October 29, 2014
Cameron Foundation approves 30 grants in its October cycle, many emphasizing partnerships
With the approval of 30 funding requests from nonprofit, faith, and government groups in its October cycle, The Cameron Foundation marks its tenth year of grantmaking in the Southside community. The Foundation board decided on the awards during its October meeting. This $1,250,827 in funding helps to bring the Foundation’s total grantmaking to over $69 million since 2004. “This is such a remarkable accomplishment, and we’re optimistic about where we’re headed,” commented Board Chair Larry C. Tucker.
During a recent ceremony to commemorate the Foundation’s 10-year mark, President J. Todd Graham outlined some of the ways that the Foundation plans to build on its first decade of work to achieve greater community impact. Funding more collaborative work is among the areas of emphasis. “We can’t achieve greater impact by acting alone,” he concluded.
For the October cycle, Grants Committee Chair Cleveland A. Wright noted that a number of grants involved partnerships, illustrating the Foundation’s grantmaking direction. The increased funding of $195,000 to FeedMore will support continuation of the group’s BackPack program and Mobile Pantry in the Foundation’s service area, as well as an expansion of its Meals on Wheels program in Colonial Heights and Hopewell. Part of the funding also will enable FeedMore to purchase a refrigerated storage unit, walk-in freezer, fork-lift, pallet jack and concrete pad. All of the equipment is needed for the group to establish its first regional food distribution hub, a best practice model from Feeding America that is being implemented by FeedMore as part of its strategic plan to achieve more equitable food distribution in its service area. The operations will be located at the Chesterfield Food Bank, which will receive and store food from FeedMore. Chesterfield Food Bank will use its trucks to deliver the food to agencies in Dinwiddie, Prince George, Sussex and Surry. Wright emphasized, “All of these efforts by FeedMore will rely heavily on multiple community partners to be successful.”
Wright cited the Communities in Schools grant as another example of an effort that will depend on many partners. The $50,000 award supports hiring a site coordinator for a school in Petersburg. The coordinator will work with school staff in identifying students at risk of not graduating; assessing school and student needs; and establishing relationships with local businesses, social service agencies, health care providers, and parent and volunteer organizations to harness the needed resources. The Communities in Schools model has been found to be effective by an independent assessment to decrease dropout rates, increase graduation rates, and improve proficiency rates in math and reading.
With $15,000 in grant funding, James River Association will engage in a collaborative planning process with citizens, businesses, local government, and local nonprofit organizations to inform what can be done to leverage the Appomattox River as a natural and historic resource in the region. The process will help to create a regional plan for recreational and economic development along the river. The project is part of the organization’s Envision The James initiative, which works with communities throughout the James River Watershed to help them develop local recreation and commerce plans that focus on their relationship with nearby rivers.
For the October grant cycle, the full list of recipients includes:
1021 Halifax Street Corporation – $25,876
Al-A-Mo Recovery Center, Inc. – $28,000
Art on Wheels, NFP – $15,000
Capital Area Partnership Uplifting People (CAPUP) – $17,000
Colonial Heights Food Pantry, Inc. – $60,000
Communities in Schools of Virginia – $50,000
Crater Community Hospice – $50,000
Crisis Assistance Response Emergency Shelter, Inc. (CARES) – $35,000
District 19 Community Service Board – $29,556
FeedMore, Inc. – $195,000
FLITE Foundation – $64,400
Gateway Homes of Greater Richmond – $35,000
Gillfield Baptist Church – $24,000
Greater Richmond SCAN – $35,000
James River Association – $15,000
Learn to Earn, Inc. – $95,000
Legal Aid Justice Center – $80,000
Martin’s Brandon Episcopal Church – $25,000
Prince George County Department of Social Services – $10,000
Reach Out and Read, Inc. – $10,000
Restoration of Petersburg Community Development Corporation – $71,435
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program–Southside, Inc. – $20,000
Science Museum of Virginia Foundation – $20,650
Serenity, Inc. – $40,000
Shepherd’s Center of Chesterfield – $6,500
Sussex County Virginia Historical Society – $104,160
Swift Creek Mill Theatre, Inc. – $50,000
Touchdown Club of Richmond – $3,000
Triangle Center for Development, Inc. – $23,750
Virginia Dental Health Foundation – $12,500
ABOUT THE CAMERON FOUNDATION
The Cameron Foundation is a private foundation that supports the work of nonprofits and partner agencies to improve the quality of life of residents in its service area. Founded in 2003, The Cameron Foundation was formed from the proceeds of the sale of Southside Regional Medical Center by the Hospital Authority of the City of Petersburg. Its service area encompasses the region historically served by the hospital and includes the cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell; the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Sussex; and the portion of Chesterfield County lying south of Route 10.