by Nicole Acosta | Jun 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
This week we congratulate the newest graduates of our Social Impact Institute’s Leading for Success leadership program for nonprofit leaders: Megan Belden, Deputy Director of Program Services, Legal Services of Northern Virginia Charlotte Fosque, Executive Director, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Samantha Kuhn, Executive Director, JK Community Farm Nicole Morris, Executive Director, Women Giving Back Olivia Rogers, Executive Director, Middleburg Community Center Kim Thornburg, Director of Development, Girls on the Run of NOVA Leading for Success participants completed this year-long program that builds leadership skills of nonprofit executives through executive coaching. Participants engaged in both individual and group coaching sessions with Leigh Shields of Leigh Shields and Associates. As an experienced consultant in executive coaching and leadership development, Leigh has now completed four years of coaching cohorts with Loudoun’s nonprofit leaders. “In the corporate world, executives frequently benefit from leadership coaching. However, nonprofits often lack the financial resources required to engage in quality executive coaching for their leaders,” said Nicole Acosta, Director of Grants and Nonprofit Programs for the Community Foundation. “The Community Foundation is grateful to be able to offer Leigh’s phenomenal coaching skills to our nonprofit leaders who might not otherwise have access to a program like this. We commend the organizations that participated for investing in their leadership through this program.” About the Social Impact Institute The Social Impact Institute offers deep-dive professional development programs for nonprofit leaders. 2020 programs of the Social Impact Institute include the Board Chair Roundtable, Leading for Success, the Learning Lab series, and Racial Equity Framework....
by Nicole Acosta | Jun 23, 2020 | Uncategorized
The following was written by Tracey White, who serves as Chair of the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors, as part of our Board Perspective blog series. By now everyone has seen the wonderful gestures of appreciation and thanks that communities around the globe have shown to the front line health care workers that have been caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a proud employee of a health care organization, it has been wonderful to see this outpouring of support for my colleagues who go above and beyond every day to care for the people in our hospitals and clinics. But, we have also seen countless other people serving on the front lines during the pandemic – restaurant and grocery workers that kept us fed, construction and service professionals that kept our vehicles and homes operational, teachers that continued to connect with students online and nonprofit workers who assisted those most vulnerable in our communities just to name a few. They kept working to fulfill our day-to-day needs despite the risks and challenges. Many of these members of our community have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic through the loss of work or reduced hours and benefits (if they had any), increased expenses and other challenges. Do you ever wonder how you might be able to help and thank them for their service and sacrifice during this unprecedented time? The Community Foundation of Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties has an answer for you! The Community Emergency Relief Fund was established to accept and strategically disburse funding to address COVID-19 emergency relief needs in Loudoun and Northern Fauquier...
by Nicole Acosta | Jun 19, 2020 | Uncategorized
Now Launching: Racial Equity Framework The Community Foundation’s Social Impact Institute launches the Racial Equity Framework, a three-part program providing nonprofit professionals and government partners tools for addressing race and racism, allyship, and organizational equity: Part 1: The Onion Dialogues: an introductory workshop for nonprofit executives and board members to discuss and learn about race and racism (July-August 2020; registration now open, information below) Part 2: Allyship: a workshop for nonprofit and local government professionals, providing participants with tools to become an ally for racial justice (September – October 2020; registration information coming soon). Part 3: 360 Equity Review: two nonprofit organizations will be selected receive feedback and technical assistance related to equitable policies, practices, and decision-making (fall/winter 2020; applications will be released August 2020). It is expected that organizations interested in the 360 Equity Review will have participated in both The Onion Dialogues and Allyship programs. Now Accepting Registration: The Onion Dialogues The Onion Dialogues, presented by Tamara Copeland and Amy Owen, provides nonprofit executives and Board members the opportunity to explore and normalize conversation about race. Just as an onion has many layers, The Onion Dialogues engages participants in a multi-faceted discussion about race. Exploring topics such as language, systemic racism throughout US history, microaggressions, white fragility, and more, Amy Owen and Tamara will lead participants through an interactive dialogue in this two-day introductory workshop The Onion Dialogues will be delivered via Zoom. Eligibility Due to limited availability, The Onion Dialogues is only available to teams of two: nonprofit executive directors/CEO’s and Board members of nonprofits serving Loudoun County. It is strongly encouraged that executive directors and...
by Nicole Acosta | Jun 18, 2020 | Uncategorized
Today the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties announces $100,000 in grants from its Community Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) to 16 nonprofit human service organizations. In March 2020, the Community Foundation established the CERF to strategically disburse funding to address COVID-19 emergency response and relief efforts in Loudoun. Since March, the CERF, along with Visit Loudoun Foundation’s Tourism and Hospitality Relief Fund, has distributed $165,000 to fund rental assistance through the COVID-19 Emergency Fund and Helpline, a program run in collaboration by Loudoun Cares and Catholic Charities of the Dioceses of Arlington. In May, the Community Foundation requested proposals from nonprofit organizations. Grants were considered for nonprofit members of Loudoun Human Services Network. The Loudoun Human Services Network is a coalition of human service nonprofits serving Loudoun residents. Grants were prioritized for organizations that saw increased demand for their services as it relates to COVID-19; organizations that needed to adjust service models to accommodate social distancing or other safety measures; or organizations that have lost revenue as a result of COVID-19. The Foundation created an advisory committee of local leaders representing business, philanthropic, faith-based, and government sectors reviewed applications and made funding recommendations. “The Loudoun Human Services Network’s values of collaboration, public-private partnership, and advocacy for our community’s vulnerable and at-risk residents are closely aligned with the Community Foundation’s priorities for grantmaking from the Community Emergency Relief Fund,” said Amy Owen, president of the Community Foundation. The following organizations were selected to receive grants: $10,000 grant to The Arc of Loudoun $6,000 grant to Crossroads Jobs $7,500 grant to ECHO $10,000 grant to Friends of Loudoun Mental...
by Nicole Acosta | Jun 16, 2020 | Uncategorized
The following was written by Connie Moore, who serves on the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors, as part of our Board Perspective blog series. The COVID-19 pandemic which has shaken our reality to the core, caused so much death, illness, and misery, and brought our economy to a standstill, is often described in superlatives. We’ve heard that this coronavirus is the most deadly pandemic since the Spanish Flu in 1918-1919, which killed 675,000 American souls. Another metric—US deaths caused by COVID-19 have already surpassed the total US military lives lost in the Korean War, Vietnam, Iraqi wars, 9/11, and Afghanistan. By any measure, COVID-19 has left an indelible, terrifying imprint upon the world. Recently I’ve been thinking about the parallels between this pandemic and my own long road to recovery after a crippling infection that left me hospitalized for three weeks. Afterwards, I was unable to stand, walk, or talk, much less smile. It literally took years of therapy to re-learn how to live and work in my new, more challenging world. Similarly, we are all re-learning how to live in this new, virus-infected world. And by “we,” I mean all of us – individuals, families, city dwellers, townspeople, rural populations, healthcare providers, teachers . . . the list goes on. We’ve all had to adjust, adapt, lament, rejigger our finances, carefully hunt down groceries, work from home, or look for new work – you name it, we’ve been compelled to adapt quickly. Think about it for a moment. In 2020 we have been forced, metaphorically, to re-learn how to “walk” and “talk” in this new world. In many...
