Community Foundation for Northern Virginia - Community Investment Grants

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is pleased to announce the award of $221,815 in Community Investment Grants to 35 nonprofits meeting critical community needs in Northern Virginia.  The grants were awarded in four categories:

• Poverty Relief
• Child and Youth Development
• Health, Mental Health, and Aging
• Education

Go to "Read More" below for the entire list.
Poverty Relief Grants

Alternative House-The Abused and Homeless Children's Refuge $7,500 To support the Homeless Youth Initiative which provides shelter to homeless youth living in poverty. These homeless young people are still attending high school, are between the ages of 16 and 21, and do not have the support of a parent or guardian. (Fairfax)
Arlington Food Assistance Center $7,500 AFAC will use a $7,500 grant to purchase milk or fresh foods for families referred to us. As of 9/15/09, AFAC is serving over $1,200 families per week. This grant allows AFAC to purchase milk for about 5.7 weeks.  (Arlington)

Arlington Street People's Assistance Network, Inc. $7,500 For general support for programs that assist people who are homeless in Arlington County including the Homeless Bagged Meal Program, the Emergency Winter Shelter, the Permanent Supportive Housing Program, case management, employment counseling and medical referrals. (Arlington)

Assistance League of Northern VA $3,000 The funding from this grant expands our Weekend Food for Kids program to feed 75 children for 37 weekends during the school year. The children currently receive free of reduced meals in Title 1 schools. (Fairfax, Prince William)

Bethany House of Northern VA $7,500 For general support associated with serving 500 women and children and having 30 families enter our emergency shelters from Northern Virginia and the DC Metro area. (Fairfax & other)

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network $5,000 The Back Pack Program supplies nutritious foods to 1810 low-income children during the weekends and holidays. Grant funds will be used to purchase food supplies for BRAFB's Loudoun County program sites, which serve 125 children.  (Loudoun)

Carpenter's Shelter $7,500 For general operating support for a family shelter. The shelter is at full capacity with many first-time homeless working families, and many formerly homeless families facing eviction due to job losses and reduced work hours. (Alexandria & other)

Doorways for Women and Families $7,500 Doorways seeks funding to sustain its 21-bed Family Home, a shelter for homeless women and families in Arlington. Counseling, substance abuse and vocational referrals, financial literacy, children's services, food, and shelter are provided to clients.  (Arlington)

Fairfax Area Christian Emergency and Transitional Services (FACETS) $7,500 To implement regional Housing Opportunities Support Teams (HOST) that will enhance FACETS' initiative to work in a coordinated fashion with partners to strengthen collaborative public-private social services network for homeless singles/families.  (Fairfax)

Food for Others, Inc. $7,500 Food for Others is the largest provider of free food directly to families in Northern VA. Distributions to families in need have increased 57% over the past year. This funding request is to purchase milk and eggs, essential staples provided to the growing number of families in emergency situations. (Fairfax)

Herndon-Reston FISH, Inc. $7,500 To help FISH's Family Assistance Program meet the emergency needs of the increasing number of families in Herndon and Reston. The funds will improve FISH's ability to help families avoid evictions and /or homelessness by helping with rent, utilities, medications and other emergency needs. (Fairfax)

Korean Community Service Center $6,000 To assist 30 low-income Korean American families and individuals in Northern VA who need intensive urgent crisis intervention/emergency assistance from unemployment, foreclosure, eviction and mental health outbreak. (Fairfax)

Lorton Community Action Center $7,500 For support of poverty relief programs, including assistance with food, clothing and furniture, emergency counseling and referral, rent and utility assistance, nutrition classes, ESL classes. (Fairfax)

Our Daily Bread $2,500 Funds will be used to build capacity for the Financial Literacy programs of Our Daily Bread and NOVACO, providing overall program support, staff training and capacity to pilot the Matched Savings for Financial Independence program. A shared staff person will pilot the matched savings program for low-income clients who need to establish responsible financial habits. (Fairfax)

New Hope Housing $7,500 To support the Education & Employment Resource Center (EERC) which addresses educational deficits that are significant contributing causes of homelessness. The EERC emphasizes entry into fields of work with potential for continued advancement, and strengthening knowledge and skills through education. (Fairfax)

Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) $7,500 To support a Housing Case Manager who assists men and women coming out of incarceration to make a successful transition back into the community. (Arlington)

Shelter House $7,500 Shelter House served more than twice as many homeless families in Fairfax County last year that we assisted just one year ago. General operating support will fill gaps within our direct service areas that have resulted due to this increased need. (Fairfax)

The Koinonia Foundation $7,500 To provide additional funding for Emergency Relief Services. This program provides emergency food, clothing, and financial assistance up to $200 per individual per year. (Fairfax)

United Community Ministries $7,500 UCM seeks a grant to support its Basic Needs Program, which provides emergency food, utilities cut-off prevention, eviction prevention, emergency prescription and dental assistance, and clothing to low income individuals in southeastern Fairfax County. In FY 09, Basic Needs served 10803 unduplicated individuals. (Fairfax)

Child and Youth Development Grants

ACCA Child Development Center $7,500 The ACCA Child Development Center provides high quality developmental child care and early education for children from low-income families. Grant funds would support a component of the Special Assistance Program which helps parents who don't qualify for government child care subsidies and cannot afford full tuition fees. (Fairfax)

Best Buddies Virginia $2,500 To provide volunteer training, management and on-going support for a Best Buddies chapter serving Sterling Middle School students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their non-disabled peers through quality out-of-school time programs and activities. (Loudoun)

Community Residences $5,000 To increase peer counseling by 50% for our Arlington Transitional Youth program, serving 10 at-risk youth ages 18-24 who are challenged by mental illness and transitioning into more independent living arrangements, including an emergency fund for youth without other resources. (Arlington)

Greenbrier Learning Center $7,500 To support Learning ROCKS! and the new Learning Links Americorps program. These programs provide high-quality academic and social support to 60 low-income, refugee and immigrant children twice a week in school, every day after school. The program support the students' academic achievement as well as social development, working in collaboration with schools and parents. (Arlington)

Liberty's Promise $7,500 For our professional internship and civic education programs to increase our capacity to serve low-income, immigrant youth in Alexandria and Fairfax County. With NVCF support, Liberty's Promise will be able to serve as many as 100 low-income, immigrant youth during the grant period. (Alexandria, Fairfax)

Loudoun Youth $5,000 For the After Dark Gang Prevention program which provides at-risk teens in the Sterling area with education and positive adult connections in safe environment on Friday evenings. The goal is to reduce the potential for gang activity and prevent youth from joining gangs. (Loudoun)

Reston Interfaith $5,000 Laurel Learning Center provides child development and quality care for 135 infants, toddlers, preschool and school aged children, along with family services. A minimum of 75% of child care slots are for low-income working families who could not otherwise afford quality child care, and for socially and academically at risk children. (Fairfax, Loudoun)

The Art League, Inc. $2,500 For The Art League's "Space of Her Own" (SOHO) program. SOHO is a year-long, art-based one on one mentoring program serving at-risk low-income fifth grade Alexandria girls. Girls and mentors meet weekly to eat a healthful meal, learn life skills, and have professional artist-taught art classes. (Alexandria)

Health, Mental Health and Aging Grants

CrisisLink $7,500 To support overnight access to CrisisLink's Crisis & Suicide Prevention Hotline to ensure Northern Virginians have immediate access to mental health support between midnight and 8 a.m. (All)

Inova Kellar Center $5,000 To expand the reach of home-based services to children who are at risk for being removed from their home. Kellar's In-Home Services Program is the most intensive family therapy provided directly in the home and is focused on keeping families together. Therapists work on parenting skills, creating a safe home environment and improving communication. (Fairfax)

Northern Virginia Dental Clinic $7,500 Funding is requested to support general operating expenses. Specifically, funds will be used to purchase dental supplies and materials for use at our program's expansion site in Loudoun County.  (Loudoun)

Rx Partnership $5,000 To support the coordination and delivery of free prescription medication from six pharmaceutical partners to low-income, uninsured residents of Northern Virginia through local free clinics including Arlington Free Clinic and NOVA Scripts Central. (All)

Education Grants

BEACON for Adult Literacy $7,500 To support the establishment of a case management component to be integrated into our core educational services. We do not have any means to support transitional goals upon program completion. This capability would enable us to assist students with job development/search and employment. (Prince William)

Computer CORE $5,000 CORE is requesting support to help launch the new classroom site in Fairfax County in 2010. In 2010 CORE will serve its largest number of clients ever, 144 students, at its three NVA locations with its intensive career development and computer training program. (Fairfax)

Loudoun Literacy Council $7,500 For general support of the Family and Adult Literacy programs. LLC assists low income, at-risk families by improving literacy skills that lead to increased independence, access to employment and integration into the community. (Loudoun)

Main Street Child Development Center $5,315 Main Street CDC serves low-income, working families of Fairfax City and Fairfax County by providing pre-school services as well as family literacy classes, screenings and a mental health provider to 72 children.  (Fairfax)