The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge held its annual Community Grants Program awards ceremony at Wintergreen Resort on Wednesday, awarding $571,083 dollars to 143 nonprofits through Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta County, Nelson County and Highland County.
“I thought the event was wonderful,” said Keisha Nicholson, founder and executive director of Love Forward Foundation. “I thought it was warm and welcoming. I was able to reacquaint myself with a lot of great leaders in the community. A lot of these organizations really feel like family. We’ve really grown close.”
Since 1992, the Community Foundation has invested over 21 million dollars in the community through grants, scholarships and education awards.
This year’s grant awards total was the highest in the organization’s history.
The 2025 community grant recipients varied widely in focus, concentrating on areas such as housing, mental health, childcare, animals, the environment and many other needs.
The one thing all 143 nonprofits have in common is that they strive to make the community stronger.
Dan Layman, CEO of the Community Foundation, believes strongly in this year’s recipients.
“This diverse collection of nonprofit organizations, and their talented teams, work every day to make a difference for the causes that matter to our community,” Layman said. “Through our grants to these organizations, we have the privilege of connecting the caring people from whom these funds originated to these causes.”
The recipients were happy to celebrate receiving alongside their peers in the nonprofit spaces.
“It (the support) really means a lot,” said Marsha Munsford, executive director of Dare to Dream Therapeutic Horsemanship Center. “In Highland, there aren’t a lot of resources for any kind of therapeutic recreation or behavioral health services. Our program is kind of unique and special to the special needs population.
“Also, we don’t have a lot of funding. Being able to have our programs funding by the Community Foundation – so that we can have scholarship programs or take care of the horses – it really means a lot.”
Angela Crawford, CEO of Blue Ridge CASA for Children, agrees.
“The Community Foundation’s support reminds us that we’re never alone in the work that we do,” Crawford said. “This celebration reflects the strength and generosity of the community that we serve. Blue Ridge CASA is honored to stand among all of these amazing, inspiring organizations that are making a difference in our community.”
The Community Grants Program is just one of several ways in which the Community Foundation supports the region. Through other grant programs, donor-advised funds, scholarships and education awards, the Foundation anticipates distributing over $2.5 million in 2025.
In addition to setting aside some time to be celebrated and thanked, the organizations were genuinely thankful for the financial support.
Wintergreen Adaptive Sports was one of the grant recipients.
“It means everything,” Wintergreen Adaptive Sports director Kathleen Booth said. “It means that more wounded warriors, more kids on the spectrum, more folks with disabilities and amputations of all ages and all kinds are going to be able to receive therapeutic aspects of being outdoors and recreating.”
