March 1, 2012
Cameron Foundation Issues Newest Round of Grant Awards, Announces Board Changes and Updates Grantmaking Priorities.
During its February meeting, The Cameron Foundation’s Board of Directors approved $1,077,460 in new grants to nonprofits serving the Tri-Cities area. The awards support work across a diverse range of efforts in the community. In this meeting, the board also made its transition to a new group of officers and updated the Foundation’s priorities for 2012.
The board approved the following grant awards for the February cycle:
Alzheimer’s Association – $32,270
Appomattox Regional Library System – $175,000
Better Business Bureau Foundation – $4,520
Crisis Assistance Response Emergency Shelter, Inc. – $70,000
Dinwiddie Department of Social Services – $25,770
Equal Justice America – $18,000
Greater Richmond SCAN – $35,000
Hopewell Food Pantry – $30,000
Hopewell-Prince George Healthy Families – $50,000
Ladies Memorial Association of Petersburg – $20,000
Legacy Media Institute – $25,000 MDC, Inc. – $20,000
One Voice Chorus, Inc. – $15,000
Petersburg Library Foundation, Inc. – $62,000
REDC Community Capital Group, Inc. – $50,000
Science Museum of Virginia Foundation – $34,000
Shepherd’s Center of Chesterfield – $7,000
Southern Initiative of the Algebra Project, Inc. – $125,000
Smart Beginnings/Hopewell-Prince George – $50,000
Virginia Association for Competitive Swimming (VACS) – $3,900
Virginia’s Gateway Region – $225,000
The Foundation’s board opened this first meeting of the year with its new slate of officers. These individuals include Larry C. Tucker, chair; Pam Martin Comstock, vice chair; Kevin A. Hill, secretary; and Donald L. Haraway, treasurer. Ann C. Taylor is immediate past chair. With the transition of board chairs, Tucker emphasized, “Ann has truly shown great leadership of this foundation over the last few years. We have seen first-hand her deep commitment to this community, and we’re very fortunate that she will continue to bring her valuable contributions to this board as we move ahead in 2012.”
Tucker expressed the board’s gratitude to Betty W. Thweatt, who retired from the board after serving since 2003 as a founding member. “Betty had been with us since the beginning, and we were sorry to see her retire. She will always remain a part of this Foundation’s legacy,” he added.
Tucker also welcomed new member Chequila Fields, noting, “Although Chequila is a new member of our board, she is not new to the Foundation. She understands our calling to improve the quality of life for people in this region.” Fields had served on the selection committee for the Foundation’s Cleveland A. Wright Award for Outstanding Community Service since the program was created in 2007. Additionally, she had actively worked on the Foundation’s Health Advisory Council, which helps to inform the Foundation’s grantmaking in its Health program area.
Additionally during the meeting, the board made changes to the Foundation’s competitive grant program. President and CEO Handy L. Lindsey, Jr. explained, “Given the backdrop of the economic recession, over the last few years it has been the practice of The Cameron Foundation’s Board of Directors to review the Foundation’s grant priorities annually and make adjustments.” As part of this most recent review, the board determined that funding would be suspended in 2012 for the Cultural Enrichment program area. The change only applies to the competitive grant program, and local organizations with a focus on cultural enrichment will continue to be eligible for the Foundation’s Technical Assistance grants. Other changes included updates to the funding priorities in some of the remaining program areas and relieving last year’s restrictions in the Conservation & Historic Preservation category to allow local preservation organizations to apply for capital grants.