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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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. 

WILLIAMSBURG, VA – The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) is pleased to introduce new staff to the community as the philanthropy heads toward its 30-year mark of service to Greater Williamsburg through convening, connecting, leveraging opportunities, and grantmaking. “We are thrilled to welcome three new employees joining the Foundation eager to engage with partners and contribute to supporting area agencies addressing health-related needs in our community,” said Deanna Van Hersh, WHF President and CEO.

New Staff Members

Along with their collective personal experiences of finding a deep sense of purpose through meaningful involvement in the nonprofit field, each of these professionals brings a unique work history and skillset that will contribute to advancing the Foundation’s mission to enhance health in Greater Williamsburg as they engage with Foundation partners and the broader community:

• Alayna Ayers, Grants Assistant, holds a B.A. in Communication Studies with a concentration in Organizational Communications and a minor in English from James Madison University. Alayna is a former grant and program assistant with nonprofit and foundation experience who brings expertise in grant coordination, budgeting, project management, internal and external communications strategies, and survey administration.
• Mary Jo Haselton, Administrative Assistant, holds a B.S. in Psychology from Temple University and brings 15 years of professional administrative support experience from a graduate-level institution where she was progressively promoted throughout her career to Academic Assistant to the Provost.
• Cole Raines, Program & Communications Assistant, holds an A.B. in Government with a secondary concentration in Economics from Harvard College and brings executive non-profit experience in managing grants, providing technical assistance, facilitating community initiatives, and developing and delivering public-facing communications using multifaceted strategies.

Other Foundation News

The WHF Board of Trustees recently adopted an updated strategic framework to guide the Foundation’s community engagement and grantmaking for the next five years (2026-2030), which maintains a commitment to a healthy community for all by supporting organizations working to address underlying factors that influence lifelong health and the well-being of people with low income. The framework is organized around three focus areas and related funding strategies:

• Access to Care: Supporting the availability, affordability, and quality of health-related services, including primary, behavioral, and dental health care as well as access to medications and supportive services.
• Economic Advancement: Advancing financial literacy and capability to access essential resources by supporting educational success for lifelong learners, housing stability, and access to affordable and accessible transportation.
• Healthy Living: Supporting efforts that lower the risk of serious illness through access to adequate nutritious food and opportunities to increase physical activity, healthy lifestyles, and social connection.

“These strategies remain true to the Foundation’s core purpose and reflect what we have learned from community and grantee partners over time,” said Van Hersh. “It reinforces the Foundation’s focus on the conditions that shape health across the lifespan and provides direction for supporting solutions designed to enhance health in Greater Williamsburg.”

___________________________________________________________________

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 $119 million in grants to improve community health and well-being.

WILLIAMSBURG, VA– The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) Board of Trustees has adopted an updated strategic framework to guide the focus of community engagement and grantmaking from 2026 through 2030. The framework promotes the Foundation’s commitment to a healthy community for all, with a focus on addressing underlying factors that influence lifelong health and well-being for people with low income. 

“The Foundation’s updated strategic framework reflects what we have learned from community and grantee partners over time,” said Deanna Van Hersh, WHF’s President and CEO. “It reinforces WHF’s focus on the conditions that shape health across the lifespan and provides clear direction for how the Foundation supports solutions designed to enhance the health of individuals, families, and the broader community.” 

The 2026–2030 framework is organized around three funding strategies:

• Access to Care: Supporting the availability, affordability, and quality of health-related services, including primary, behavioral, and dental health care as well as access to medications and supportive services.
• Economic Advancement: Advancing financial literacy and capability to access essential resources by supporting educational success for lifelong learners, housing stability, and access to affordable and accessible transportation.
• Healthy Living: Supporting efforts that lower the risk of serious illness through access to adequate nutritious food and opportunities to increase physical activity, healthy lifestyles, and social connection.

The strategic framework will guide WHF’s engagement and grantmaking over the next five years as the Foundation continues to support efforts to develop and implement lasting improvements in health across Greater Williamsburg. 

For more information about WHF, visit www.williamsburghealthfoundation.org.

________________________________________________________________

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 $119 million in grants to improve community health and well-being.