Charlottesville Area Community Foundation

We're excited to welcome Jamie Anastasi to the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation as our newest intern! Jamie joins us through our partnership with the University of Virginia Internship Placement Program, and will be supporting our communications and operations teams this summer.

Jamie is a rising fourth-year student at UVA pursuing a major in Economics and minors in Psychology and Entrepreneurship. When asked what drew her to the Community Foundation, Jamie shared: "I was drawn to the foundation because of its commitment to strengthening the local community and creating meaningful impact. I'm excited to learn more about marketing and communications at an organization that makes such a positive difference in the Charlottesville area."

We are excited to support Jamie's professional growth this summer. If you see her around, please say hi!

We are so grateful for our incredible grantee partners! In our most recent Bama Works Fund announcement, we accidentally left out a few names from our graphic. We want to make sure every organization receives the recognition they deserve! So help us celebrate the work of these organizations:

1. Canopy Collective
2. Central Virginia Community Justice
3. Charlottesville Inclusive Media
4. Charlottesville Parks Foundation
5. Commonwealth Justice Coalition
6. Cville Tool Library
7. Little Bluestem Collective
8. Mama Bees Housing Community
9. Reparative Birth Systems Initiative (RBSI
10. Stony Point Elementary School
11. UVA Family Medicine International Little Free Library

Visit cacfonline.org/news to read more!

The Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation is pleased to announce its Spring 2026 grant funding decisions, totaling $898,800 and supporting 158 nonprofits throughout the region.

This grant cycle, the Bama Works Fund is supporting a wide range of organizations with a particular focus on those working in youth development & wellbeing, accessibility of essential needs, protection of the environment, and the arts & humanities.

Scroll through for a full list of Spring 2026 grant recipients!

Twice each year, the Bama Works Fund awards gifts through a competitive grant cycle. The next application period opens on July 1st, with an application deadline of August 13th. Visit https://cacfonline.org/bama-works-fund-awards-898800-to-158-organizations/ to read more.

Please join us in welcoming Leigh Harrison, our new Senior Philanthropic Relationship Manager!

Leigh works closely with the Philanthropic Engagement team to steward a portfolio of nonprofit agency funds and other fund types, ensuring robust support, service, and engagement for Community Foundation fundholders.

Leigh lives in Albemarle County with his wife, their two small children, and their cat. When not struggling to play harpsichord music on the piano or to make his favorite old-timey Southern recipes vegetarian, he enjoys visiting the opera with his daughter, reading adventure stories with his son, and going on long and leisurely hikes through the woods with the whole family.

Read more about Leigh's work here: https://cacfonline.org/leigh-harrison-named-senior-philanthropic-relationship-manager/

How much would it cost to eliminate food insecurity in our region? Does educational attainment differ from county to county? How many residents are housing burdened across our region? These are some of the questions that we sought answers to in our impact report.

The data shows us that people across our region are experiencing vastly different realities, which also means that there are spaces where coordinated investment can make a big difference.

In 2025, a group of Community Foundation fundholders began to meet following the news of SNAP benefit cuts across the state. They heard directly from local organizations about their needs and began to respond in real time. Funds ranging from $250 to $20,000 were pooled together, multiplying the impact of each dollar and directing it back into our region.

Read the story of how this happened in our impact report: https://cacfonline.org/community-impact/

We're so excited to share our 2025 Impact Report! In the past year, the Community Foundation made 2,154 grants & distributions totaling $31.9 million to organizations across our region.

Our work would not be possible without the generosity, collaboration, and trust we see every day.

Inside the report, you'll find stories of new scholarship funds in Buckingham county, a local group rebuilding Charlottesville's tree canopy, and how Dave Matthews Band is catalyzing support for affordable housing.

We are proud to work alongside the fundholders, nonprofits, and community leaders who make this impact possible. Read the full report: https://cacfonline.org/community-impact/

We're thrilled to introduce Janasha "Jay" Bradford, our new Mothers In Bloom Program Coordinator!

Jay will provide critical project management and administrative support to the Mothers In Bloom cohort, board, and program partners, ensuring the smooth functioning of the program.

Jay is an award-winning author, licensed financial advisor, and the founder and executive director of Mahogany and Friends, an edtech company making financial education fun and accessible for all. Outside of work, Jay enjoys traveling, being near the water, and discovering live music.

🔗 Visit our website to read more about Jay's work: https://cacfonline.org/janasha-bradford-named-mothers-in-bloom-program-coordinator/

We're so excited to introduce Mikayla Woodley, our new Program Administrator!

Mikayla works closely with the Community Investment team to provide critical administrative and project management tasks that ensure the smooth functioning of the Foundation’s community investment programs.

Outside of work, Mikayla is a racket sports enthusiast who enjoys playing pickleball, tennis, and racquetball. She gets way too competitive at all things trivia-related, even hosting her own trivia nights. When she isn’t plotting her next victory on the court or in trivia, she enjoys playing board games and catching up with friends on long walks.

Visit our website to read more about Mikayla's work: https://cacfonline.org/mikayla-woodley-named-program-administrator/

The number of "news deserts" in Virginia more than doubled between 2023 and 2025. As local outlets disappear across the state, our region is no exception—and rural areas in Central Virginia are hit hardest by newsroom closures and corporate buyouts.

To better understand the direct impact of these shifts on our neighbors, we reached out to residents in Fluvanna, Louisa, Madison, and Nelson counties. Today, we’re sharing the Central Virginia Information Ecosystem Assessment, built from their insights, experiences, and ideas about local news.

Read the report today and hear what they had to say: https://bit.ly/localnewsfb

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Spring Investment Update breakfast last week! Whether you were there in person or are just now catching up, we wanted to share a recap of the morning.

We were joined by our Outsourced Chief Investment Officer, FEG, for a year-end investment overview and a look at new fund offerings developed in direct response to fundholder input. We also had the joy of formally welcoming several new team members to the foundation.

The recording from the event is now available here: https://youtu.be/oMNvM0FopDE

Thank you for your partnership and support. We look forward to seeing you at our next event!