Rockbridge Area Community Foundation will provide leadership, resources and inspiration for philanthropy in the communities it serves.
To fulfill the Foundation’s mission, it:
- Enables donors to carry out their charitable intent through endowment funds
- Provides responsible stewardship for entrusted funds
- Makes creative grants for current and future community needs and opportunities
- Offers comprehensive services to encourage and advance effective philanthropy
- Promotes and participates in collaborative efforts to shape a healthy, caring community.
RACF is affiliated with
Community Foundation of Western Virginia,
an organization that meets National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations.
Determining where one’s charitable assets can have the most direct - and lasting - impact can often be a frustrating and time consuming process. That is why tens of thousands of donors across the country annually choose their local community foundation as their preferred vehicle for philanthropy. Each year billions in new gifts flow into the 700+ U.S. community foundations, taking their collective holdings to over $40 billion.
Community foundations began in 1914 and are publicly-supported, 501(c)(3) philanthropic organizations that hold, administer, invest and make grants from both endowed and non-endowed funds established by individuals, families and others. They are simple, flexible, convenient, tax-wise, cost-effective vehicles through which donors can give back to their home community in perpetuity.
Rockbridge Area Community Foundation (RACF) was established in 2001 and is a publicly-supported, 501(c)(3) philanthropic organization that holds, administers, invests and makes grants from both endowed and non-endowed funds established by individuals, families and others. RACF’s service areas are the cities of Lexington and Buena Vista, Rockbridge County, Bath County and surrounding areas. It currently holds over $1.2 million dollars in outright and deferred assets and also is affiliated with Community Foundation of Western Virginia, Inc., which has assets and estate commitments of over $110 million.
It operates under the auspices of a local Board, whose members are chosen for their knowledge of the community.
The Foundation can tailor a Fund in virtually any fashion to meet your charitable objectives. You can rely on the Foundation to make the grant selections each year, or you and your family can be active partners in the grantmaking process by serving as Fund advisors.
Endowment Fund grants are made in perpetuity from annual earnings, with an emphasis on preserving and growing the value of the principal over time. Each year the Foundation awards millions of dollars in grants to address important needs and opportunities in health, education, social services, the arts, environment and much more.