$1 Million in Robins Foundation Grants Focused on Improving Local Education
17 non-profit organizations to receive funding for a range of Richmond-area projects
RICHMOND, Va. (June 22, 2016) – Reflecting the organization’s focus on helping transform the broad continuum of education in the Richmond region, the Robins Foundation announced today that it has selected 17 local nonprofits to share in more than $1 million in grants designed to improve educational outcomes for children in the Greater Richmond area.
Three grants of at least $100,000 were awarded to the following organizations:
- Communities in Schools Richmond ($125,000) to provide community resources inside public schools that help eliminate barriers to success and keep kids in school. Site coordinators focus on uncovering a student’s needs and connect them with the right resources and support to allow them to be successful in the classroom. The Robins Foundation grant will allow CIS to continue to support the presence of site coordinators within Richmond Public Schools.
- YMCA Richmond ($115,000) to support its Year-Round Out-of-School Time Programming at Oak Grove-Bellemeade, giving more children access to year-round programming and support on the Southside. The funding provided for this program will allow the YMCA to expand after-school programming and fund a new summer program based on a similar model that has proven successful at Woodville Elementary.
- YWCA Richmond ($100,000) to support the Sprout Preschool Initiative in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Richmond. The Sprout School will establish the first mixed-income museum-housed preschool program in the area, and the Robins Foundation grant will allow the YWCA to hire innovative teachers for the Sprout School.
“The priority of this community must be to transform public education, and the Robins Foundation is committed to doing all we can to bring about that change,” said Kelly Chopus, executive director, Robins Foundation. “These 17 organizations are attacking the myriad challenges in many ways – with innovation and energy, determination and intelligence – and we are proud to help propel their important work through these grants. Only by focusing on education for children of all ages, from birth to high school graduation, can we affect the outcomes that our children deserve.”
The following is the complete list of grantees:
June 2016 Grant Recipients:
| Blue Sky Fund | Explorers Program | $50,000 |
| Challenge Discovery Projects | Say It With Heart | $50,000 |
| CIS Richmond | Integrated Student Support | $125,000 |
| CodeVA | Building the Digital Dominion | $75,000 |
| Cross-Over Ministry | School and Youth Outreach Groups | $50,000 |
| Elk Hill | Richmond Summer Camp Partnership | $60,000 |
| Excel to Excellence | Team Excel | $45,000 |
| FeedMore | Comprehensive Children’s Nutrition Programs | $25,000 |
| Henrico Education Foundation | Implementing Community Learning Centers in Henrico | $50,000 |
| James River Association | Regional Rivers Plan | $50,000 |
| LISC | Promoting Family Financial Stability through a Financial Opportunity Center Network | $50,000 |
| Special Olympics | Learn, Lead, Play, UNIFIED. | $50,000 |
| SportsBackers | Bike Walk RVA Youth Academy | $45,465 |
| Virginia Early Childhood Foundation | Exploring the Potential for a Shared Services Alliance in Richmond’s East End | $50,000 |
| Voices for Virginia’s Children | Policy Solutions to Improve School Readiness and Chronic Truancy | $40,000 |
| YMCA Richmond | Year-Round Out-of-School Time Programming at Oak Grove-Bellmeade | $115,000 |
| YWCA Richmond | Sprout Preschool Initiative | $100,000 |
For more information about the Robins Foundation, including other grant categories and deadlines, please visit the foundation’s website at www.RobinsFDN.org or the foundation’s Facebook page.