Danville Regional Foundation
Danville Regional Foundation (DRF) is a private foundation based in Danville, Virginia. It makes long-term investments to support revitalization in the Dan River Region, including work to improve education, economic vitality, community wellness, financial stability, and civic capacity.
Danville Regional Foundation at a glance
In short: Danville Regional Foundation gave $11.2M across 88 grants in 2024 (avg $128K), mostly in Virginia. 58% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $11,242,040
- -8.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 88
- +95.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $127,750
- -53.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $18,560
- Total assets
- $281,905,646
- +5.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 58% first-time grantees (40 of 69, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (99% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Danville Regional Foundation
- How to Apply
-
DRF says proposals may be submitted at any time and encourages prospective applicants to meet with staff before submitting a proposal, though this is not required. Applicants should refer to the foundation’s grant proposal guidelines for full application details. The foundation supports programs operating or benefiting residents of Danville and Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and Caswell County, North Carolina. DRF says the process from inquiry to receipt of funds may take three to eight months.
- Contact
Application contact: Mr Clark Casteel Pres Ceo
Mailing address: 512 Bridge St 100, Danville, VA 24541
Phone: (434) 799-2176
Website: https://www.drfonline.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Danville Regional Foundation
Who Danville Regional Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Averett University ($3.5M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $10.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
273 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 185 grants of 273 (68%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
DRF’s stated service area includes the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County in Virginia, and Caswell County in North Carolina. In 2024, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia and 1% to recipients in North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 88 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Danville Regional Foundation open to new grantees?
58%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 40 of 69 grantees (58%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $369K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $36K repeat.
- 23% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 47% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 100% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $7.1M (2020) to $16.2M (2022). In 2024 it made 88 grants totaling $11.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Averett University Danville, VA | Operating Support | $3,000,000 |
| City of Danville VA Danville, VA | Riverfront Park | $2,000,000 |
| Southside Business Technology Center (SBTC) Danville, VA | The Launch Place Phase 2 | $1,738,830 |
| Smart Beginnings Danville, VA | School Readiness Initiative III | $906,853 |
| Averett University Danville, VA | Crisis Management | $500,000 |
| Piedmont Community College Charlottesville, VA | Center for Educational & Agricultural Development (Cead) | $500,000 |
| Community Foundation of the Dan River Region Danville, VA | Re-Granting '23-'25 & Professional Development | $300,000 |
| Institute for Advanced Learning and Research Danville, VA | Dan River Region Collaborative - 3 Years | $297,965 |
| River District Association Danville, VA | River District Revitalization Expansion | $250,000 |
| City of Danville Parks and Recreation Danville, VA | Westmoreland Park | $191,787 |
Ready to take the next step with Danville Regional Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $281,905,646 | $16,358,419 | $11,820,038 | $11,242,040 | 88 | $13,391,127 | $13,747,753 | $13,428,765 |
| 2023 | $266,334,754 | $13,320,686 | $16,560,686 | $12,234,144 | 45 | $14,478,695 | $10,186,008 | $12,339,480 |
| 2022 | $247,460,504 | $26,099,177 | $14,752,598 | $16,169,235 | 53 | $18,633,078 | $23,874,367 | $12,005,978 |
| 2021 | $280,479,931 | $21,605,962 | $29,233,354 | $7,671,986 | 52 | $10,102,246 | $19,606,050 | $13,125,025 |
| 2020 | $251,188,385 | $13,877,931 | $9,367,354 | $7,057,056 | 35 | — | $12,157,412 | $10,867,959 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Danville Regional Foundation reported a distributable amount of $13.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
DRF’s mission is to be a catalyst for long-term transformation through the development, promotion, and support of impactful activities and programs that address the health, education, and well-being of all Dan River Region residents. Its website describes its work as emphasizing long-term regional revitalization, collaboration, and investments that produce visible community impact.
The 2024 grants include support for education, early-childhood readiness, community development, and economic development projects. Grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported: Averett University says it prepares students to serve and lead as catalysts for positive change; the Danville Science Center says it promotes science education; and House of Hope says it provides emergency and transitional shelter and support to people in need.
