McLean Community Foundation Grants

The McLean Community Foundation Grants aim to foster philanthropy in the McLean area by supporting vital projects that benefit local residents. Established in 1978, the foundation provides funding for various initiatives, including community improvements and educational programs. Grants can be used for tangible assets or program expansions, encouraging partnerships with other organizations. The foundation prioritizes projects that demonstrate community support and timely fund usage, ensuring a positive impact on the McLean community.

Purpose
The McLean Community Foundation (MCF) is a 501(c)(3) organization operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes for the benefit of the residents of the McLean Planning District. These purposes are achieved by providing financial support for local non-profits through MCF’s grant-making process. MCF Trustees secure funding for MCF grants through annual fund-raising activities and the management of MCF’s endowment.
In May of 1978, the McLean Community Foundation was established by the McLean Citizens Association to promote local philanthropy and advance the civic, educational and social interests of McLean through an annual fundraising and grant-making process.
​Available funds are offered as grants, seed money or challenge grants for projects that will benefit McLean residents. MCF challenge grants have helped launch efforts to add a balcony to the Community Center's theatre, to equip a kitchen and to build a community hall so that the old one could house the McLean Project for the Arts.
The historic church at Pleasant Grove and the antique fire truck were rebuilt with the help of MCF grants. McLean music groups, local PTAs, Little League and the Teen Center have all been grantees. Buses or vans have been purchased for the Community Center, Traveling Players Ensemble, a nursing home, a day care center for disadvantaged children and SHARE, Inc. The McLean Volunteer Fire Department has been able to purchase new equipment. The final piece in the long-held MCA vision of a community complex, a bandstand in McLean Central Park, was built with a grant from MCF in 1999.
Each year, MCF continues to look for projects that will enhance the McLean community for years to come.
There shall be no obligation on the part of the Foundation, nor expectation on the part of any applicant or grantee, for the Foundation to provide any additional project funding beyond the original grant. Except for the requirement that projects benefit the residents of McLean, the Foundation shall administer funds available to it on a non-discriminatory basis and in full compliance with applicable Commonwealth of Virginia and federal laws. The Foundation may on occasion choose to fund a project or make a donation that does not satisfy the Foundation's Grants Criteria but is consistent with the Foundation's purpose. A 2/3 majority vote of the Trustees will be required to fund such expenditures.

Eligibility

To operate exclusively for charitable and educational purposes for the benefit of the residents of the McLean Planning District of Fairfax County in the Commonwealth of Virginia (hereinafter referred to as McLean).Projects funded by the Foundation must provide a benefit to residents of McLean.Applicants must furnish evidence of that benefit and, where appropriate, evidence of community support for the proposed project.Applicants must also provide evidence of their not-for-profit status.While there is a preference for grants to fund the acquisition of tangible assets, grants for the initiation or expansion of program-related activities may also be considered. The Foundation encourages applicants to combine Foundation grants with funds from other community organizations as partners on the proposed project or to use Foundation funds as “challenge grants” to generate additional needed funds.The Foundation will also consider projects that are not likely to be funded in sufficient amounts by other organizations or individuals.To the extent possible, Foundation monies should be expended in ways complementary to the work of other community groups or in cooperation with them.Other Northern Virginia organizations shall be eligible for grants if the Foundation funds requested will provide significant benefits to residents of McLean.Grant monies must be expended in a timely manner following the execution of the grant agreement. Six months (or another date, depending on circumstances specified in the grant agreement) after the date of an executed, signed grant agreement, the grantee shall furnish to the Foundation satisfactory evidence of the progress of the project funded.The Foundation may require that funds not spent in a timely manner or as intended be returned.While each grant application will be reviewed based on merit, Foundation seeks to broadly distribute its support for organizations serving the McLean community. Therefore, consideration will include a review of any Foundation funding awarded to applicant within the prior two years.Grants shall be limited to those that are in conformance with the Foundation's status under the Internal Revenue Code as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation.

Ineligibility

Grant funds cannot normally be used for operating expenses.As specified in the IRS regulations, no grants may inure to the benefit of any individual, except as payment for services performed by a party independent of the grantee, as specified in the grant agreement.