June 20, 2019
Cameron Foundation approves nearly $1.3 million in grant awards
The Cameron Foundation has approved $1,297,896 in new grant awards to benefit residents of the Tri-Cities area. The funding commitments result from the first of two responsive grant cycles for the year, with the second round to be decided in October. The Foundation also makes awards during other times of the year through its proactive grantmaking.
“While we continue to partner with many of the regionally serving nonprofits, such as Virginia’s Gateway Region and Central Virginia Health Services, The Cameron Foundation also had the opportunity to support some smaller, significant community-based efforts this time,” said The Cameron Foundation’s Board Chair Pam Martin Comstock.
Among new grantees this cycle, the Jessica Ann Moore Foundation received $8,580 for its operations in Sussex County, and The Southside High School Alumni Association was awarded $4,000 to purchase a portable sound system and to support events as part of its Continuing the History and Legacy of African American Education in Dinwiddie County project.
Located in the former Annie B. Jackson Elementary School in Waverly, the Jessica Ann Moore Foundation has converted the building into a community center. The center is becoming a hub for various educational and recreational activities, ranging from after-school tutoring to family-focused events. “The Community Center provides a place where residents in Sussex and the surrounding communities can come to receive information on educational opportunities, community involvement, and many other activities to support one’s well-being,” explained Dr. Phyllis Moore-Tolliver, executive officer of the Jessica Ann Moore Foundation. The center is open Tuesday, Thursday and two Saturdays a month.
The Southside High School Alumni Association works to preserve the legacy of the Dinwiddie Normal Industrial Institute, later named Southside High School, through activities that acknowledge the importance of the history of African American education in Dinwiddie County. Dinwiddie Normal Industrial Institute was the first African American high school built in the county during the segregation era. The alumni association is working to create a museum at the historic site, tracing the school’s history and the struggles that African Americans endured to ensure a free and equitable education for students of color in Dinwiddie County. Association President Sharon B. Yates explained, “This project produces a positive impact by helping future generations understand the importance of education. In some part, today’s youth enjoys a more equitable education because of the contributions that these earlier generations of African Americans made to improving our community.”
For these two new grantees, Cameron’s Grants Committee Chair Jeffrey W. Geisz noted, “Both the grant to the Jessica Ann Moore Foundation and to The Southside High School Alumni Association support valuable community-based efforts in rural areas within our service region. We strive to balance how our resources are distributed across the region, and these two examples lift up some of the important work that is taking place in Sussex and Dinwiddie counties.”
The full list of responsive grants for the June cycle includes:
Al-A-Mo Recovery Center, Inc. – $25,000
American Red Cross – $22,500
Art on Wheels – $14,000
Central Virginia Health Services, Inc. – $183,063
Chesterfield CASA, Inc. – $18,000
Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Alliance for Social Ministry (CCHASM) – $22,500
ChildSavers-Memorial Child Guidance Clinic – $25,000
Colonial Heights Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services EMS – $16,000
Communities In Schools of Petersburg – $70,250
CultureWorks, Inc. – $7,500
District 19 Community Services Board – $22,500
FLITE Foundation – $35,100
GReat Aspirations Scholarship Program (GRASP) – $15,000
Greater Richmond Fit4Kids, Inc. – $40,500
Hopewell Downtown Partnership – $30,000
Hopewell Food Pantry – $35,000
HumanKind – $10,000
Jessica Ann Moore Foundation – $8,680
Lamb Center for Arts and Healing – $10,000
Literacy Lab – $22,500
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Virginia – $95,000
Meadowview Biological Research Station – $20,000
Petersburg Health Department – $125,000
Reach Out for Life – $27,000
Smart Beginnings Southeast – $49,550
Southside Virginia Emergency Crew, Inc. – $123,071
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church – $25,000
The Southside High School Alumni Association – $4,000
Virginia’s Gateway Region Inc. – $151,182
YMCA of Greater Richmond – $45,000