Impact Stories

In a powerful episode of the We’re Good podcast, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia (CFNOVA) takes center stage as a philanthropic changemaker driving meaningful impacts across the region. Host Lee Ann Necessary Brownlee sits down with CFNOVA President & CEO, Renée Byng Yancey and fund partner, Benton Fisher to explore how the Foundation responds to both urgent crises and long-term community needs.

Fairfax, VA (March 26, 2025) – The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia (CFNOVA) convened hundreds of leaders, community members, and changemakers for its annual Shape of the Region conference, an essential gathering focused on the pressing challenges and opportunities shaping the region’s future. This year’s event focused on youth well-being, addressing issues like bullying, school safety, substance abuse, and mental health access.

On Tuesday, March 4th, the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia reached out to our 2025 discretionary grant applicants and sent them a Pulse Survey regarding federal funding impacts. Out of the 225 organizations that received the request, 113 completed the survey. Of those that responded, about 53 receive federal funding and 60 do not. For the organizations that DO receive federal funding, the range is 1% to 95% of their overall budget. The key takeaways we learned from those who receive federal funding are that:

January 31, 2025 (Greater Washington Area) - Several of the region’s leading community foundations have partnered to launch the DCA Together Relief Fund, a crisis support fund for Flight 5342 and Army Black Hawk Families, in conjunction with the Wichita Foundation. Managed by the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the fund will provide aid to impacted families, first responders, and nonprofit organizations to support the immediate and basic needs, recovery, and healing of impacted families and communities.

The legacy of Amy Takayama-Perez is characterized by a commitment to educational opportunity, equal access, and inclusivity. According to her best friend Julie Simmons, Amy wanted to “build a longer table and make room for diverse perspectives at the table,” a goal she pursued for 23 years as the Dean of Admissions at George Mason University. Yet Amy’s time was cut tragically short when she passed away last year following a courageous battle against triple-negative breast cancer.

Nevertheless, Julie and the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia team carry on Amy’s torch through the Amy Takayama-Perez Fund for George Mason University and its scholarship programs. Here, we survey Julie’s philanthropic career with the Community Foundation and why she started a fund in memory of her best friend.

The hardships of those who flee their homes due to war, persecution, or natural disasters aren’t over when they arrive in an asylum country. Integrating into a new culture presents an array of novel (yet still demanding) challenges and obstacles. With that in mind, the Community Foundation team established the Afghan Relief and Resettlement Fund in 2021 to help the thousands of asylum seekers resettling in Northern Virginia.

Collective action ushers in community-wide impacts. This principle underlies the Virginia Funders Network (VFN), a statewide association of 130+ philanthropy organizations seeking to address the region’s most urgent needs. At the beginning of May, the VFN held its 3rd annual conference in Richmond, a sold-out event that drew over 300 members of the Commonwealth’s philanthropic community. The Community Foundation’s Sari Raskin, Vice President of Grants and Community Leadership, and Renée Byng Yancey, President and CEO, had the opportunity to attend the event. There, they learned about the issues Virginians face and the innovative programs emerging to address those issues.

• Only 1.8 percent of charitable giving is dedicated to women and girls, and the share dedicated to women of color is even smaller; approximately 0.5% in the U.S. (Source: Women and Girls Index, 2023)
• In 2021, women represented 35% of the STEM workforce; up from 32% in 2010 (Source: National Science Foundation). Specifically, women make up 25% of jobs in computer science and 15% of jobs in engineering (Source: Pew Research Center, 2021)
• In evaluating STEM programming by impact on girls interest, confidence, competence and value, GirlScounts USA found that participation in even ONE program can make a difference

The 2023 Champions for Accountability Badge, awarded in partnership between the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia and the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, recognizes more than 40 employers willing to collect, share, and act on data about the diversity of their leadership. To receive the badge, an organization must operate in Virginia, Maryland, and/ or Washington DC; collect demographic data on board members and/or c-suite members and executives; and have completed the application by 31 August, 2023. By accepting their badges, the Champions commit to the following action: