Community Foundation announces Richard Lykes fund recipients, opens several 2023 grant applications

The Northern Piedmont Community Foundation on Tuesday announced recipients of the 2022 Richard Lykes grant, awarding nonpro ts that serve Rappahannock County nearly $100,000. The organization also announced that applications have opened for the Community Assistance Grant, academic scholarships and the Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program.

The Lykes Fund provides assistance with projects that strengthen the community. Lykes, who passed away in 2009, believed in the importance of giving back, and continues to do so posthumously. A er leaving a bequest of approximately two million dollars to Northern Piedmont Community Foundation, Lykes completed the ful llment of his desire through the establishment of a community fund.

Here are the recipients:

► Sustainability Matters: $10,000 for the “Making Trash Bloom” project

► Piedmont Environmental Council: $4,400 for hands-on environmental education for Rappahannock youth

► Rappahannock County Lions Club Foundation: $10,000 for encouraging business and trade skills in Rappahannock

► Rappahannock County Public Schools: $7,000 for a renewed vision for the RCPS band

► Rappahannock Food Pantry:

$5,000 for the sow-cow of the month club

► Rapp at Home: $3,250 for “Rapp at the Door's Gi of Safety”

► Sperryville Community Alliance: $5,000 for the Sperryville Trail Network and interpretive signage along the Thornton River

► Virginia Cooperative Extension:

$10,000 for the John Jackson Piedmont Blues Festival

► Rappahannock Historical Society: $2,500 for further digitization of local Black history records

► FamilyFutures: $ 5,000 for expanding visions for students and families through nancial capability

► RappCats: $2,500 for support for an innovative cat neuter program in Rappahannock

► Rappahannock Benevolent Fund: $7,500 for emergency home repairs and housing

► Castleton Festival: $5,000 for the Castleton Festival's 26th season

► Foothills Forum: $10,000 for Report for America (Disclosure: The Rappahannock News and Foothills Forum pool funds to hire a reporter through Report for America)

► Kid Pan Alley: $5,000 for “The Man Who Eats Books”

► Friends of the Rappahannock: $6,650 for the Rappahannock County early childhood educators’ “Beyond Barriers to Access Outdoors” program

The Northern Piedmont Community Foundation also announced that the Community Assistance Grant Application has opened, with awards ranging from $5,000-$25,000. The Community Assistance Grant application process begins with a letter of inquiry, which opened for submission starting Dec. 14, 2022, and will conclude on Jan. 18, 2023. All Letters of Inquiry will be submitted through the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation grant portal found at rappnews.link/csr.

Letters of inquiry will be read and evaluated. An organization that submits one will be noti ed by Jan. 25, if their organization will be asked to submit a complete application. Selected organizations will be able to submit their complete application online starting Jan. 26, and ending Feb. 7.

The organization’s 2023 Academic Scholarship Applications for this year have also opened. This year the foundation is supporting a total of 51 scholarship opportunities ranging from $500 one-time awards to $10,000 renewable awards, distributed in $2,500 installments for four years.

Individuals accepted or planning to attend a four-year, or two-year learning institution or trade/technical school are eligible for scholarships. Individuals interested may nd a complete list of suitable academic elds of study on the organization’s website. They anticipate awarding approximately $250,000 in scholarship monies in the four counties served: Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison and Rappahannock.

The community foundation also opened applications for the Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program that gives area teenagers hands-on experience with philanthropic giving.

YIP provides young people guidance, money, and mentorship to directly fund nonpro t organizations. Each grant cycle challenges these young people to demonstrate leadership, solve problems, study proposals, manage budgets, work together, and present their views to an audience of peers and adults.

To be eligible to apply for YIP, students must currently attend a school located in Rappahannock, Fauquier, Culpeper or Madison counties.

“We believe our young people are more than capable of making informed decisions about community needs and tackling issues such as homelessness, domestic violence, mental health, and other major social concerns,” the organization said in a news release. “Through YIP, they can help create immediate solutions through grants, and because youth sustain their engagement long-term, this contributes to lasting, constructive change in our communities.”

Apply for the scholarships at npcf. org/scholarships