Impact Stories

A retired IT professional turned philanthropist, Meera Pillai is an influential figure in Northern Virginia nonprofit circles who has become prominent through board membership and outreach. She left a lucrative IT career to pursue philanthropy, which she felt was her life's purpose. Since then, Meera has served as Board Chair of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of DC, a member of the Board of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, and a member of the Board of Educate Fairfax.

As a second-generation Indian-American, Meera appreciates the value of paying it forward, as such opportunities enabled her family’s pursuit and achievement of the American Dream. Indeed, Meera was pivotal in the recent launch of The Scholarship Fund for Northern Virginia, which supports local students pursuing higher education at a Virginia public college.

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia has awarded $506,600 in scholarships for the 2024-2025 school year to 114 students pursuing higher education. This substantial financial support encapsulates our 35 Community Foundation scholarship funds launched by individual donors over the years wishing to make a difference for students in Northern Virginia and beyond. Together, these efforts reflect the Foundation’s commitment to fostering educational opportunities and supportive legacies throughout the region.

Healthy Kids Grants are awarded each year to individual public schools in Northern Virginia that implement a program or strategy to encourage better nutrition/ more physical activity, or better mental health among their student body during the school year. In its thirteenth year, the 2023 grants review committee has awarded $28,535 to fourteen school programs.  Healthy Kids Grants are made possible by the Avalon Charitable Fund, the Chin Family Charitable Fund, the Minton Family Charitable Fund, and the JOY Charitable Fund, all of which are component funds at the Community Foundation.

If you’re a high school senior or current college student looking for funds to help cover the cost of college, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is accepting applications for college scholarships for the 2021 – 2022 school year. Eligible students include high school seniors, undergraduates, and graduate students in Northern Virginia.

Community Foundation manages twelve scholarships and administers the funds for 18 other scholarships that support Northern Virginia students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees.

To nurture the mental health and well-being of all members of the Northern Virginia community.

2026 Mental Health Fund Grantee, Trilium Center

In 2019, about eight percent of our population was dealing with active symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. In 2021, that rate is 28 percent, a nearly four-fold increase, and impacts nearly 550,000 adults in the region. An additional 200,000 adults are asymptomatic consumers of mental health services who are receiving (or want to receive) treatment. All told, over 750,000 adults in Northern Virginia (39 percent) have mental health needs. (Finding Our Way Back to Mental Health, 2021)

Health and safety concerns are growing among youth in Northern Virginia, with a significant number of students reporting feeling unsafe in their neighborhoods and at school. Nearly 15% of middle school students feel unsafe in their surroundings, with Hispanic/Latino students reporting higher levels of fear. The rise of electronic bullying, which has grown by 30% from 2013 to 2023, highlights the increasing challenges faced by youth. The impact of bullying is further reflected in the mental health crisis, with youth deaths by suicide increasing by 45% since the last report. (A Portrait of Northern Virginia's Youth, 2025)

To help nurture the emotional health and well-being of all members of the Northern Virginia community, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia makes grants with a focus in Mental Health annually through the Community Investment Funds grant cycle.

The Mental Health Fund, a component fund of The Permanent Fund for Northern Virginia, is a permanent community endowment at the Community Foundation dedicated to the mental health and well-being of all members of the Northern Virginia community.
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