Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation, based in Charlottesville, VA, funds work in economic mobility and well-being, conservation and sustainable energy, historic preservation, community-based arts and culture, and local news, with priority given to the Greater Charlottesville Area, Southwest Virginia and Surry County.
- It does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold application will not be considered; its own team works with the Grants Committee to identify potential grantees, so an introduction or existing relationship matters more than a direct approach.
- A typical request sits around the median grant of $45,000, and about eight in ten of its grants to organisations fall between $5,000 and $200,000, though it has made grants as large as $500,000.
- Seventy per cent of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had already funded, so it tends to keep supporting existing partners rather than take on many new ones, which argues for patience and sustained contact over a single approach.
- It looks for organisations whose work matches its investment priorities and which have proven capacity to steward funds effectively and achieve results, so be ready to demonstrate a track record of delivery.
Overview
Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation is a US private foundation based in Charlottesville, VA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation supports initiatives and organisations that cultivate resilient communities and ecosystems in the places the Worrells called home. Priorities include economic mobility and well-being, including education, health, housing, workforce training, economic development and entrepreneurship. It also supports conservation, sustainable energy, outdoor access and environmental education, river health, historic preservation, community-based arts and culture, and local news that fills information gaps or covers topics aligned with its priorities. The Foundation works in partnership with organisations, offering connections, capacity building and communication as well as funding. It looks for organisations whose work matches its investment priorities and which have proven capacity to steward funds effectively and achieve results.
Themes
- Economic Mobility & Well-Being
- Preserving Natural Assets
- Historic Preservation
- Arts and Culture
- Local News
Geographic Focus
Priority: Greater Charlottesville Area: Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Fluvanna County and 4 more places in Virginia; Southwest Virginia: Bristol, Norton, Buchanan County and 9 more places in Virginia; Surry County.
How to apply
It does not accept unsolicited proposals. Its dedicated team of professionals works with the Grants Committee to identify potential grantees.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 70% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 264 grants to organisations were $45,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Foundation looks for organisations whose work matches its investment priorities.
- It favours organisations with proven capacity to steward funds effectively and achieve results.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
1 other state: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 6% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 70% of grant dollars went to organisations Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 4% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 104 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $32,500 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Appalachian Sustainable Development · Program support$500,0002024 tax year
- Blue Ridge Public Television · Program support$500,0002024 tax year
- Miller Center Foundation · Program support$375,0002024 tax year
- Miller Center Foundation · Program support$375,0002024 tax year
- The Nature Conservancy in Virginia · Program support$350,0002024 tax year
- Endless Opportunity · Program support$300,0002024 tax year
- United Way of Greater Charlottesville · Program support$271,2652024 tax year
- PVCC Educational Foundation · Program support$250,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Meghan Murray — Director
- Thomas E Worrell III — Director
- Philip C Stone — Chair
- Thomas S Word Jr — Director
- A Shannon Worrell — Vice Chair
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $5,935,848 | $4,971,918 | $36,212,229 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $9,809,438 | $6,361,371 | $193,368,837 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $13,014,074 | $8,532,563 | $213,808,427 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- info@agworrellfoundation.org
- Charlottesville, VA
- agworrellfoundation.org
Applying to Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- info@agworrellfoundation.org
- Charlottesville, VA
- agworrellfoundation.org