October 7, 2025: The Williamsburg Community Foundation is pleased to have awarded $131,532 in grants to 31 local nonprofits as part of its fall grant cycle, the largest amount ever awarded in a single grant round in the Foundation’s history.
The grants support various projects and programs across the Foundation’s six focus areas: Arts & Culture, Children & Young Adults, Economic Mobility, Environment & Conservation, Health & Community Wellness, and Senior Services.
This record-setting investment was made possible in part by gifts to the Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Campaign, which focused last year on growing the community endowment and field-of-interest funds —ensuring greater annual support for the nonprofits that strengthen
This round of grants included awards from several of the Foundation’s field of interest funds, which focus on specific areas of community life: the Benjamin R. Altshuler Memorial Fund for Transportation, An Occasion for the Arts Fund, and the Williamsburg Fund for Women and Girls. These endowed funds allow donors to focus their giving on the causes they care about most, while ensuring lasting impact through the Foundation’s grantmaking.
Also included in the total amount awarded are grants made in partnership with several Foundation donor-advised funds, whose holders chose to join the Foundation in supporting local nonprofits through this competitive grant cycle. The Foundation is grateful to the following donor partners for their generosity and shared commitment to meeting community needs: Linda T. Baker, Mary & Hunt Berryman, Dan & Micki Chapin, Kathy & Bruce Hornsby, and Rick & Lara Overy. By working together, the Foundation and its donors were able to fund additional projects that might otherwise have gone unmet.
Since 1999, the Community Foundation has awarded over $13.6 million in grants and scholarships. Nonprofits serving the greater Williamsburg area are invited to apply, with applications for the spring 2026 grant round due by December 15, 2025.
Nonprofits interested in applying for future grants and donors looking to support local initiatives can learn more at williamsburgcommunityfoundation.org or contact (757) 259-1660.
The following is a list of competitive grant recipients and their projects, listed by priority area:
Arts & Culture
Virginia Organizing ($5,000) will provide simultaneous interpretation at Williamsburg Pride and chapter meetings to ensure Spanish-speaking residents can participate fully.
Williamsburg Choral Guild ($5,000) will produce six concerts during its 50th anniversary season.
Children & Young Adults
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula ($5,000) will offer Power Hour and PROJECT Learn, providing daily academic enrichment for more than 160 youth at two Club locations in Williamsburg and York County.
College of William & Mary Foundation, in partnership with Head Start ($4,500) will focus on social-emotional learning and early literacy through family engagement activities and ongoing volunteer training.
Colonial CASA ($5,000) received operating support to recruit, train, and supervise volunteer advocates who provide a consistent voice for children experiencing abuse or neglect.
Dream Catchers ($5,000) provides equine-assisted learning for at-risk youth in the Williamsburg and Grove areas, focusing on interpersonal skills and emotional wellness.
Faithwalkers Inc ($5,000) helps recently incarcerated people access resources to transition back to the community and offers youth mentorship programs – including youth chess clubs that build critical thinking and life skills.
Jamestown 4-H Educational Center ($1,000) offers youth development programs.
One Child Center for Autism ($1,000) will install a flexible swing system in its Sensory Gym.
Real People Educating Others (RPEO) ($3,000) provides a virtual mentorship program, back-to-school events, and family assistance.
StageLights ($3,200) will secure a storage unit to house costumes and sets used in its summer theater camps.
The Friends of Foster Care ($5,000) provides in-home academic tutoring for foster youth and those recently transitioned from care.
Village Initiative ($4,679) received a capacity building grant.
Williamsburg Youth Harp Society ($2,000) will provide scholarships for harp tuition and rentals to make music education more accessible.
Economic Mobility
BikeWalk Williamsburg (2,500) offers the Bicycle Co-operative, which addresses inequities experienced by our community’s vulnerable populations by providing a donated bike, helmet, lights, and a lock.
NATASHA House, Inc. ($5,000) will deliver trauma-informed services through its HOME program, preparing mothers for homeownership and long-term family stability.
Environment & Conservation
Williamsburg Community Growers ($5,000) will prepare new plots with enriched soil and irrigation to expand its community gardening program.
Health & Community Wellness
Bacon Street Youth & Family Services ($5,000) is receiving an operating grant to continue prevention, treatment, and support services for adolescents, young adults, and their families dealing with mental health and substance use issues.
Colonial Behavioral Health ($5,000) will replace outdated furniture in group homes for adults with developmental disabilities.
Community of Faith Mission, Inc. ($5,000) received a grant for its Emergency Shelter program, which offers a safe place to stay during the region’s coldest months.
FISH, Inc. ($5,000) is constructing a new building and will purchase a generator to ensure continuity of food storage and basic operations during power outages.
Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment and Endowment ($4,700) provides free, refurbished mobility equipment to low-income adults, improving health, safety, and independence.
Here for the Girls ($1,453) will host a Screening and Prevention Village event to raise awareness of cancer and promote early detection.
Hope Family Village, Inc. ($5,000) is working to create a family centered cohousing community including 25 single-family homes, offering support and acceptance for people with a diagnosed mental health condition and their caregiving families.
Olde Towne Medical and Dental Center ($3,500) will purchase new EKG and urinalysis equipment to meet increasing demand from uninsured and underinsured patients.
Rx Drug Access Partnership ($5,000) will restore access to affordable prescription medications at Olde Towne Medical & Dental Center by transitioning to a new central fill provider.
The Arc of Greater Williamsburg ($5,000) will provide transportation for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to attend evening programs and maintain employment.
Williamsburg House of Mercy, Inc. ($5,000) will distribute WATA bus passes and laundry cards through the Harbor Day Shelter.
Senior Services
Faith in Action Williamsburg ($5,000) provides volunteer-driven services, including transportation to medical appointments, food delivery, and in-home assistance, that help older adults stay independent.
Peninsula Agency on Aging, Inc. ($5,000) will provide medical transportation to older adults who lack access to other transit services.
Tidewater Arts Outreach ($5,000) will deliver arts programming to isolated and aging adults to foster connection, healing, and lifelong learning.