Our 2026 Competitive Grant Cycle opens Sunday, June 1. Nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in good standing, as well as approved government entities, may apply online via our website www.cfdrr.org/grants.
The Foundation will unveil its new platform for grant management on June 1. All users will be required to create a new login and password. We strongly encourage organizations to begin considering and planning their application now so all information is provided in time. The deadline to submit applications is Friday, July 25.
During its 2025 Competitive Grant Cycle, The Foundation awarded a total of $946,433 in grants to 64 agencies serving the region. These grants supported animal services, arts and culture, community development, health and wellness, education and youth, human services and emergency services. For questions or issues creating your account, or for questions about the competitive grant cycle please email Traci Petty at traci@cfdrr.org, or call The Community Foundation office at (434) 793-0884.
We are excited to announce that 152 local students received scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year. It is because of the support of generous donors who have created scholarship funds with The Foundation that our area’s youth and adult learners have received financial assistance for their academic pursuits. We thank our donors who have truly made a difference in the lives of so many.
We will highlight these scholarships and the recipients more in June.
Dream Big. Start Small. Create an Acorn Fund with CFDRR.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” We know it can seem daunting to start an endowed scholarship or fund at The Foundation. But we want you to know whether you have a seed or a bigger nut, your donation can make a difference for years to come.
One of the funds available at CFDRR is an Acorn Fund. An Acorn Fund allows donors, whether they are individuals, families or organizations, the opportunity to build an endowment over time. This means you can give a small gift (germinate the acorn), and you have three years to add to this fund to help it grow into a mature tree. During those three years, in order to help your Acorn Fund grow, CFDRR waives fees until the fund is fully endowed. After that, grants are awarded from the investment income the fund collects, which leaves your fund’s principal intact to ensure its longevity.
If for some reason the fund does not reach maturity after three years, donations to the fund remain tax-deductible and still benefit our service area. The fund’s balance will be held by The Foundation as a part of our unrestricted endowment funds and will allow our Board of Directors to award grants to the most pressing needs and opportunities in the Dan River Region.
The Foundation now has 196 funds, some of which started as Acorn Funds. Our generous donors have created a veritable forest that spreads its branches over our region.
Acorn Fund Fast Facts
- $10,000 starts an endowed fund
- $25,000 starts an endowed scholarship
- Until full funding is reached, an Acorn Fund is a restricted non-endowed fund.
- Gifts to an Acorn Fund can come from anyone (friends, family, businesses, organizations, etc.) over the three-year period.
- Any money given to start an Acorn Fund is irrevocable.
- An Acorn Fund can be used to start any of our endowed fund types: Unrestricted, Scholarship, Field of Interest, Designated or Agency Fund and Donor Advised.