2024 CFNRV AR_FINAL_FB

“ The CFNRV serves as a valuable leader of collaboration in the NRV. Through funding as well as administrative support and advocacy, CFNRV has supported the human services field in the NRV to move a variety of initiatives forward with unprecedented speed and success. While funding is always appreciated, the most impressive impact of CFNRV lies in its intentionality and commitment to true collaboration. Katie Thompson, Executive Director Pulaski Community Youth Center Founding Member of First Steps & Healthy Roots NRV

later, widely known initiatives including First Steps (early childhood development), Thrive (food assistance), Aging in Community, and nonprofit leadership initiatives such as Third Thursday and GiveLocalNRV trace their beginnings and ongoing growth to The Fund for the NRV. For each area of focus, the CFNRV began by convening partners working in each issue area. Our goal was to better understand how organizations were already working together and to determine whether there was interest and energy to collaborate further. Through multiple regional meetings, partners developed shared priorities, thenmoved them into action with funding and staff support from the CFNRV. Our role was simple but essential. The CFNRV staff provided administrative support by hosting meetings, sending updates, and developing materials. We put money toward expenses that would advance collaboration, such as food for community meetings, designing and printing of materials like Thrive’s NRV Food Assistance Directory, and sponsorship of major events like First Steps’ Early Childhood Champion Awards. Beyond the CFNRV’s financial support, the Fund for the NRV’s networks like First Steps and Thrive have attracted nearly $2 million in outside grant funding to date. Additionally, these networks have been featured in publications like Inside Philanthropy, and at conferences sponsored by the Virginia Funders Network and the Council on Foundations. Partners involved in these networks recognize the important role that philanthropy can play in addressing regional challenges, and they value the CFNRV’s commitment to thoughtful collaboration. “The Community Foundation is a highly valued partner of the New River Valley Regional Commission,” notes Kevin Byrd, the Commission’s executive director. “It is commonly observed that the most impactful projects across the region are a result of public/private/nonprofit partnerships. The Community Foundation is integral in these endeavors by providing the educational environment, collaborative spirit, and tireless pursuit of worthy initiatives that truly helps our region thrive.” The Fund for the NRV has also evolved to include a new, regional focus on health and wellbeing. This arose after the CFNRV staff noticed that factors impacting health were shared across networks. Things like transportation, access to care, and housing were arising at each collaborative table, regardless of the network’s focus. To foster relationships between networks, the CFNRV and partners created Healthy Roots NRV, an umbrella network that brings together other regional networks. Healthy Roots’ aim is to strengthen connections and nurture collaboration to enhance wellbeing in the NRV. While like health collaboratives in Danville and Chesapeake, Healthy Roots’ focus on bringing together existing collaborations under one umbrella is distinctive. And it builds upon the New River Valley’s reputation as a place where long-term, high-impact collaboration that benefits all residents is valued.

16

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS