In its second grant round of the year, the Williamsburg Community Foundation presented grants totaling $61,567 to 18 local nonprofit organizations at its Grant Award Luncheon on Wednesday, October 25, 2018 at the Ford’s Colony Country Club. The luncheon was generously sponsored by Union Wealth Management and Berkeley Realty Property Management.
The grants awarded this fall come from Williamsburg Community Foundation’s permanent Community Endowment and Field-of-Interest funds. These funds have been established and supported by local donors who are interested in improving the quality of life for all Williamsburg residents. In addition, a portion of the grants awarded today were provided by Foundation donors who chose to underwrite some of the applications received this grant round. Each grant falls within one of five broad areas: Children & Young Adults, Health & Community Wellness, Senior Services, Arts & Culture, and Environment & Conservation.
Below is a list of the grants awarded by focus area:
Community Endowment Grants
- American Hiking Society – $2,000 grant for the Alternative Break program, which will bring college-aged volunteers to York River State Park to maintain trails and facilities at the park while providing students an opportunity to make an environmental impact over their spring break. (Environment & Conservation)
- Avalon: A Center for Women & Children – $5,000 grant to upgrade the aging HVAC systems in the shelter’s living units. Avalon assists survivors of domestic violence and their families. (Health & Community Wellness)
- Bacon Street Youth and Family Services – $5,000 grant for the Bridges Project, a focused transition program for 8th-9th-grade students and a peer-to-peer mentoring program. (Children & Young Adults)
- Senior Living Foundation – $5,000 grant for Senior Champions, a free adult day program with an intergenerational component, where eligible seniors can participate in stimulating activities, giving respite to their family caregiver. (Senior Services)
- Hope Family Village – $1,519* grant for technology support. A new nonprofit, Hope Family Village is a community-centric collaborative offering acceptance, housing, and sustainable support for people with mental health conditions and their families. (Health & Community Wellness)
- Opera in Williamsburg, Inc. – $3,900 grant to present the monodrama The Diary of Anne Frank by Russian composer Grigory Frid, with Israeli-American soprano Ayelet Cohen, fully staged, with English supertitles, with very low ticket costs or free to the Williamsburg public. (Arts & Culture)
- Postpartum Support Virginia – $2,500 grant to create a public awareness campaign about postpartum depression and related perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). (Health & Community Wellness)
- Williamsburg House of Mercy, Inc. – $5,000 grant for their Mobile Food Pantry which is a twice-monthly distribution of fresh, nutritious food that feeds 750-800 individuals monthly. (Health & Community Wellness)
- Williamsburg-James City County Community Action Agency – $3,020 grant for All-Star Dads, to empower young fathers through team building, mentoring so they can become more involved in their children’s lives. This will include fathers from all CAA programs such as Head Start, and ESOL classes, as well as young fathers in the community. (Children & Young Adults)
Benjamin R. Altshuler Memorial Fund – Transportation
- BikeWalk Williamsburg, in partnership with the Williamsburg Area Bicyclists – $5,000 grant for Cycling Without Age to provide seniors with limited mobility the opportunity to enjoy fresh air, the outdoors, and the exhilaration of a ride in a “tri-shaw.” (Seniors)
- Peninsula Agency on Aging, Inc. – $5,000 grant for RIDES program, to provide safe, reliable transportation to seniors with reduced ability to transport themselves or who lack alternate transportation resources. The RIDES program will provide 300 seniors with 6,800 trips to medical appointments in the Greater Williamsburg area. (Seniors)
- The Arc of Greater Williamsburg – $5,000 grant to offset the cost of two new, customized, handicapped-accessible vans to transport clients to Arc activities. These two vehicles will replace the final two old and unreliable vans. (Health & Community Wellness)
- Williamsburg Area Faith in Action – $5,000 grant to provide door-to-door transportation to seniors 60 and older residing in the Greater Williamsburg Area. The primary goal is to provide transportation to activities and places that add to one’s general quality of life and keep them connected to the community in which they live. WFIA will provide 7,500 rides to approximately 325 clients. (Seniors)
- Williamsburg-James City County Community Action Agency – $2,000 grant for Project Discovery, which supports first generation college-bound students and low-income students with post-secondary education planning through workshops, mentoring and college visits. Grant funds would ensure students with low access to transportation can participate. (Children & Young Adults)
An Occasion for the Arts Fund
- Williamsburg Contemporary Art Center – $1,200 grant to support a Regional Juried Exhibit open to all Virginia artists – all media styles, techniques, and original subject matter are eligible. (Arts)
Genevieve McGiffert Memorial Fund for the Musical Performing Arts
- All Together Inc. – $1,000 grant to support a 2-day workshop using the oral tradition to teach songs and musical traditions from Africa and the Diaspora lead by Dr. Ysaye Barnwell (formerly of Sweet Honey in the Rock). (Arts & Culture)
- Williamsburg Choral Guild – $1,500* grant for the May 2019 program, entitled ‘Lux’, featuring Dan Forrest’s new five-movement work for orchestra and chorus entitled ‘LUX: The Dawn from on High,’ Shawn Kirchner’s ‘Bright Morning Stars’ and Jeffrey Ames’ ‘In Remembrance.’ (Arts & Culture)
- Williamsburg Music Club – $1,005* grant for the club’s program for 2018—2019 which will include three vocal performances. These performances will take place during the free monthly musicales. (Arts & Culture)
Williamsburg Fund for Women & Girls
- United Way of the Virginia Peninsula – $1,000 grant to purchase feminine hygiene products for low-income women and adolescent girls. Products will be housed at the Community Resource Center in Williamsburg, a facility that served over 3,500 visitors in 2017. (Health & Community Wellness)
*These grants are in partnership with an anonymous donor-advised fund holder at the Foundation.
Upcoming Grant Deadline
Grants of up to $5,000 will be made by the Williamsburg Community Foundation in its Spring 2019 Grant Round. The Foundation is interested in receiving applications that support a broad range of community enrichment opportunities and respond to changing community needs. Please review grant guidelines and feel free to contact WCF staff with questions. The deadline to submit a grant proposal online is January 16, 2019 at noon. Learn more.
