Reshaping Futures Grants

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What is the Reshaping Futures Grant?

Reshaping Futures Grants of up to $500,000 total over 1-5 years (eg $100,000 per year for five years) to support transformative approaches to advancing racial equity in Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Nelson, and/or Orange. Potential funding uses include support for general operations, programming, expansion/scaling, capacity building, experimentation and piloting.

COMING SOON

Beginning July 1 through July 31, 2025, the Solidarity program will accept brief Letters of Intent (LOIs). After submitting an LOI, a select number of applicants will then be invited to partner with Community Foundation staff to co-develop and submit a final application for consideration by our Community Advisory Committee. 

All prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to attend our Reshaping Futures info webinar on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from noon-1:00pm ET, and can RSVP here.

First-time and previously declined Solidarity program applicants, and applicants seeking funding for capital/construction projects, must meet with staff before submitting an LOI.

Call for LOIs: July 1 – 31, 2025 

Application co-design process: Beginning September 2025 

Anticipated decision notification: As early as December 2025 

Note: Final decision time frames are subject to change based on proposal complexity, requested amount size, and/or application co-development progress. 

The Solidarity program’s grantmaking goals are two-fold:

1) Systems Change & Alternative Visions 

Movement groups go beyond providing services and individual relief, and instead seek to reimagine and alter unjust systems, and achieve long-term, community-level change. Movement building is “the effort of social change agents to engage power holders and the broader society in addressing a systemic problem or injustice while promoting an alternative vision or solution” (Julie Quiroz-Martinez).

2) Power Building & Sharing 

The most effective drivers of justice and equity are the social movements led by those most affected by racial inequities. The Solidarity program therefore intentionally supports systems-focused change and alternative visions led by Black and ALAANA (African, Latine, Asian, Arab, and Native American) members of our community. Such investments are key to creating conditions in which multiple systems are improved for all.

Reshaping Futures Grant applicants must follow our general policies for Community Endowment Fund (CEF) grants, as well as meet the following minimum requirements:  

  • Tax-Exempt Local Charitable Status – Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, school, governmental or religious entity, or a group fiscally sponsored by a mission-aligned 501(c)(3) organization, whose work directly benefits residents of Charlottesville or the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Nelson, and Orange. The Community Foundation is unable to accept Reshaping Futures Grant applications from fiscally sponsored businesses or for-profit entities at this time.
  • Nonconcurrent Grantee or Applicant Status – Unless serving as a fiscal sponsor, applicants may only submit one funding request to the Solidarity program per calendar year. Past Solidarity program and other Community Endowment Fund grantees must have also fulfilled all close-out requirements of their previous grant to be eligible to apply for Reshaping Futures.
  • Power Building & Sharing – The Solidarity program supports Black- and ALAANA-led initiatives that advance racial equity through movement building. We consider Black- and ALAANA-led as any of the following:
    • Executive Director(s) or equivalent 
    • Staff majority 
    • Volunteer majority (if a volunteer-led group or initiative) 
    • Board majority 
    • Project team majority  
  • Movement Building – The Solidarity program recognizes that approaches to movement building vary and occur along a continuum. To be considered eligible for a Reshaping Futures grant, an applicant’s movement building approach must be Proactive or preferably Transformative. (See What is Movement Building? for further explanation.)

Phase 1: Pre-consultation

Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to attend our Reshaping Futures info webinar on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from noon-1:00pm ET, and can RSVP here.

First-time and previously declined Solidarity program applicants, and applicants seeking funding for capital/construction projects, must meet with staff before submitting an LOI.

All applicants are welcome to meet with staff before beginning a Reshaping Futures proposal to discuss grant eligibility, alignment, and any initial questions. Meeting requests should be made as early as possible, ideally at least one month prior to submission deadlines.

Phases 2 & 3: LOI and Application Submission

Reshaping Future Grant LOIs will be accepted throughout the month of July 2025. All LOIs and applications are submitted through our Grants Lifecycle Manager (GLM) online system. Applicants will receive an email acknowledgement upon submission. 

Applicants who have submitted a proposal to another funder that thoroughly addresses Reshaping Futures grant questions and criteria are welcome to submit that application instead, along with supporting financial documents and any supplemental materials. Applicants are also welcome to submit proposals that are non-English language, hand-written, video, audio, or in other multimedia and creative formats, and are encouraged to consult staff at least one month prior to deadlines if interested in an alternative submission method. 

Applicants are asked to respond to the following questions: 

  • Experience: Describe your group’s history and track record and why you believe your movement building work is Responsive, Proactive, and/or Transformative. (See What is Movement Building? for further explanation.)

  • Vision: What do you hope to do with this grant and why? What is your plan for reaching these goals (timeline, necessary resources, anticipated activities and outcomes, etc.)? Please include as many details as possible, including how this grant might enhance your movement building capabilities.

  • Capacity: Who are the key team members, partners, consultants, contractors, etc. involved in this work? Describe their roles and any important skills, knowledge, experiences, and/or community relationships they bring.

  • Power Building & Sharing: Describe how your group’s leadership and decision-makers reflect the communities most impacted by racial inequity. How are you building power and leadership within these communities?

  • Care for Resources: Please upload: 1) an itemized list or budget with anticipated grant-covered expenses and revenue sources, along with your or your fiscal sponsor’s 2) current fiscal year operational budget, and 3) previous fiscal year operational budget, including all revenue and expenditures.

    Please reach out to grants@cacfonline.org if you have questions or need assistance compiling any of the requested financial documents. 

Phase 4: Evaluation

Submitted LOIs will be reviewed by staff to determine eligibility, alignment, and completion. By the end of August, our Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will invite a select number of applicants to co-develop an application with Foundation staff during a facilitated Design Process. An invitation to co-develop and submit an application does not guarantee grant funding. Final applications will be evaluated by the CAC, with final funding decisions made by our Board of Directors as early as December. 

Our committee considers the following when reviewing proposals: 

  • Experience: The applicant’s work clearly and thoughtfully matches the purpose and goals of the grant program: supporting racial equity movement building – particularly Proactive and Transformative work – led by those most impacted by injustice. 
  • Vision: The applicant’s proposal is clear and compelling. Their goals, plan, and expected outcomes are well-defined and reflect a deep understanding of the inequity/need being redressed. 
  • Capacity: The applicant is well positioned to achieve their proposed goals and outcomes at this time. They have the representation, leadership, knowledge, and/or relationships to be effective. 
  • Power Building & Sharing: The most impacted communities are informing/co-creating the applicant’s work. Decision-making power rests with individuals and groups who are part of and/or accountable to these communities. There is a clear, equitable process for those leading the work to access resources appropriately and make decisions about how resources are used. 
  • Care for Resources: The submitted financial documents make sense for the activities and outcomes outlined in the proposal. There is clear alignment between the resources (e.g., financial, material, people, time) and the activities and goals outlined in the proposal. There is an honest assessment of the true cost of the proposed work. 

Get in Touch

Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page and please reach out if you don’t see the answer you need.

Have an idea but not yet ready to start an application? Share your idea using the online form below and a member of our team will be in touch!

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