Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation

What Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation does

The Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation is a private, time-limited charitable foundation headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, that makes grants to nonprofit organizations across three thematic pillars: Economic Mobility and Well-Being (education, health, housing, and workforce development), Preserving Natural Assets (conservation, outdoor access, and river health), and Family Legacy (historic preservation, arts and culture, and local news). The Foundation concentrates its grantmaking in three Virginia regions — Greater Charlottesville, Southwest Virginia, and Surry County — that the founders Anne and Gene Worrell, who built Worrell Newspapers, called home.

The entity traces to 1986 when the Worrells created the Genan Foundation; following Mrs. Worrell's 2019 estate settlement, the Board of Directors was formalized, additional endowment assets were contributed, and a 35-year time-limited life ending in 2054 was established. The Board renamed the entity to Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation in 2023 to honor the founders. Governance is provided by a six-member Board (Chair Phillip C. Stone, Vice-Chair Shannon Worrell, Chancellor Donna Price Henry, R. Marshall Merriman Jr., Meghan R. Murray, Zack Worrell) and a six-member Grants Committee, while day-to-day operations are run by a four-person staff led by President & CEO Holly Hatcher.

The Foundation does not sell products or services and does not accept unsolicited proposals; instead, a dedicated staff works with the Grants Committee to proactively identify and vet potential grantees whose work aligns with the Foundation's investment priorities and who can steward multi-year funding. The Foundation funds its grantmaking from an endowment (with returns reported on Form 990-PF) and supplements direct grants with non-financial support including partner connections, capacity building, and communications assistance. It is also an active member of the Virginia Funders Network and the Appalachia Funders Network, signaling coordination with peer funders across its operating regions.

Name

Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation

Legal name

Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation

Website

https://agworrellfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation is a private, time-limited charitable foundation (1986/2019, ending 2054) headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, that proactively awards multi-year grants to nonprofits across Virginia in education, health, conservation, historic preservation, arts, and local news.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Private foundation grantmaking
• Virginia community philanthropy
• Nonprofit endowment giving
• Time-limited foundation
• Place-based philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment/Investment Returns: As a private foundation, the organization operates from an endowment established by the estate of Anne Worrell in 2019, with a 35-year time-limited existence (until 2054). The foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS annually.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation is a private charitable foundation that makes grants to nonprofit organizations working in Virginia communities. Its grantmaking is organized around three focus areas—Economic Mobility & Well-Being (education, health, housing, workforce development), Preserving Natural Assets (conservation, outdoor access, river health), and Family Legacy (historic preservation, arts/culture, local news)—and it operates from an endowment with a planned 35-year spend-down ending in 2054.

Product overview

The Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation is a private charitable foundation focused on grantmaking to cultivate resilient communities and ecosystems in Virginia. The foundation offers grant programs across three primary focus areas: Economic Mobility & Well-Being (education, health, housing, workforce training), Preserving Natural Assets (conservation, outdoor access, river health), and Family Legacy (historic preservation, arts and culture, local news). The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and works with its Grants Committee to identify potential grantees aligned with its investment priorities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economic Mobility & Well-Being Grants
• Preserving Natural Assets Grants
• Family Legacy Grants
• Grantee Partnership Support

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Virginia Funders NetworkminorOthersThe Foundation is an active member of the Virginia Funders Network, working closely with other funders in partnership philanthropy.
• Appalachia Funders NetworkminorOthersThe Foundation is an active member of the Appalachia Funders Network, collaborating with other funders in the Appalachian region.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Foundation for Roanoke Valley: Regional community foundation serving Southwest and Roanoke Valley in Virginia. Highly comparable in mission, geography, and place-based grantmaking approach, making it one of the most direct structural peers.
• Charlottesville Area Community Foundation: Community foundation headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, focused on Greater Charlottesville and surrounding counties. Overlaps directly with the Worrell Foundation's primary geographic focus and partnership-driven philanthropy model.
• The Oak Hill Fund: Private family foundation operating in Virginia and surrounding Mid-Atlantic states on education, environment, and community. Comparable in private foundation structure, regional focus, and grantee partnership approach.
• The Weissberg Foundation: Private family foundation supporting education, health, and community-based organizations, including in Virginia. Comparable in private-foundation structure and multi-vertical grantmaking strategy.
• Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation: Private foundation focused on rural Southeast U.S. communities across economic development, education, and racial equity. Comparable multi-issue, place-based approach serving Southern Appalachian-adjacent geographies.
• The Moriah Fund: Private family foundation supporting Mid-Appalachia communities, including parts of Southwest Virginia, on economic justice, environmental protection, and community development. Highly comparable in mission, region, and private-foundation structure.
• Greater Lynchburg Community Trust: Virginia community foundation serving the Lynchburg region with comparable place-based grantmaking across education, health, and community development.

Broad incumbents

• The Annie E. Casey Foundation: Large national private foundation focused on child welfare, education, and economic mobility. Substantial overlap with the Worrell Foundation's Economic Mobility & Well-Being pillar but at far greater scale and broader geographic scope.
• The Nature Conservancy in Virginia: Major conservation organization operating in Virginia. Overlaps directly with the Foundation's Preserving Natural Assets pillar (land conservation, species protection, river health), though operates more broadly across conservation and recreation.

Regional players

• Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation: Regional community foundation serving the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia. Operates outside Virginia but shares the Appalachian regional focus, multi-issue place-based grantmaking model, and partnership orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/anne-gene-worrell-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation