Williamsburg Community Foundation Awards Grants to Nonprofits

WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg Community Foundation (WCF) announced on Sept. 20 that it has granted awards to many nonprofit organizations.

The fall awards grants were given to eighteen local organizations, with the awards totaling $78,727.

WCF’s grants are made possible through local donors that include businesses, groups, families and individuals.

The grants are awarded to groups who reflect one of the WCF’s priorities which include: arts and culture, children and young adults, environment and conservation, health and community wellness, as well as senior services.

According to a Sept. 20 press release, the following organizations were awarded these grants:

Arts and Culture

• Access Virginia ($5,000): To introduce and demonstrate the need for accommodations to allow persons with hearing loss/Deaf and sight loss/blind to access area performing arts venue(s) and attend a touring live performance.
• Williamsburg Women’s Chorus, Inc. ($2,000): Music is even more important now after the past year. Their first in-person concert will be presented in November including a possible guest musician. Another concert is planned for May 2022.

Children and Young Adults

• Colonial CASA ($3,459): Improve Colonial CASA’S child advocacy training and board meeting space and update advocate training curriculum manuals.

Environment and Conservation

• Williamsburg Community Growers ($4,768): A path along the garden’s public entrance side will be improved and expanded to welcome the community, to incorporate partner’s projects and recognize community support, and to address an urgent conservation issue.

Health and Community Wellness

• Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment & Endowment ($2,500): F.R.E.E.’s mission is to acquire and provide mobility related rehabilitation equipment to maximize functional independence and improve quality of life for low-income adults with disabilities and seniors.
• Community of Faith Mission, Inc. ($5,000): COFM, in conjunction with churches, will offer congregant shelter but due to concerns with churches getting back on track from COVID 19, COFM will also need to provide shelter through use of a local hotel. Grant funded by an anonymous donor.
• Literacy for Life ($5,000): Due to COVID-19, LFL has seen a decrease in learner attendance and outcomes. This project seeks to improve outcomes by increasing learner enrollment, tutor engagement, and available instructional opportunities.
• Salvation Army of Williamsburg ($5,000): This grant will support the food pantry for families in need, providing fresh and nonperishable items, and household supplies. Grant funded by an anonymous donor.
• Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels, Inc. ($5,000): Meals on Wheels provides home-delivered, hot, noontime meals, breakfast food for the most in need, and in-home nutrition and nutrition education. Their service area is James City County, the City of Williamsburg and York County.
• YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas ($5,000): The YMCA’s Workplace Infusing Equity (WIE) project will provide training, education and conversation workshops around equity and empathy topics led by the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC).

Senior Services

• Williamsburg Area Faith in Action, Inc. ($5,000): Since the pandemic, many local seniors have been unable to access grocery stores due to lacking transportation and/or following stay-at-home orders. Providing transportation to grocery stores enhances quality of life and addresses social isolation.

Williamsburg Fund for Women & Girls

• Child Development Resources, Inc. ($1,000): This program serves new mothers through parent education, breastfeeding counseling, postpartum-mood support groups, infant massage classes and other services with the goal for every new baby in Greater Williamsburg to have a healthy, happy start.

Benjamin Altshuler Fund for Transportation

• The Arc of Greater Williamsburg ($5,000): Transportation allows Arc clients to be engaged in employment and activities that are enriching, equitable, and inclusive throughout the greater Williamsburg community. The positive mental health impact of being active and engaged is life- changing.
• Avalon Center ($5,000): To purchase a new van to provide free transportation for survivors of domestic and sexual violence as part of our support services. Transportation to jobs, schools, and appointments helps survivors achieve independence.
• BikeWalk Williamsburg ($5,000): To create a resource to refurbish donated bicycles and distribute them on an “ability to pay” basis. Provide a bicycle repair facility, train youth to operate the facility and educate about the benefits of bicycling.
• Colonial Behavioral Health ($5,000): To help purchase a sport utility vehicle to replace a 2012 vehicle in the agency fleet of vehicles.
• Peninsula Agency on Aging, Inc. ($5,000): The PAA RIDES program provides safe, reliable transportation to seniors with reduced ability to transport themselves or who lack alternative transportation resources. Grant funded by an anonymous donor.
• Williamsburg House of Mercy ($5,000):Mercy Housing frequently requires transportation to and from move-ins to doctor appointments, to veterans’ assistance resources, and other case management requirements. Partially funded by an anonymous donor.

The WCF awards grants generally twice a year. The next deadline to apply for funding is Dec. 16, 2021. All applications and guidelines can be found by visiting WCF’s website. If the organization applying for the grant has received one in the past, the organization should reach out to WCF prior to applying again.