Impact Stories

Leading and Convening the Community

October 14, 2019

Annual Gala Raises $570,000 to Support Critical Needs in the Northern Virginia Region

(Oakton, VA) – Major General Carl H. McNair, Jr. (RET) of Springfield, Virginia has been awarded the 2019 Community Leadership Award presented by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. General McNair was recognized for his lifetime of community leadership, public service, and philanthropy during 2019 Raise the Region Gala held on Friday, October 4, 2019, at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.

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October 14, 2019
Dear Community Foundation Friends and Supporters,

It was pure joy celebrating home and place with you at the Community Foundation’s 2019 Raise the Region Gala on Friday, October 4th. Thank you for coming, for supporting our work, and for helping us honor Major General Carl McNair (RET) with the 2019 Community Leadership Award.

The event raised $570,000, which beat our expectations. It was a terrific outcome made possible by the dedication and hard work of the Community Foundation’s Board, staff, our amazing event honoree Carl, an army of caring volunteers and auction donors, a tireless Gala Committee, Gala Chair Ki Ho Kang, and the generosity of our many wonderful sponsors and supporters listed here.

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September 30, 2019
(Oakton, VA) - Public Art serves as a powerful tool that welcomes people to visit, engage, and enjoy space in a unique way. Leaders across the country recognize the power of public art to break down cultural barriers and advance their missions in housing, workforce, transportation, health, and the environment.

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September 3, 2019
Cities across America are recognizing the power of public art to break down cultural barriers and advance their missions in housing, workforce, transportation, health, and the environment. The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia will explore the impact of this movement when it presents “Public Art and Placemaking” in its next Innovation Breakfast Series event.

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June 27, 2019
Bernard MustafaBernard Mustafa, SVP & General Manager of PVBS an Xtivia Company, is Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s new chairman of the board of directors effective July 1, 2019 He is a highly respected executive in government contractor circles. A frequent participant on numerous industry panels, Bernard has regularly been tapped by Microsoft to provide insight and ideas on how to grow Microsoft Dynamics as the premier ERP solution for government contractors and other professional services industries. He leads corporate strategy efforts at PVBS and is a champion for the company globally.

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April 30, 2019

2019 Community Investment Grants Will Help Respond to Critical Community Needs in Northern Virginia Region

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia announced 41 winners of its annual Community Investment Funds grant cycle for 2019. The $404,792 in grants is a record amount ever awarded by Community Foundation and will help local organizations provide critical services to residents throughout Northern Virginia, including programs that help to improve the health, education, and general wellbeing of residents, communities, and the entire region.

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April 1, 2019

Count the Region Initiative Launched to Get Out the Count

CountTheRegionLogo BlueToday, April 1, 2019, marks one year out from Census Day 2020, and the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is launching its’ Count the Region Initiative to help ensure a complete and fair 2020 census count in the Northern Virginia region.

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April 1, 2019

With one year to go, Community Foundation works to ensure accurate census count for Northern Virginia

Today, April 1, 2019, marks one year out from Census Day 2020, and the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is launching its’ Count the Region Initiative to help ensure a complete and fair 2020 census count in the Northern Virginia region.

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March 15, 2019
Oakton, VA - For all its growth and wealth Northern Virginia is home to many people who find it nearly impossible to climb the economic ladder from poverty or near-poverty to improve their individual or family’s socioeconomic status.

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February 21, 2019

2017-2018 Annual Report

CFNOVA AnnualReport2017 2018 CoverThe Community Foundation for Northern Virginia released its 2017-2018 Annual Report, “Celebrating 40 Years” of making a difference in the region. The report highlights major milestones, including the launch of the campaign to grow The Permanent Fund for Northern Virginia, and a community endowment that will be a forever source of critical support for our most vulnerable neighbors.

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February 21, 2019
The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia released its 2017-2018 Annual Report, “Celebrating 40 Years” of making a difference in the region. The report highlights major milestones, including the launch of the campaign to grow The Permanent Fund for Northern Virginia, and a community endowment that will be a forever source of critical support for our most vulnerable neighbors. The Annual Report is available here.

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February 12, 2019

TEDx Tysons Talk Released

Eileen TEDx imageHave you ever wondered what motivates individual charitable giving? Why do people behave in such an altruistic or seemingly altruistic manner? Eileen Ellsworth, President and CEO of Community Foundation for Northern Virginia recently took the TEDx stage to deliver a fresh perspective on “Why we give – The need to connect and belong.” In this thought-provoking presentation Ellsworth shares a collection of eye-opening stories that reveal a new insight — that perhaps explains why do people give?

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December 5, 2018
Dear Amazon,

Welcome to Northern Virginia! As the timeframe for your decision on HQ2 drew closer, those of us who already call this region home began to think about how we’d welcome you to our community. Community foundations have a more than 100-year history as community conveners and conversation brokers who work tirelessly to preserve, enhance and protect the quality of life for our neighbors. This role often places us directly in the middle of our community’s most important decisions, most pressing issues, and most promising opportunities. Many in our community believe that your decision to locate HQ2 in Northern Virginia is the most impactful event to happen in each of these categories in a generation.

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November 5, 2018

America’s largest independent charity evaluator

charitynavigatorThe Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.

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October 23, 2018

An Initiative to help get out the count in Northern Virginia for the 2020 Decennial Census

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia has announced its plans to launch “Count the Region,” an initiative that is dedicated to getting out the count for the 2020 Decennial Census in Northern Virginia and to ensuring that everyone living in the region is counted, counted once, and counted in the right place.

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October 10, 2018

Annual Gala Raised $636,000 to Support Critical Needs in the Northern Virginia Region

Ellen and Jim Dyke were recognized by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia for their history of passionate leadership and philanthropy with the 2018 Community Leadership Award at the Raise the Region Gala held on Friday, October 5, 2018 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.

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September 17, 2018

Reviving the Dream: Designing Technology for Social Wellbeing

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia recently partnered with the WHEELS Global Foundation to hold an Innovation Breakfast Series event titled, "Reviving the Dream: Designing Technology for Social Wellbeing." More than 100 guests attended the event.

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July 13, 2018

By Joshua D. Stillman, CFP®

Josh Stillman Headshot VerticalWhat are the greatest needs in Northern Virginia and how can we meet them?

This thought-provoking question was recently posed at a dinner hosted by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. The question resonated with me – how can I help? However, it immediately prompted another personal question in need of answering first: Should I?

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June 26, 2018
Recently, former Community Foundation Board members and staff reunited to reminsce about the 40 year history of the Foundation.

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May 14, 2018

Changing the Frame on Green Energy

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission co-hosted an Innovation Breakfast on May 10, 2018 titled, “Changing the Frame on Green Energy.” More than 100 participants attended the event.

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