Grants & Scholarships

Our Grant Making


The Community Foundation of the New River Valley has two avenues of grant making: our twice-yearly grant cycles and ongoing distributions from donor-advised funds. In addition we have a scholarship program.

The fields of interest covered by our grants are social services, education, community and civic affairs, arts and culture, health, libraries and museums, religion, and the conservation and preservation of natural historical resources.

Our distribution committee oversees our grantmaking and all our distributions are approved by the board of directors.



How to apply for Grants 


Requests For Proposals for our Spring and Fall grant cycles go out in January and July respectively. Grants are awarded in May and November.

 A typical grant amount is $500 or $1,000 although we sometimes give larger grants. We look for situations where our funding can make a significant impact.

You can receive an RFP online by visiting the Grants page or call us to be added to our mailing list.

Our Scholarship Program

The Class of 2011 scholarship recipients of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley reflected the enthusiasm and commitment which has been directed to this program by board members and donors alike.

 The foundation now has a growing and vibrant scholarship committee. Visit our Scholarships page to download the 2012 application.

The CFNRV has been blessed with a number of generous donors interested in funding scholarships. This allowed us to make distributions from 15 scholarship funds this year with total of $33,286 serving 27 students.

The foundation now has a catalogue of scholarship funds and is working towards developing networks of support for scholarship winners which will allow them to take full advantage of their educational opportunities.
 Call 381-8999 for further details of our scholarship program.

How to apply for Scholarships

Scholarship packets are distributed to area high schools in mid-fall and are also available online or by calling the CFNRV office. There is one application form for all scholarship funds, though students should be mindful that some funds require additional essays. The deadline for applications is in February. High school students submit their applications to their guidance counselor while all other applicants can send their applications directly to the CFNRV. Applications are reviewed in March and winners are announced in April. Scholarship recipients and their families are encouraged to attend the CFNRV’s May Annual Meeting to be recognized.