Six years ago, a statewide network for Virginia’s philanthropic funders proved that while some ideas take a while to arrive, once they do, they don’t stop rolling.
The Virginia Funders Network has grown to over 130 member organizations representing a wide range of grantmaking entities across Virginia. Initially launched to connect Virginia philanthropy leaders to make a greater impact, VFN’s convening power now reaches all nine regions of the state. The network hosts an annual conference, the largest gathering of philanthropy leaders in the commonwealth.
“We’ve learned from our members that our convening power is our superpower — bringing funders together to learn from one another,” said Bess Littlefield, chief executive officer of VFN.
The mission started with a light bulb moment, when funders meeting in Charlottesville realized Virginia had no statewide network linking philanthropy leaders, as ThePhilVA reported in 2021. Katy Moore, VFN’s founding chief executive officer, turned that vision to reality by recruiting funders and organizing them by type and issue area.
Connecting funders across the commonwealth
This platform has sparked impactful collaborations for funders over the years, such as co-financing a rural health reporter for southwest Virginia’s Cardinal News and seeding a new Press Forward Virginia chapter to support sustainable journalism.
“Now, five years later, we have members from across the state visiting to see each other’s work and how they can implement pieces of their projects within their own regions,” said Angie Molina Wood, operations manager at VFN. “We are just the kind of place where we can gather these individuals for learning, engaging and networking.”
VFN has contributed to the strategic growth for the philanthropic sector — organizing regular General Assembly briefings, publishing guidance and leading Virginia delegations at Foundations on the Hill, an annual public policy and advocacy conference in Washington, D.C.
The organization also steps up in a crisis. When Hurricane Helene impacted Southwest Virginia, funders in Richmond wanted to help.
“We had funders from Richmond call us and say, ‘We feel like we need to do something. Who can we talk to in southwest Virginia, who is helping those communities?’” Littlefield recalls. “That kind of thing happens because there’s a statewide entity that can help facilitate those conversations.”
Moments like these affirm that VFN is fulfilling its mission to strengthen the connection between Virginian funders.
Deepening impact through shared learning
This connective role is present throughout VFN’s programmatic work, particularly in one of its flagship learning areas: affordable housing.
With support from Virginia Housing and one of its members, the Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia, VFN produced a publication called Finding Your Lane: Housing Affordability Action Guide for Virginia Funders.
“This publication highlighted how people are addressing housing needs in their community, tailored to what is important in their region,” said VFN’s Director of Policy and Advocacy Robin Mockenhaupt.
As VFN builds on this momentum, its leaders are looking ahead to how the network can deepen its impact in the years to come. Two voices on the board, Dan Layman, president and chief executive officer of the Community Foundation of Central Blue Ridge, and Kate Keller, president of The Harvest Foundation, see the same goals shaping that future: helping smaller and mid-size funders think bigger and attracting national funders to Virginia. Over time, VFN’s growth and success also can inspire legislative change.
Layman believes the network can help funders move beyond routine giving and pool resources for greater collective impact.
“We want to help them see that they can make a much bigger impact by attracting grants via collaboratives that were set up by VFN,” Layman said.
As the capital, Richmond plays a key role in helping Virginia’s philanthropic sector gain visibility with national funders.
“We will continue to ensure philanthropy has a strong voice in Richmond, and VFN can represent how our sector is addressing challenges in local communities,” Keller said.
With every grant and conversation, VFN is picking up speed and driving greater impact across the commonwealth.
To learn more about the Virginia Funders Network, visit its website.
