2024 CFNRV AR_FINAL_FB

USING NETWORKS TO SPEAK AS ONE 10 Years of The Fund for the NRV

2023 Igniting Connections Symposium, a First Steps program.

I n 2014, nonprofits like the CFNRV worked together with the NRV Regional Commission, local governments, and business partners to wrap up a final draft of the NRV Livability Initiative report. After three years of gathering data and engagement with 3,000+ community members, these partners had developed a collective vision for the region’s future. This vision included goals related to housing, transportation, economic development, historic and cultural preservation, health, and more. For the CFNRV, the report prompted questions. To what extent was the foundation already advancing these goals? Where were we falling short? How could we leverage our reputation and convening ability in places where our traditional grants weren’t enough to move the needle? While the CFNRV’s endowed funds were helping, there was clearly a need for flexible funding and staff support to make an impact on our community’s goals. So, for the CFNRV’s 20th anniversary, we established the Fund for the NRV to support all CFNRV programs with particular emphasis on collaborative networks. These networks focused on the areas of early childhood education, food assistance, aging, and nonprofit leadership development. Ten years

Representatives from Plenty!, a long-time Thrive partner.

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THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE NEW RIVER VALLEY

All photos by Whitescarver Photography, LLC and Lindsey Gleason.