Grant Guidelines

Policies for the Distribution of Grants from Unrestricted and Field-of-Interest Funds

The following policies and guidelines govern the process by which the Williamsburg Community Foundation (Foundation) makes grants from its Unrestricted (AKA: Community Endowment), and Field-of-Interest Funds

Foundation Mission:
The Williamsburg Community Foundation enhances the quality of life in greater Williamsburg by connecting people with causes that matter, managing charitable funds, and providing grants and scholarships for our community’s most pressing needs and promising opportunities.

Grantmaking Priorities

Williamsburg Community Foundation supports work that helps people in Williamsburg, James City County, and York County build stability, pursue opportunity, stay healthy, keep learning, and take part in community life.

Our grants are organized around four focus areas. Applicants should choose the area and outcome that best match the main purpose of their request. A request may touch more than one area.

Housing & Economic Mobility

WCF supports stable housing, financial and career progress, and access to the practical resources that low- and moderate-income residents need to pursue opportunity and recover from setbacks.

Learn more about Housing & Economic Mobility

Lifelong Learning

WCF supports learning from early childhood through adulthood so residents can build skills, pursue opportunity, become more independent, and take part in community life.

Learn more about Lifelong Learning

Health & Wellness

WCF supports timely and affordable care, prevention, and practical help that allow residents to maintain their health, safety, dignity, and independence.

Learn more about Health & Wellness

Community & Cultural Vibrancy

WCF supports experiences that enrich community life, build connection and belonging, and protect the natural, historic, and cultural resources that make Greater Williamsburg distinctive.

Learn more about Community & Cultural Vibrancy

What WCF Looks For

Across all four focus areas, WCF looks for:

  • A clear link between the proposed work and one of WCF’s outcomes.
  • A meaningful benefit to people in Williamsburg, James City County, or York County, especially those with limited access or opportunity.
  • A practical approach based on local conditions, community experience, and sound information.
  • An organization with the experience, partners, staff, and financial strength to do the work.
  • A request that makes sense for the work, budget, and expected benefit.
  • A realistic way to track progress without claiming that one grant caused broad community change.

Before Applying

All applicants must meet with WCF staff in person or by video before applying. The meeting will help determine whether the request fits WCF’s priorities and will provide guidance for the application.

In its review of grant applications, the Foundation will consider:

  • The degree to which the request meets the Foundation’s Grantmaking Vision as described above.
  • The priority of the application in relation to other current applications, given the funds available for distribution.
  • Whether the proposal duplicates existing work and, if so, whether it provides clear added value, such as reaching an underserved population, addressing an unmet need, or coordinating with others engaged in similar work.
  • The applicant’s potential to implement the proposal, including the likelihood of securing sufficient funding for it to be viable. This includes evidence of the applicant’s fiscal, managerial, and programmatic viability and effectiveness.
  • How recently and at what amount the organization has received support from the Foundation. The Foundation will not award more than one competitive grant to an organization during the same calendar year.
  • The applicant’s record of effectively using previous grants from the Foundation.
  • Available assessments of need, strategic plans, or other independent, objective studies or reports that may have a bearing on the need for or priority of the proposal in the community.

Requirements

The Foundation will make grants to organizations that serve residents of Williamsburg, James City County and York County:

  • that are qualified as tax-exempt under Section 501(C)(3) and 509(a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(3); by the Internal Revenue Service and to private operating foundations,
  • government entities for public purposes
  • religious organizations (only under certain circumstances – see below)

Applicants must submit all required documentation. Incomplete grant applications will not be considered.

The Foundation will not generally make a grant two years in a row to an organization for the same project.

The Foundation will not make grants for:

  • unspecified use of funds;
  • retroactive funding for any project expenses incurred before the Foundation’s decision date;
  • multi-year grants or commitments;
  • public and private K-12 schools except where specific funds (Altshuler Fund, Occasion for the Arts Fund) have indicated that the fund will support public and private K-12 schools.* Funding should be used to support activities or purchases that are not otherwise funded by local, state or federal government funds;
  • religious purposes (but may be made to religious organizations for projects with a broad-based, inclusive community benefit);
  • political or partisan purposes;
  • individuals;
  • a program or activity that engages in discrimination that would otherwise be prohibited by law;

*Public schools in Williamsburg-James City County should be aware that grant funding can be available from the WJCC Schools Foundation (not affiliated with Williamsburg Community Foundation.)

Reporting

All grant recipients must provide a report on the use of the grant within one year using the Foundation’s preferred reporting method. Reports should detail how dollars were expended and what the project achieved. Agencies that have not filed a report for a previous grant within one year are not eligible to submit a new application, unless an extension has been requested and approved by staff.

Staff will review final reports and provide summary information to the Committee on the results. Final reports will also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Foundation’s grant programs. Staff will track grants by category and amount to analyze grantmaking trends over time.

Grant Award Determination

A list of all applicants, including those not being recommend for funding, will be presented to the Board of Trustees. Grant recommendations will be approved by the Board of Trustees or the Executive Committee except in the case of Emergency Response grants or mini grants presented by staff for quick approval. Emergency Response grants and mini grants will be approved by the Chair of the Board of Trustees and reported on at the next meeting of the Board. Following the Board Meeting, all grant applicants will be notified of their approval or denial.

Information on applications will be shared with WCF donors who have expressed an interest in helping to support grants to local organizations. Applicants may opt out of having their application information shared during the application process.

Appendix

Verification of public charity status.

The Foundation will use one or more of the following methods to verify a potential grantee’s charitable status:

  • Internal Revenue Service, Tax Exempt Organization Search
  • Internal Revenue Service Business Master File
  • Grantee’s Internal Revenue Service determination letter or group ruling letter identifying grantee as included in the ruling
  • GuideStar’s Charity Check
  • Verification of church status for houses of worship and affiliated schools not found on the above lists

Verification of units of government.

  • In most cases, the Foundation will maintain a copy or screen shot of the home page for a political subdivision (city, county, town, school district, etc.).
  • For Native American tribal governments, the Foundation will consult the list maintained by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. The list is at Tribal Leaders Directory | Indian Affairs (bia.gov).
  • Staff will analyze, with assistance of counsel, if necessary, situations in which governmental status is not clear.

The Foundation will not normally make grants that require the exercise of expenditure responsibility. This includes grants to nonprofit organizations that are not public charities and grants to businesses.

If the Foundation Board elects to make an expenditure responsibility grant, it will follow the following process:

  1. The Foundation will conduct a pre-grant inquiry to determine whether the proposed grantee is reasonably likely to use the grant for the specified purposes and that those purposes are charitable.
  2. The Foundation and grantee will sign a written grant agreement that includes all provisions required by Treasury Regulations.
  3. The grantee will be required to maintain the grant funds in a separate account on the grantee’s books.
  4. The grantee will be required to submit a written report summarizing the project promptly following the end of the period during which it used all grant funds and to submit any interim reports the Foundation may require.

(Approved February 12th, 2026)