What The Cameron Foundation does

The Cameron Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private philanthropic foundation established in 2003 from the proceeds of the sale of Southside Regional Medical Center by the Hospital Authority of the City of Petersburg, Virginia. It operates as a place-based, health legacy foundation serving the Tri-Cities region (Petersburg, Colonial Heights, and Hopewell) and the surrounding counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George, Sussex, and the portion of Chesterfield County south of Route 10. The foundation makes grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and, on a limited basis, governmental agencies, with programs spanning health and human services, community and economic development, education, historic preservation, and arts and culture. Since inception it has awarded more than $100 million across 1,207 grants to 316 organizations, with an annual payout of approximately $4 million.

The foundation's core "products" are its grant programs — a responsive General Grants Program with two annual cycles (June and October), proactive Strategic Partnership Grants (3-5 year terms via direct collaboration, targeted RFPs, expert convenings, and collaborative funding), Sacred Landmarks Grants for historic religious building preservation, and Emergency Grants for urgent community needs including disaster response. Distribution runs through an online portal (GrantRequest.com) beginning with a Letter of Intent, followed by full proposal submission if invited. There is no proprietary technology platform; the foundation's intellectual capital sits in its 17-indicator Community Health Needs Assessment, its Service Area Report Card, biennial reports, and a curated nonprofit capacity-building ecosystem comprising the Center for Nonprofit Excellence partnership, fully funded Catchafire memberships, Duke University Custom Intensive Track nonprofit management classes, Learning Communities, and the Cleveland A. Wright Lecture Series.

Commercially, The Cameron Foundation has no revenue model in the conventional sense — it is funded by an endowment and distributes rather than sells. Governance is provided by a community-leader board chaired by Vandy V. Jones, III, with day-to-day leadership from President Nadine Marsh-Carter, JD (since November 2022), supported by 1-10 staff including a contract CFO (501 Advisors), a contract Director of Communications and Capacity Building, a VCU Wilder Graduate Scholar Fellow, and dedicated program, grants, operations, and administrative personnel. The foundation is currently temporarily relocated to Prince George, VA due to water damage repairs at its Petersburg headquarters effective January 8, 2026.

Name

The Cameron Foundation

Legal name

The Cameron Foundation

Website

https://camfound.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Cameron Foundation is a 501(c)(3) place-based philanthropic foundation established in 2003 from the Southside Regional Medical Center sale, granting approximately $4 million annually to nonprofits and select government agencies serving Petersburg, the Tri-Cities, and surrounding Southside Virginia counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Community development grants
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Health legacy foundation
• Place-based philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Petersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grantmaking: The Cameron Foundation was established in 2003 from the proceeds of the sale of Southside Regional Medical Center by the Hospital Authority of the City of Petersburg. The foundation makes grants to qualified nonprofits, government agencies, and other entities serving its service area. Revenue comes from endowment investments and strategic deployment of foundation assets toward community impact.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Cameron Foundation is a place-based health legacy foundation established in 2003 from proceeds of the sale of Southside Regional Medical Center. It makes grants to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofits, government agencies, and faith-based groups serving the Tri-Cities region of Virginia (Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George, Sussex, and southern Chesterfield). It runs two core grant programs — a responsive General Grants Program with two annual cycles and proactive Strategic Partnership Grants with 3-5 year terms — alongside capacity-building services for area nonprofits.

Product overview

The Cameron Foundation operates as a place-based philanthropy organization offering a portfolio of grant programs and capacity-building services. The core offerings consist of two primary grant programs: General Grants (responsive two-cycle annual program) and Strategic Partnership Grants (proactive 3-5 year funding engagements). These are supplemented by specialized Sacred Landmarks Grants for historic preservation and Emergency Grants for urgent needs. Parallel to direct funding, the Foundation provides capacity-building services including the Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) partnership, Catchafire membership, Duke University Nonprofit Management Classes, Cleveland A. Wright Lecture Series, and Learning Communities. The Foundation also offers digital tools (Service Area Address Checker) and publishes research publications including the triennial Community Health Needs Assessment and annual Service Area Report Card. All programs serve the Virginia Tri-Cities region (Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Sussex counties, and southern Chesterfield).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE): Partnership program with Center for Nonprofit Excellence providing programs and services to enhance nonprofit management capabilities in the region.
• Catchafire
• Cleveland A. Wright Lecture Series

