Williamsburg Community Foundation

What Williamsburg Community Foundation does

The Williamsburg Community Foundation (WCF), legally known as Greater Williamsburg Community Trust, is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in February 1999 and headquartered at 1323 Jamestown Road, Suite 103, Williamsburg, Virginia. WCF connects local donors with community causes across Williamsburg, James City County, and York County by pooling charitable gifts into six fund types — Community Endowment, Field-of-Interest, Donor-Advised, Designated, Agency Endowment, and Scholarship — with minimum gifts ranging from $10,000 to $35,000. Assets of more than $31 million at the end of FY2024 are professionally managed by FEG Investment Advisors, which produced a 12.10% return in 2024, generating investment earnings that fund ongoing grantmaking.

The foundation operates a twice-yearly competitive Community Grants Program (up to $5,000 per grant) across six focus areas: Arts & Culture, Children & Young Adults, Environment & Conservation, Health & Community Wellness, Economic Mobility, and Senior Services. It also administers the WJCC Scholarship Fund for graduating students at Jamestown, Lafayette, Warhill, and Walsingham high schools, the Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship for descendants of pre-1964 African American residents, and the Benjamin R. Altshuler Memorial Fund amateur sports grants. WCF has awarded more than $13.6 million in grants and scholarships since inception and has impacted over 200 nonprofit organizations, with 100+ named funds established.

WCF operates with a lean five-person staff (President & CEO, Director of Community Investment, Director of Donor Engagement, Office Manager, Webmaster) supported by a volunteer Board of Trustees. Its technology stack centers on web-based giving and application portals — GoDonate for online charitable giving and GoApply2 for grant/scholarship applications, both managed by Akoyago — with a separate GoFund donor portal for donor-advised fund holders. The foundation holds National Standards accreditation from the Council on Foundations and a GuideStar Transparency Seal, holds no patents or proprietary technology assets, and derives all revenue from charitable gifts, bequests, and investment returns rather than fees.

Name

Williamsburg Community Foundation

Legal name

Greater Williamsburg Community Trust

Website

https://williamsburgcommunityfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Williamsburg Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that pools charitable gifts from local donors into professionally managed funds, then redistributes earnings as grants and scholarships to nonprofits and students across Williamsburg, James City County, and York County, Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation / Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Community grantmaking
• Philanthropic fund management
• Donor-advised funds
• Charitable giving services
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Gifts and Donations: The foundation receives gifts from donors including individuals, families, businesses, and organizations. Donors can contribute to the Community Endowment, Annual Fund, existing named funds, or establish new named funds. Gift forms include checks, credit cards, negotiable securities, real or personal property, life insurance, retirement assets, and bequests by will or charitable trust.
2. Investment Income: Donor gifts are invested and generate earnings that are returned to the community through grants. Assets of over $31 million are professionally managed by FEG Investment Advisors, producing investment returns that fund ongoing grantmaking.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Williamsburg Community Foundation is an independent community foundation that accepts gifts from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations, invests those gifts, and returns annual earnings to the greater Williamsburg area through competitive grants and scholarships. The Foundation also operates named fund programs across six focus areas: Arts & Culture, Children & Young Adults, Environment & Conservation, Health & Community Wellness, Economic Mobility, and Senior Services.

