How the Community Foundation of the Virginias Gives in Both States

Most community foundations in the U.S. focus on just one city, county or state. However, an exception to this rule is the Community Foundation of the Virginias (CFV), which has a dual-state focus. Based in Bluefield, West Virginia, CFV has been assisting nonprofits and students in the region for over 30 years.

Here’s a look at the types of organizations CFV supports and how to secure a grant from this community foundation.

Communities served

CFV formed via a merger of the Bluefield Area Foundation and the Greater Mercer County Charitable Foundation in 2002. The idea was to better serve the residents of Mercer County, West Virginia and Tazewell County, Virginia, as well as other counties in the vicinity.

Both of the predecessor foundations formed in the 1990s and shared similar interests and grantmaking goals before coming together to form a single grantmaking entity. Despite its dual-state focus, however, it is important to note that CFV does not typically give across all of Virginia and West Virginia.

Four grantmaking focuses

There are four grantmaking interests at CFV: education, arts and humanities, health, and human services. Human services has been the top priority for CFV in recent grant cycles. In 2022, for example, the funder awarded 50 human services grants, 13 arts and humanities grants, six education grants and six health grants.

Examples of human services grantees are the Abel Pregnancy Resource Center, Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens and Child Protect of Mercer County. Arts grantees include the Bramwell Theatre Corporation and City of Bluefield Parks and Recreation Department, while Read Aloud of Mercer County received an education grant and the Virginia Dental Association received a health grant.

Recent foundation giving

CFV has awarded over $4.6 million to regional nonprofits since 1997. This total represents its giving for both grants and scholarships. In a recent grant cycle, CFV’s 24th such cycle, the foundation awarded 75 grants totaling more than $405,000. Some CFV grants come from a general grantmaking fund while others are part of separate donor-designated and donor-advised funds.

In addition to grants, this funder awards scholarships to benefit students from Bluefield, Graham, Montcalm, Pikeview, Princeton, Tazewell and Richlands high schools. CFV also awards scholarships to college students. In a recent giving cycle, the funder approved 135 scholarships for 99 students, totaling $408,200.

Applying for a grant

CFV is a transparent and accessible community foundation that offers a relatively simple process for applying for a grant or scholarship. The funder provides a downloadable grant application and guidelines on its website. Grantseekers can also view a list of funds managed by CFV, including donor-advised, field-of-interest, unrestricted, scholarship and organizational endowment funds.

This foundation requires applications to be mailed or delivered to its office in Bluefield, West Virginia. The application deadline is the last business day of June each year. Foundation staff is available by phone for grantseeker questions.

You can learn more about philanthropy in this part of the southeastern U.S. by checking out IP’s Virginia and West Virginia guide for nonprofits.

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