Submit a Letter of Inquiry
To submit a Letter of Inquiry for consideration by DRF, please follow the intructions below. Letters may be submitted on-line or by fax, mail, or email. Please see "Contact Us."
DRF will acknowledge receipt of all Letters of Inquiry within one week. If you do not hear from us within that time, please call or email.
Overview
The region served by Danville Regional Foundation (DRF) has faced many challenges in the last decade - economic, health, educational, and social. Because these challenges are ongoing, DRF is committed to working with organizations that strive to create a healthy and thriving Danville/Pittsylvania County/Caswell County region.
DRF supports regional improvement through funding initiatives:
- proposed by others (responsive grant making) that show potential for significantly impacting present problems by converting them into opportunities for ultimate success,
- created by DRF to stimulate sustainable progress in the region (request for proposals), and
- developed because of unanticipated opportunities where DRF funds, in cooperation with others, can enable productive advances that might not otherwise be attainable.
DRF will fund requests that reflect its mission, values, and areas of focus (outlined under "About the Foundation"). Beyond these previously stated specifics, funding is given greater consideration when the application demonstrates intersection of three areas: need, opportunity, and potential impact.
DRF anticipates requests will exceed available funds. Grants will be made based on a competitive process; but, regardless, some very worthy projects will not receive funding.
Letters of Inquiry may be submitted at any time. Invited Grant Proposals will be considered when they arrive at the DRF Office with Board action occurring in January, May, and September. Reviews of full Grant Proposals will take from three to four months from the time they are received depending on how many other proposals are under consideration.
About the Foundation
The Danville Regional Foundation, a private foundation, serves the area including the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County in Virginia and Caswell County in North Carolina. Created in 2005 with the proceeds of the sale of the Danville Regional Medical Center, DRF addresses regional needs in health, education, and welfare.
DRF's mission is to serve as a catalyst for innovation and as an agent for transformation to develop and sustain a healthy and thriving region. Understanding that significant community change takes time, DRF invests for the long term in efforts that promise sustained positive impact for the region's people. DRF is committed to the development, promotion, and support of activities, programs, and organizations that address the health, education, and well-being of the region's residents.
DRF, led by an eleven (11) person Board, reflects the communities it serves.
DRF intends its work to be guided by and to exhibit the following values:
- Equity: We work to eliminate the harmful gaps between groups in health, education, and economic opportunity so that all residents in our region can thrive in an economy equal to thriving regions elsewhere.
- Excellence: We encourage innovation which inspires pride in the region and produces excellent outcomes for the region's present and future residents.
- Engagement: We seek active partnerships with all segments of the community to fulfill our mission.
- Openness: We operate with fairness and encourage dialogue to build public trust and understanding.
"Multiplier Effect" is Important in Grant Applications
The region's needs are great, far in excess of DRF's financial means. While needs are important, DRF focuses on opportunities to award grants that reflect not just present need but also create opportunity and potential impact.
DRF wants to know:
- what needs will be addressed,
- how opportunity will be harnessed to produce a long-term solution, and
- how the potential impact will demonstrate a "multiplier effect" that goes beyond direct beneficiaries.
An application should show how a grant, combined with other resources, will change the conditions of the region to influence one or more of the outcomes below. DRF's efforts target four areas of focus. Successful grant requests will reflect these outcomes:
Economic Transformation to develop a rising standard of living, including increased income, assets, and economic security across the region.
Educational Attainment to ensure that educational readiness, in-school achievement, and post-secondary success are the regional norm.
Health and Wellness to produce "healthy people in healthy communities."
Community Engagement to build deep civic support for community innovations and to broaden and deepen the leadership base.
DRF believes that long-term investments in these areas are among the most beneficial for the region and its people.
How We Think About Our Work
DRF believes that effective philanthropy requires effective thinking and disciplined action. Our grant-making strategy is shaped by three concepts:
The Cycle of Development
Thriving regions reinvest the wealth they generate. Reinvestment because of a vigorous economy, creates the basis for future growth, prosperity, and shared quality of life.- Traditions of Philanthropy
DRF can invest resources in four different ways: - Charitable relief responds to immediate need.
- Individual improvement helps motivated people fulfill their potentials and contribute to society.
- Social reform removes legal and institutional barriers to individual and community advancement.
- Civic engagement builds regional trust and cooperation.1
DRF considers funding priorities to be social reform and civic engagement as significant catalysts for regional vitality before charitable relief and individual improvement are evaluated when investing resources. - Upstream Investments versus Downstream Investments
Downstream investments have immediate effects on people and touch lives directly.
Upstream investments work over the long term to create change in underlying conditions. Payback from upstream investments is long-term and multi-generational. Primarily DRF will fund upstream investments.
Application Process for Responsive Grants
The application process for responsive grants consists of two steps:
- Step One: Letter of Inquiry
- Step Two: Grant Proposal (if requested by DRF after submission of Letter of Inquiry)
DRF first requires Letters of Inquiry from potential applicants. Letters of Inquiry, submitted at any time, will be reviewed by staff and the appropriate Board committee relative to date received.
Based on the Letters of Inquiry, DRF will select applicants to submit Grant Proposals. At that time, applicants will be informed of the deadline for submission.
DRF staff is periodically available to discuss possible ideas throughout the year, but that does not replace the need for Letters of Inquiry. While discussions with staff are welcome, action by the DRF Board is required for an organization to receive a grant.
Successful Grant Requests
Letter of Inquiry----->Accepted by DRF---->Proposal---->
DRF Review---->Action by DRF---->Implementation----->
Impact---->Assessment
1Lynn, Elizabeth and Susan Wisely. "Toward a Fourth Tradition of Philanthropy." From The Perfect Gift: The Philanthropic Imagination in Poetry and Prose, ed. A. Kass, Indiana University Press, 2002.