. Henrico Community Food Bank is requesting $11,500 to cover food and supply costs as they expand targeted food distribution to 400 households in Brookland and Varina, helping to meet the rise in need from immigrant and non-English speaking residents in the county.
If you’re a Foundation Fundholder interested in receiving the quarterly Giving Store list, please fill out this short form with your name and email address.