About

The Community Foundation of the Dan River Region is an independent, public charity established in September 1996 by a steering committee of local civic leaders to gather permanent funds to support our area.

The Community Foundation of the Dan River Region serves the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County to South Boston/Halifax County, Virginia, and Caswell County, North Carolina.

Our Vision

The Dan River Region will be known for the overwhelming generosity of its communities and dedication to improving quality of life, providing support for those in need, and creating life-changing opportunities.

Our Mission

The Community Foundation of the Dan River Region will improve and enrich the lives of the region’s residents by encouraging and facilitating donations; by managing, investing, and distributing these donations in accordance with donor’s wishes while meeting community needs; and by ensuring these donations create a lasting legacy of growth and opportunity throughout the region.

Our Values

The Community Foundation of the Dan River Region believes in:

Trustworthy and transparent activities

Efficient and effective internal operations

Strong relationships within the region’s communities

Shared and celebrated stories of success from across the region

Facts about Community Foundations

  • Community foundations are established to administer a collection of separate funds created by individuals, businesses, and organizations – a community of donors – to enhance the quality of life in a particular geographic area.
  • The Community Foundation is fully tax-exempt as an organization described in Sections 501(c)(3) and 170(b)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code.
  • The first community foundation was created in 1914 in Cleveland, Ohio, and operates now as the Cleveland Foundation.
  • Every continent but Antarctica has a community foundation, and it is estimated that there are at least 1,200 community foundations outside of the United States and Canada.
  • As of 2020, there were over 900 community foundations in the United States. With the addition of affiliate community foundations that serve typically rural geographies, there are over 1,400 communities being served by a community foundation in the United States.
  • Total giving by community foundations in 2015 was nearly $7 billion. Community foundations in California gave the most, with total giving by community foundations in the state totaling nearly 1.5 billion dollars.
  • Nearly every type of gift, from cash to real estate to bitcoin to stock, can be donated to a community foundation.