accelerate recovery
The Community Relief Fund
The Community Foundation stands ready to help in the event of any disaster effecting our region.
Respond. Recover. Rebuild.
The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region established the Community Relief Fund in 2019 as a responsive, flexible granting resource that can be rapidly deployed to assist and strengthen our region in times of crisis.
The Fund’s mission is simple yet powerful: to work collaboratively across sectors—nonprofit, government, philanthropic, and private—to accelerate recovery and build a thriving, resilient, and united Rappahannock River Region.
Together We Can Help
The Community Relief Fund serves as a vital, standing community resource—created to provide rapid, flexible grantmaking in response to major disasters or emergencies. Designed for immediate deployment, the fund ensures that critical support reaches nonprofits and community partners where it is needed most.
When activated, the Foundation’s Board of Governors works closely with staff to assess regional needs and implement an efficient, transparent grant distribution process that maximizes community impact.
A History of Community Impact
Although established before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Relief Fund was put to the test in 2020 when the Foundation mobilized in response to the unprecedented effects of the coronavirus on our region.
The Foundation seeded the fund with $50,000 from its unrestricted Community Fund, and our generous community rallied—contributing more than $500,000 in additional support. Guided by input from partners and stakeholders, the Foundation implemented a three-phase funding approach to meet both urgent and long-term needs:
- Immediate Relief – Supporting organizations providing critical services such as food, housing, childcare, and healthcare.
- Community Recovery – Helping nonprofits adapt their programs and stabilize operations to meet changing demands.
- Reimagining & Building Resilience – Strengthening systems and strategies that ensure long-term regional sustainability.
Through this effort, nearly $700,000 was distributed to local nonprofits addressing essential needs across the Rappahannock River Region.
This experience affirmed the fund’s strength as a reliable and effective tool for coordinating local generosity and channeling resources where they can do the greatest good.
Continuing Our Commitment
Today, the Community Relief Fund remains ready to respond to future challenges—whether caused by natural disasters, public emergencies, or other large-scale disruptions. Beyond immediate relief, the fund also supports nonprofit organizations as they rebuild, stabilize, and strengthen operations in the aftermath of a crisis.
Our goal is to ensure that the Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Northern Virginia region remains resilient—especially for those most vulnerable and disproportionately affected by hardship.
For more than two decades, The Community Foundation has built trusted relationships with donors, nonprofits, and community leaders—creating a strong, responsive network that can mobilize quickly and effectively when our region needs it most.
The Community Foundation continues to seek donations to ensure that the Community Relief Fund remains ready to deploy whenever our community calls.
The Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All gifts to the Community Relief Fund are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.