June 2017 Community Focus Grants
12 non-profit organizations to receive funding to support Education in the region
RICHMOND, Va. (June 21, 2017) – Reflecting the organization’s focus on helping transform the broad continuum of education in the Richmond region, Robins Foundation has selected 12 local nonprofits to share in nearly $1 million in grants designed to improve educational outcomes for children in the Greater Richmond area.
Three grants of $125,000 have been 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 ($125,000) to support its Support for Oak Grove-Bellmeade Out-of-School Time Program, giving more children access to programming and support on the Southside. The funding provided for this program will allow the YMCA to continue with after-school programming and fund a five-week summer program that reduces learning loss in math and reading..
- YWCA Richmond ($125,000) to support the second year of the Sprout Preschool Initiative in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Richmond. The Sprout School is a mixed-income museum-based preschool program providing high quality, affordable learning. Funding will also support a comprehensive evaluation of the preschool model and program by early childhood education researchers at VCU.
“Robins Foundation is committed to a deeper focus on education with the clear expectation the education pipeline could lead to better outcomes and a decrease in some of the poverty indicators vexing this region,” said Kelly Chopus, Chief Executive Officer, Robins Foundation. “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.”
The following is the complete list of June 2017 grantees:
June 2017 Grant Recipients:
| CIS Richmond | Integrated Student Support K-12 | $125,000 |
| Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis | Policy Improvements to Advance Educational Opportunities in Greater Richmond | $50,000 |
| CodeVA | Building the Digital Dominion | $100,000 |
| FRIENDS Association for Children | Stronger with FRIENDS | $45,000 |
| Greater Richmond Chamber | Smart Beginnings Greater Richmond | $75,000 |
| Greater Richmond Fit4Kids | Wellness Integration Programming and Advocacy | $50,000 |
| Sacred Heart Center | Responding to Critical Needs of the Latino Community | $100,000 |
| Storefront for Community Design | 6PIC Operations | $40,000 |
| Virginia Early Childhood Foundation | Establishing and Sustaining a Shared Services Alliance Model in Richmond | $50,000 |
| Voices for Virginia’s Children | Engaging Advocates to Speak Up for Children & Families | $75,000 |
| YMCA Richmond | Support for Oak Grove-Bellmeade Out-of-School Time Program | $125,000 |
| YWCA Richmond | Sprout Preschool Initiative | $125,000 |
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.