Products and services

• General Grants Program The Foundation's primary responsive grantmaking program offering two annual cycles (June and October) to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and limited government entities for project, program, general operating, and capital purposes. Recipients submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) followed by a full proposal if invited.
• Strategic Partnership Grants Proactive grant program enabling the Foundation to engage directly with partners through direct collaboration, targeted RFPs, expert convenings, collaborative funding initiatives, and anchor organization partnerships for 3-5 year sustained funding terms.
• Sacred Landmarks Grants Specialized grant program for exterior preservation of historic religious buildings listed locally, on the Virginia Landmarks Register, or National Register of Historic Places, requiring a separate application process with its own guidelines.
• Emergency Grants Rapid-response funding for urgent community needs, including disaster assistance and COVID-19 related support, deployed outside the regular June and October grant cycles.
• Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) Partnership Partnership with CNE providing programs and services to enhance nonprofit management, change management, and mission achievement for area nonprofits; CNE acts as champion, learning partner, and advisor to nonprofit staff, board members, and volunteers.
• Catchafire Membership Fully funded year-long membership to Catchafire's global network of skills-based volunteers offering access to over 150 capacity-building project types, unlimited expert consultations, and curated educational content for nonprofits in Cameron's service area.
• Duke University Nonprofit Management Classes Custom Intensive Track Program delivered in person at The Cameron Foundation, offering eight weekly sessions for cohort members who can earn the Duke Certificate in Nonprofit Management upon completion.
• Cleveland A. Wright Lecture Series Annual community lecture series bringing national expert speakers and panels to Southside organizations, exposing outside thought leaders and sector influencers to foster a culture of excellence in the regional nonprofit community.
• Learning Communities Collective learning networks among nonprofit leaders in the same field designed to improve practice and develop peer relationships for collaboration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,300 households gained internet access through $1.15 million broadband initiative that leveraged $19 million in additional funding
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Richard Bland College and Bon Secours Southside Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Richard Bland College and Bon Secours Southside Medical Center expanded their partnership with The Cameron Foundation to grow the RBC Health Careers Camp. The collaboration represents more than $1.2 million in combined funding and in-kind support, enabling over 125 local middle and high school students to participate in hands-on healthcare training. The program will also create future internship pathways through Bon Secours Medical Center.
• Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation partners with CNE to provide programs and services that enhance the ability of area nonprofits to manage change, deepen impact and achieve mission. CNE serves as champion, learning partner and advisor to nonprofit staff, board members and volunteers.
• CatchafirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatchafire is a global network connecting nonprofits with skills-based volunteers. The Foundation offers fully funded, year-long memberships to nonprofits in Cameron’s service area, providing access to over 150 capacity-building project types, unlimited expert consultations, and curated educational content.
• Duke UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation partners with Duke University to provide nonprofit management classes. In 2024, Duke began delivering its Custom Intensive Track Program in person at The Cameron Foundation to a cohort, where participants complete eight weekly sessions and can earn the Duke Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
• Governor's Commonwealth Connect FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation pledged up to $1.15 million ($650,000 for Dinwiddie County and $500,000 for Sussex County) to Governor Northam's Commonwealth Connect Fund for broadband expansion. This leverages state, county, and private ISP funding to achieve universal internet coverage in rural communities.
• Friends of the Lower Appomattox River (FOLAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation awarded $1 million to FOLAR for the Appomattox River Trail western entrance development spanning Dinwiddie, Chesterfield, and Petersburg. Total Cameron commitment to FOLAR is $1,477,000. The project includes trail development, a bicycle-pedestrian bridge, and renovation of historic Ferndale Park.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Foundation for Roanoke Valley: Regional community foundation serving western Virginia with similar endowment-driven grantmaking, donor services, and community leadership programs.
• Danville Regional Foundation: Virginia-based health legacy foundation formed from the sale of a regional hospital; operates place-based grantmaking across the Danville/Pittsylvania region. Comparable by origin, mission, and community-development focus.
• Hampton Roads Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving southeastern Virginia with permanent endowment grantmaking, scholarships, and community impact programs.
• The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia: Regional community foundation operating in the same Virginia geography with donor-advised funds, competitive grants, and capacity-building programs for nonprofits.
• The Richmond Memorial Health Foundation: Health legacy foundation serving Greater Richmond with grantmaking focused on health equity and community development. Highly comparable in scale, mission, and Virginia footprint.

Broad incumbents

• The Rapides Foundation: Larger Louisiana health legacy foundation operating place-based grantmaking in Central Louisiana; useful comparable for the hospital-conversion-to-foundation model and healthcare-led community development strategy.
• Moses Taylor Foundation: Health legacy foundation in Scranton, PA operating place-based grantmaking in a similarly sized post-industrial service area; comparable in scale, mission, and community-health focus.

Regional players

• Virginia Health Care Foundation: Virginia-focused public-private partnership funding healthcare access initiatives. Comparable by Virginia geography and health-equity grantmaking focus, though more narrowly healthcare-oriented.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cameron-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cameron Foundation