Product overview

Williamsburg Community Foundation offers a comprehensive portfolio of philanthropic services centered around six fund types: Community Endowment Fund (the primary permanent grantmaking fund), Field-of-Interest Funds (for specific cause areas), Donor-Advised Funds (flexible charitable giving), Designated Funds (for specific organizations), Agency Endowment Funds (for nonprofits), and Scholarship Funds. The Foundation provides competitive grantmaking programs twice yearly supporting nonprofits in six priority areas (Arts & Culture, Children & Young Adults, Environment & Conservation, Health & Community Wellness, Economic Mobility, and Senior Services), distributes scholarships through the WJCC Scholarship Fund and Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship, and operates online platforms (GoDonate and GoApply2) for donations and applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Endowment Fund The Foundation's primary permanent grantmaking fund; the Distribution Committee reviews applications and determines recipients based on changing community needs. Donors may make gifts of any amount to the Community Endowment or establish named endowments (minimum $10,000).
• Field-of-Interest Fund Donor-selected broad area of interest (Arts & Culture, Children & Young Adults, Environment & Conservation, Health & Wellness, Scholarship, or Senior Services) where grants are made annually to programs in those specific areas. Minimum initial gift $35,000.
• Donor-Advised Fund A flexible charitable giving vehicle where donors recommend which charities to support through the Board of Trustees. Can serve as a simpler, less expensive alternative to a private foundation. Minimum $10,000 non-endowed; $35,000 endowed.
• Designated Fund Donor-selected specific organization(s) receive annual distributions from the fund over time. Minimum initial gift $10,000.
• Agency Endowment Fund Endowments established by nonprofit organizations at the Foundation, benefiting from expertise in gift acceptance, investment management, and planned giving.
• Scholarship Fund Scholarship funds supporting local students attending any college or university in the country; donors may select specific criteria and express personal values through the fund. Minimum initial gift $35,000.
• WJCC Scholarship Fund Community-wide scholarship program for students graduating from Jamestown, Lafayette, and Warhill High Schools. Awards range from $1,500 to $5,000 for accredited two- or four-year college programs or career and technical education.
• Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship Scholarship for descendants of African American residents of the City of Williamsburg who lived there prior to 1964. Awards up to $5,400 per year, renewable for up to three years. Created in partnership with the City of Williamsburg's Truth and Reconciliation Committee.
• Community Grants Program Twice-yearly competitive grant program supporting local nonprofits in James City County, York County, and Williamsburg. Organizations may request up to $5,000 for programs in Arts & Culture, Children & Young Adults, Environment & Conservation, Health & Wellness, Economic Mobility, and Senior Services.
• Benjamin R. Altshuler Memorial Fund Amateur Sports Grants Sports grants providing financial assistance to amateur sports programs, with preference for wrestling and programs not readily available to the public. Grants up to $2,500.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $13.6 million in grants and scholarships awarded since 1999
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025Partnership to launch the Greater Williamsburg Transportation Assistance Fund, designed to support riders of public transit through improved bus stop amenities (lighting, seating, shelters) and bus pass grants to nonprofits.
• City of WilliamsburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the City of Williamsburg's Truth and Reconciliation Committee to create the Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship addressing disparities caused by generational effects of racism.
• Compass Wealth StrategiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored the March 2026 Grant Awards Luncheon, supporting the celebration of local nonprofits and their work.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Community Foundation for a greater Richmond: Virginia-based community foundation serving the Richmond region. Comparable to WCF in mission (community grantmaking, scholarships, donor-advised funds), accreditation status, and operating model, with a substantially larger asset base providing a growth benchmark.
• Community Foundation of the New River Valley: Virginia-based community foundation serving southwestern Virginia. Comparable to WCF in structure and scale as a community foundation offering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grants to local nonprofits in a defined regional geography.
• Hampton Roads Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving the greater Hampton Roads area of Southeast Virginia. Directly comparable to WCF as a geographically adjacent community foundation with similar fund types, scholarship programs, and competitive grantmaking model serving local nonprofits.
• Foundation for the Carolinas: Major community foundation serving the Charlotte/Carolinas region. Comparable to WCF as a multi-fund community foundation with scholarship programs, donor-advised funds, and competitive grantmaking, though operating at significantly larger scale.

Others

• FEG Investment Advisors: Independent investment advisory firm that manages WCF's $31M+ portfolio. Not a peer in mission but a key ecosystem partner providing the institutional investment management services that community foundations rely on for endowment growth.
• Council on Foundations: National membership association for U.S. foundations that issues the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations accreditation held by WCF. Not a direct peer but the governing body that sets the accreditation and standards framework that defines the community foundation category.

Broad incumbents

• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: One of the largest U.S. community foundations by assets. Comparable to WCF in the community foundation model (DAFs, competitive grants, scholarships) but operates at vastly different scale and with a tech-wealth donor base.
• The Cleveland Foundation: The oldest and one of the largest U.S. community foundations. Comparable to WCF in core community foundation model (donor-advised funds, competitive grants, scholarships, endowments) but operates as a much broader incumbent with diversified city-wide impact.
• Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta: Major community foundation serving the Atlanta region. Comparable to WCF in offering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grants, but operating at significantly greater scale and serving a much larger metro area.

Regional players

• Peninsula Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Virginia's Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions. Comparable to WCF as a similarly-sized Virginia community foundation offering scholarships, competitive grants, and named funds to a defined regional geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/williamsburgcommunityfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/williamsburgcommunityfdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/williamsburg-community-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Williamsburg Community Foundation