by Amy Owen | Aug 31, 2018 | Uncategorized
In our backyard, there are two families who are likely to never meet. The first just lost the transmission in their car and depend upon three jobs to make ends meet. Thankfully, there are a number of nonprofit organizations that will help them stretch their dollars until they are back on the feet. The other family has been fortunate here in Loudoun County. They are eager to give back. As President/CEO of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties, my job brings me into contact with both. We often say that our work is to “connect donors who care with causes that matter.” It is what inspires our FacesofLoudoun.org community service campaign. It is what makes Loudoun County such a great place to grow up and grow old. We have a number of fund “instruments” to help our donors fulfill their charitable vision. One of the most well-known, donor advised funds or DAFs, are a philanthropic tool used by many different entities. In our organization, they play an important role in our community. The fact is, over our 19 years serving Loudoun County, we have developed deep expertise in our nonprofit landscape and keen understanding of our community’s needs. DAFs allow us to work directly with caring individuals who seek to philanthropically invest in our community to ensure their gifts achieve the greatest good. Donor advised funds are very nimble and flexible. This is critical when a crisis hits or unexpected opportunities arise: whether it’s advancing a newly identified need or responding to a natural disaster. What’s more, DAFs are actively invested alongside our community endowments allowing...
by Nicole Acosta | Aug 30, 2018 | Uncategorized
As summer comes to an end, the Community Foundation is busy planning and preparing our fall programs. Don’t forget to mark your calendar and register for our upcoming events! Nonprofit Academy The Human Element to Business Development Tuesday, September 11, 2018 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Leesburg Junction Register Here Pam Jones, of Extraordinary Transitions – Long & Foster, will facilitate a two-part discussion during this workshop that will begin with focusing on Communication Skills and Secrets and will conclude with an Evaluation Plan of Results. Building a Wills & Bequests Program for Your Nonprofit Thursday, October 25, 2018 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Leesburg Junction Register Here Amy Owen, President and CEO of Community Foundation, will guide you through building a Wills and Bequest program. Explore ways you can build a program that will attract your donors to your mission with a final gift, often of high impact and generosity. (New to the Nonprofit Academy? Learn more here.) 2018 Philanthropy Summit Thursday, October 18, 2018 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Loudoun County Public Schools Administration Building RSVP Here Join us for a series of conversations with needs and solutions in mind. Learn more from our nonprofit and human service leaders as we explore our community’s roadmap to behavioral health, teen wellness, and substance abuse. Be a part of the dialogue about why philanthropy matters, and how we can work together to strengthen our community. Other Noteworthy and Upcoming Events Making Sense of Today’s Economy and Investing Tuesday, September 11, 2018 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Register Here Estate planning professionals: join the Loudoun Estate Planning...
by Nicole Acosta | Aug 24, 2018 | Community Issues
Faces of Loudoun has some new neighbors for you to meet – and new community needs to learn more about. Have you met Keely? Keely’s perseverance as a mom, coupled with help from a Loudoun nonprofit speech and hearing center, helped her child get the care that he needed to live a happy, healthy life. Have you met Amado? Amado’s resilience, coupled with help from a Loudoun food pantry and community health center, helped him maintain a healthy, sober life after his recovery from alcohol addiction. Have you met Carol? Carol’s passion for making change in our community, coupled with her expertise and leadership skills, help her lead one of Loudoun County’s safety net organizations providing health care to Loudoun residents. What is Faces of Loudoun? Working with leaders from varied backgrounds (educators, grantmakers, grant seekers, faith based, government, and business) the Community Foundation has zeroed in on a missing ingredient in Loudoun County: a strong sense of charitable giving and philanthropy. The Faces of Loudoun is a community service campaign sharing true stories of our neighbors in need to help increase local knowledge, spark increased charitable giving, and promote volunteerism. Don’t miss out on our new stories – follow us on Facebook. Check out more stories at: http://www.facesofloudoun.org....
by Nicole Acosta | Aug 14, 2018 | Endowment
The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties (CF) is honored to announced that a newly gifted scholarship fund has been created to benefit graduates of Loudoun County High School (LCHS). Henry C. Stowers’s estate created the Loudoun County High School Scholarship Fund with a $665,000 endowment and will make an annual award of approximately $20,000 per year to four students. The award will be renewable for four years for a potential of $20,000 in total support to each LCHS graduate recipient. The first scholarship was awarded to Danning Bisaga, a 2018 graduate of LCHS who plans to attend the University of Virginia this fall and pursue her interest in studying psychiatry or psychology. “This is a wonderful opportunity. Thank you,” stated Bisaga. “This fund is a substantial gift to Loudoun County. We are honored to have been chosen to steward its growth to ensure hundreds of graduates of Loudoun County High School benefit from this incredibly generous gift,” said Amy Owen, president of the Community Foundation. “By all accounts, Henry was a very kind soul who was a ‘giver, not a taker.’ This scholarship fund is an example of his spirit of giving.” Stowers was a lifelong farmer and an avid photographer. He served on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors from 1972 to 1979 and on the Loudoun County Soil and Water Conservation District from 1980 to 1986. He also held leadership positions in many Loudoun County and regional organizations, including service on the boards of the Loudoun County Farm Bureau, the Southern States Cooperative, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Committee, and the Planters’ Club. He...
by Nicole Acosta | Aug 7, 2018 | Blog Thoughts
Calling grant seekers! Does your organization serve low income, at-risk, or special needs youth, older adults, or people with disabilities? The Loudoun Impact Fund, a partnership between the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties and Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, is currently accepting proposals for programs that advance youth and elderly welfare, and services for people with disabilities. The Loudoun Impact Fund is a giving circle of annual philanthropic investors who review and recommend grants into our Loudoun community. Each year, members of the giving circle select their top priorities for grantmaking in Loudoun. We request proposals for funding that will positively impact the priorities they selected; you submit a carefully prepared application, requesting funding for your good work. So, you wonder, what might nudge your application to be selected as one of the top-ranked proposals? Here are our tips to help your proposal stand out: The details matter. Carefully reviewing your narrative and budget to ensure you completely answer each question in the application requirements is an important step to make sure the reviewers have all the information they need. But, keep it simple. The art of crafting detailed yet concise messaging related to your organization’s work comes with practice and careful editing. It’s tempting to wax poetic about your proposed project or program; after all, your organization is doing great things, and probably a lot of them! But keep in mind the reviewers are reading many proposals. You want yours to be easily digested and understood. Avoid assuming. Remember, our reviewers may not be familiar with your organization, even if your organization is a previous...
