Getting to Know the Richmond, Virginia-Focused Cabell Foundation

Here at IP, we have covered the work of many foundations that focus their giving on the state of Virginia, including several that fund specifically in the Richmond metro area. These include the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, the CarMax Foundation, the Robins Foundation and the Robert G. Cabell III and Maude Morgan Cabell Foundation.

In this article, we dive into the giving of the Cabell Foundation and what it has to offer Richmond-based grantseekers.

Founded for perpetuity

The Cabell Foundation has been on the local grantmaking scene since 1957, awarding a mix of permanent gifts and challenge grants to various nonprofit organizations. From the beginning, the founding couple did not want to “blanket the community with token grants,” but rather to exist in perpetuity and meet the needs of the community by providing important leverage for the charitable sector.

Broad grantmaking interests

Since the Cabell Foundation was established, its giving has covered a variety of areas. That includes grants to cultural arts institutions, historic preservation sites, environment and conservation initiatives, community development efforts, higher education infrastructure and human services efforts. The funder has provided funding to over 400 nonprofits across the state. Grantees are often involved with work around watershed protection, museum exhibitions, neighborhood development, historic site acquisition, health clinics, affordable housing and libraries.

Two grant types

The main component of the Cabell Foundation’s grantmaking is a semi-annual competitive grant program, which supports permanent capital projects. It is common for Cabell to participate in grantmaking on a challenge or matching basis to amass more community support for its grantees. The foundation reviews requests twice per year, during spring and fall meetings, to decide on these competitive grants.

Additionally, Cabell awards more limited foundation-initiated grants that reflect the interests of board members or fund an area they believe needs more attention. These grants may go toward seed funding, initial planning and the organizational development efforts of local nonprofits.

Deadlines to remember

The Cabell Foundation is an accessible grantmaker and one that welcomes contact from grantseekers. In fact, it gives priority to organizations that contact its executive director to discuss an idea before submitting any application paperwork. This recommendation became especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The deadline for the foundation’s spring grant cycle is typically March 1, and the fall grant cycle deadline is September 1. Grantseekers can expect a response by the last week of May for spring grants and the last week of November for fall grants. To get a better sense of which organizations have been receiving Cabell grants lately, check out its lists of recent grants by year. Also check out IP’s full profile of the Cabell Foundation and the many other Virginia-focused funders in our Mid-Atlantic States fundin g guide.

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