WILLIAMSBURG, VA – September 17, 2026: Earlier this week, the Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) Board of Trustees approved $220,956 in grant funding across 11 nonprofit organizations working to enhance health in the City of Williamsburg, James City County, and York County.
The grant awards span WHF’s three focus areas: Access to Care, Economic Advancement, and Healthy Living, with Economic Advancement leading in both number of awards and total amount. Of the 11 awards, 7 went to first-time programs or organizations.
First-time Economic Advancement grant recipients include The Friends of Foster Care for its Strengthening Futures Through Education for Youth in Foster Care Residing in Greater Williamsburg initiative, which will provide free, one-on-one professional tutoring to foster youth in Greater Williamsburg; Gateway Homes’ Facilitating Safe and Stable Community Living for Individuals Living with Serious Mental Illness initiative to strengthen outpatient clinical services for Greater Williamsburg adults living with mental illness; and Habitat for Humanity’s A Brush with Kindness Home Repair program to support low-cost exterior home repairs that improve safety and accessibility for older adults, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and homeowners with low-income.
First-time organizations and/or programs in the Access to Care focus area include the Addiction Recovery Through Access to a Full Continuum of Care project at Faith Recovery to expand care for adults with substance use disorders including high-intensity residential care, Peer Recovery Specialists, and vocational assistance; Virginia Community Health Worker Association’s Health in Hand: Care Kits for Greater Williamsburg initiative to distribute Care Kits through Community Health Worker Ambassadors and partner organizations to medically underserved Greater Williamsburg residents; and William & Mary Remote Area Medical’s Williamsburg Remote Area Medical Clinic initiative to provide free on-site dental, vision, and medical care to uninsured/underinsured Greater Williamsburg residents to reduce healthcare barriers.
WHF awarded one new organization and program in the Healthy Living focus area with the Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads’ Service-Learning for Teens: Healthy Living Through Community Connection initiative to support service-learning programming for Greater Williamsburg teens.
These first-time awardees and/or programs join other critical drivers of health efforts previously supported by WHF, including Comfort Zone Camp (Weekend Camp in Jamestown), Here for the Girls (The Screening & Prevention Village), Housing Partnerships (Safe at Home: Emergency Repair & Home Modification Program), and the William & Mary Foundation (Supporting the Flourishing of Greater Williamsburg Preschool/Middle School Youth).
Deanna Van Hersh, President & CEO of WHF, highlighted the high proportion of first-time recipients this grant cycle: “The Williamsburg Health Foundation’s Board of Trustees is enthusiastic about the newly awarded organizations, programs, and initiatives designed to enhance health across Greater Williamsburg. WHF has made a point of engaging directly with the community through listening, and grant information and strategy sessions, which has resulted in an increase in first-time grant recipients.”
Van Hersh added, “We look forward to seeing these projects address important health-related needs in our community, and we remain committed to making the grantmaking process accessible to more organizations and programs.”
With this announcement, total funding awarded in 2026 is now nearly $5 million, bringing WHF’s cumulative giving since its founding to more than $124 million.
If you are interested in learning more about the Foundation’s grant opportunities, please visit www.williamsburghealthfoundation.org.
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Organization Name |
Project Title |
Approved Amount |
|
| ACCESS TO CARE | |||
| Primary, behavioral, and/or dental health care | |||
| Faith Recovery | Addiction Recovery Through Access to a Full Continuum of Care | $50,000 | |
| Virginia Community Health Workers Association | Health in Hand: Care Kits for Greater Williamsburg | $14,956 | |
| William & Mary Remote Area Medical Clinic | Williamsburg Remote Area Medical Clinic | $20,000 | |
| ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT | |||
| Educational success for lifelong learners | |||
| The Friends of Foster Care | Strengthening Futures Through Education for Youth in Foster Care Residing in Greater Williamsburg | $10,000 | |
| William & Mary Foundation | Supporting the Flourishing of Preschool/Middle School Youth | $15,000 | |
| Housing stability | |||
| Gateway Homes | Facilitating Safe and Stable Community Living for Individuals Living with Serious Mental Illness | $20,000 | |
| Habitat for Humanity | A Brush with Kindness Home Repair Program | $25,000 | |
| Housing Partnerships | Safe at Home: Emergency Repair & Home Modification Program | $50,000 | |
| HEALTHY LIVING | |||
| Promotion of healthy lifestyles and social connection | |||
| Comfort Zone Camp | CZC Weekend Camp in Jamestown, VA | $7,500 | |
| Here for the Girls | The Screening & Prevention Village | $2,500 | |
| Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads | Service-Learning for Teens: Healthy Living Through Community Connection | $6,000 | |
The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is an independent private health foundation with the mission to enhance health in Greater Williamsburg. The Foundation was established in September 1996 when the Williamsburg Community Hospital and Sentara developed an affiliation agreement and later merged. This agreement included a provision for a new, locally organized, and managed Foundation to benefit community health. Since inception, WHF has awarded over $124 million in grants to improve community health and well-being.