Danville Regional Foundation Grant

The Danville Regional Foundation Grant aims to address ongoing economic, health, educational, and social challenges in the Danville/Pittsylvania County/Caswell County region. DRF prioritizes funding initiatives that demonstrate a clear intersection of need, opportunity, and potential impact. By supporting tax-exempt organizations, DRF fosters regional improvement through responsive grant-making. The foundation encourages proposals that not only fill needs but also lead to broader community impacts, ensuring that the grants awarded make a significant difference.

The region served by Danville Regional Foundation (DRF) has faced many challenges in the last decade-economic, health, educational, and social. Because these challenges are ongoing, DRF is committed to working with organizations that strive to create a healthy and thriving Danville/Pittsylvania County/Caswell County region.
DRF supports regional improvement through funding initiatives:
proposed by others (responsive grant making) that show potential for significantly impacting present problems by converting them into opportunities for ultimate success, developed because of unanticipated opportunities where DRF funds, in cooperation with others, can enable productive advances that might not otherwise be attainable.
DRF will consider requests that reflect its mission, values, and areas of focus (outlined under "About the Foundation"). Beyond these previously stated specifics, funding is given greater consideration when the application demonstrates intersection of three areas: need, opportunity, and potential impact.
At DRF, we don't award grants just to fill a need or to embrace an opportunity. The grants we fund do both.
In addition, they lead to a larger impact that is visible in the community.
Here are four questions to ask as your proposal is prepared to see if your idea meets the need, opportunity and impact criteria:
What issue and/or problem are you trying to change?How will you do it?Who will you connect to make this successful? What groups will you work with to make this happen?What does this change look like if you are successful?
DRF anticipates requests will exceed available funds. Grants will be made based on a competitive process; but, regardless, some very worthy projects will not receive funding. There is always more need than there is money available to grant. Funding decisions will come down to this question, what difference will it make?
Proposals may be submitted at any time and the review process will begin when they arrive at the DRF Office. Depending on the time of year when a proposal is received, the entire process (inquiry to receipt of funds) may take as little as three months or as much as eight.

Eligibility

DRF makes most of its grants to tax-exempt agencies classified as 501(c)(3) organizations (public charities as defined by the Internal Revenue Service) that serve in the City of Danville, VA; Pittsylvania County, VA; and Caswell County, NC. We are a placed-based funder meaning we make grants that directly impact our community. Some grants are also made to government agencies and churches.We do not set a limit on the number of times an organization can apply for funding. However, we prefer that organizations use discretion and submit requests only for top-priority projects and programs.

Ineligibility

Grants are not made to individuals.General core programs or operations because of budget shortfalls and cuts.
Requests that directly benefit client/constituent services or the organization and exclude the general public from participation or benefit.Grants to individuals, dinners, fundraising, faith-based institutions for religious purposes, and political activity/purposes.Grants supporting for-profit efforts.
Grants that supplant or substitute for existing funding.
Broad, unfocused requests.
Requests that cannot be completed in 90 days or require more than $25,000.00 from DRF without matching funds.