December 13, 2024
Cameron Foundation marks 20th anniversary with new grants in October 2024 cycle and ceremony
Concluding its latest responsive grant cycle, The Cameron Foundation approved $1,485,282 in funding for 36 nonprofits serving the Tri-Cities region.
This grant cycle also marked the Foundation’s 20th anniversary of investment in the Tri-Cities region, which was celebrated at Cameron’s annual meeting on October 30.
“When we announced our first-ever grants in October 2004 at our inaugural ceremony, I’m sure it was hard to conceive of what could be accomplished over the next 20 years,” reflected The Cameron Foundation’s Board Chair, Vandy V. Jones, III. During the 2024 annual meeting, the program included a series of videos to help tell the story of Cameron’s formation, work with community partners, and a look into some of the trends for the future.
“It is a tall order to capture 20 years of aspirational work, innovation, and sometimes taking risks to try something different, and I think our community partners have done a beautiful job of conveying both the effort, and the impact,” Jones concluded in his remarks during the event.
To date, The Cameron Foundation has made 1,607 awards to 352 different charitable organizations, with total investments now exceeding $113 million.
Among the awards made in the most recent cycle, the Southeast 4-H Educational Center is receiving $87,000 to replace ceiling tiles as part of its current major capital improvement project. The center, which is located in Wakefield, provides affordable, nature-based educational experiences to youth and families across 16 Virginia counties.
Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation became a new grantee this cycle with a $50,000 award towards its Crater Area Homeownership Center. As a nonprofit housing developer, the organization works to create viable, thriving and sustainable communities and is the oldest historically Black-led, affordable housing nonprofit in Central Virginia.
Mirroring the housing affordability crisis in communities across the United States, a number of areas in The Cameron Foundation’s footprint struggle with severe housing cost burdens. As high as 42.5% of residents in parts of Cameron’s service area devote a disproportionate amount of their income to housing expenses. According to The Cameron Foundation’s 2022 Service Area Report Card, Virginia’s statewide housing cost burden average was 28.2%.
The Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation is addressing many of these challenges through a holistic and innovative approach that integrates affordable housing development, HUD-approved housing counseling, and bilingual services through its Financial Opportunity Centers. As The Cameron Foundation prioritizes its investments around addressing both health and social determinants of health, creating safe, affordable housing is considered a critical component of that work.
To view the full list of October 2024 grantees, visit our Past Grant Recipients page.