Grantmaking
In 2024, DRF reported 88 grants totaling $11,242,040. Grant amounts ranged from $300 to $3,000,000, with a median of $18,560. In 2023, it reported 45 grants totaling $12,234,144; in 2022, it reported 53 grants totaling $16,169,235.
Among the largest 2024 awards were $3,000,000 to Averett University for operating support, $2,000,000 to the City of Danville for Riverfront Park, $1,738,830 to Southside Business Technology Center for The Launch Place Phase 2, and $906,853 to Smart Beginnings for School Readiness Initiative III. Other awards included $500,000 to Piedmont Community College for its Center for Educational & Agricultural Development and $300,000 to the Community Foundation of the Dan River Region for re-granting and professional development.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Clark Casteel as president and CEO; Jon C. Sells as CFO and treasurer; Alexis Ehrhardt as chair; Paul Irwin as vice chair; and Shirley Joo Hite as secretary and executive assistant. It also lists Charles Majors, Martha A. Walker, Jim Bebeau, Maggy Gregory, and Maurice Ferrell as directors.
Danville Regional Foundation is led by Clark Casteel, President & CEO on every filing since 2020; 3 of 12 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Clark Casteel
President & CEO
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$231K (2020) → $318K (2024)
Alexis I Ehrhardt
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2022
Vice Chair → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Charles Majors
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Greg Hairston
Director
Vice Chair → Chair, 2022
Chair → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Martha A. Walker
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jim Bebeau
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maggy Gregory
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maurice Ferrell
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Ashworth
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jon C. Sells
CFO & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$42K (2020) → $156K (2024)
Shirley Joo Hite
Secretary & Executive Assistant
Secretary → Secretary & Executive Assistant, 2024
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$67K (2020) → $70K (2024)
Paul Irwin
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Carolyn Evans (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Chris R Eastwood left (2023) — Director
- Former: Tammy Wright-Warren left (2023) — Director
- Former: Chris R Eastwood (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Tammy Wright-Warren (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: William Henderson IV (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Jessie Barksdale (2020) — Director
- Former: Tammy Wright Warren (2020) — Director
- Former: Tommy Stump (2020) — Vice Chair
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $318K, to Clark Casteel (President and CEO). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Danville Regional Foundation
How much does Danville Regional Foundation give each year?
Danville Regional Foundation gave $11.2M across 88 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $12.2M across 45 grants.
What is Danville Regional Foundation's typical grant size?
Danville Regional Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $18,560, and its average grant was $127,750, across 88 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Danville Regional Foundation that year got $14K on average.
Where does Danville Regional Foundation give grants?
Danville Regional Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Danville, VA (47 grants), Chatham, VA (7 grants), Yanceyville, NC (5 grants) and Milton, NC (5 grants).
Does Danville Regional Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 1% of Danville Regional Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 88) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Community Council Grant" (32 grants), "Next Step Grant" (13 grants) and "MMHT" (7 grants).
Who are Danville Regional Foundation's largest grantees?
Danville Regional Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Averett University ($3,500,000 across 2 grants), City of Danville VA ($2,112,000 across 3 grants) and Southside Business Technology Center (SBTC) ($1,738,830), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Danville Regional Foundation?
Danville Regional Foundation reported $281.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $13.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $13.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Danville Regional Foundation fund?
DRF’s mission is to be a catalyst for long-term transformation through the development, promotion, and support of impactful activities and programs that address the health, education, and well-being of all Dan River Region residents. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Danville Regional Foundation?
DRF says proposals may be submitted at any time and encourages prospective applicants to meet with staff before submitting a proposal, though this is not required. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Danville Regional Foundation's EIN?
Danville Regional Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3319727. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Danville Regional Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Danville Regional Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/danville-regional-foundation-morg_c51eb81943c54a2bae07bdcfb23e3b66
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203319727_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Danville Regional Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/danville-regional-foundation-morg_c51eb81943c54a2bae07bdcfb23e3b66},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Danville Regional Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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