What kind of programs receive NCCF grants?

The Nelson County Community Fund (NCCF) is pleased to announce its next round of grants, with applications due no later than December 31, 2024. Each year, NCCF awards small grants to non-profit organizations and agencies serving families and communities in Nelson County.

Since its inception in 2020, NCCF has awarded 344 small grants totaling nearly $2.2 million. NCCF is a 501 C3 non-profit organization governed by an all-volunteer board.

Education, scholarships, seniors, medical, dental, hunger, childcare, disabilities, and refurbishing substandard housing are all areas where the NCCF has made positive, life-changing contributions.

~ The Blue Ridge Medical Center’s Rural Health Outreach Program (RHOP) (see mobile clinic below) is just one example of a program that has received funding from NCCF grants to support its operation.

Grants are made to tax-exempt public charities under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and to government agencies. Grants are limited to projects in Nelson County. Grants are made without regard to factors of gender, race, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation.

Careful consideration is given to the potential impact of the project and to especially imaginative and collaborative approaches to solving community needs. Categories of support include but are not limited to, human services, education, environment, health, community needs, and development.

Both seed money grants for innovative new programs and sustaining grants to organizations performing services vital to the community will be considered. Projects of interest include those that assist citizens whose needs are not met by existing services and those that benefit a significant number of citizens of the community.

What types of projects are generally not supported?

Support is not generally provided for endowments, deficit reduction, fund-raising events, or annual appeals of well-established organizations, religious programs, grants to individuals, or projects normally under the dictates of a government agency.