The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia advances charitable giving and regional investment in Northern Virginia through funds, grants, scholarships, and community leadership work. Its scholarship program is a significant part of that mission: the foundation manages 35 scholarship funds supporting Northern Virginia students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees, and it awards more than $500,000 each year to nearly 150 students. Volunteer committees review applications and make scholarship award recommendations, tying donor intent to a structured community-led selection process. The foundation’s scholarship portfolio serves students across Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William, while also administering selected funds that reach beyond the region. Its awards illustrate a broad range of educational and community priorities. Examples include the AMS Opportunity Scholarship Fund for Northern Virginia high school seniors interested in STEM fields; the Celebrate Cherie Scholarship Fund for a Northern Virginia resident pursuing a postgraduate degree in physical therapy; the Elizabeth Koury Scholarship Fund for a graduating senior planning a career in medicine; and the Charles Homer Barton Scholarship Fund, which awards five scholarships each year to children of police officers in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. The foundation also manages employer- and memorial-based funds such as the Booz Allen Hamilton Vision Scholarship Fund and the Denise Dowse Drama Scholarship Fund. Beyond awarding scholarships, The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia invites donors to contribute to many of its scholarship funds, offers a Scholarship Fund Handbook for current and prospective fund advisors, and provides a path to open a new scholarship fund. It also recruits volunteers to review scholarship applications, reinforcing its role as both a philanthropic institution and a regional steward of educational opportunity in Northern Virginia.