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Weissberg Foundation

Annual Giving
$2.6M
Grant Range
$1K - $0.5M

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Weissberg Foundation - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2.6 million (2023); $19.6 million planned for 2025 with surge funding
  • Success Rate: Not applicable - invitation only
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available - proactive identification model
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $460,000 (most grants $25,000 - $100,000)
  • Geographic Focus: Virginia (statewide, with emphasis on rural areas and regional efforts inclusive of Virginia)

Contact Details

Website: https://weissbergfoundation.org

Phone: (703) 276-7500

Email: info@weissbergfoundation.org (via contact form)

Address: 1901 North Moore Street, Arlington, VA 22209

Contact Method: Complete the online contact form at https://weissbergfoundation.org/contact-us/

Overview

Founded in 1988 by Marvin Weissberg, the Weissberg Foundation is a Virginia-rooted family foundation with assets totalling approximately $209.6 million. The foundation's mission is to advance organisations and efforts building the power of those most negatively impacted by racism through funding, amplification, capacity building, and collaboration. Since 2016, the foundation has undergone a significant strategic transformation, focusing exclusively on resourcing Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color primarily in Virginia. The foundation envisions a world that recognises inequities and actively seeks to dismantle structural racism by continuously building access, opportunity, and power so that all can thrive. In March 2025, the foundation demonstrated its commitment by authorising an additional $10 million in surge funding, more than doubling its annual grant spending to $19.6 million.

Funding Priorities

Current Strategic Focus

The foundation centres its work on four interconnected power-building areas:

Organising Power: Supporting grassroots community organisations led by and accountable to People of Color who are systems-impacted

Economic Power: Building wealth through land ownership and addressing structural racism harms; supporting economic justice initiatives

Political Power: Making democratic institutions more responsive to and representative of marginalised communities; supporting advocacy and civic engagement

Narrative Power: Supporting BIPOC-authored narratives that challenge racist narratives; funding cultural workers and storytellers

Grant Characteristics

  • Grant Type: Predominantly multi-year general operating support (over 80% of total grantmaking)
  • Grant Sizes: Range from $1,000 to approximately $460,000; most grants fall between $25,000 and $100,000
  • Duration: Multi-year commitments (typically 3-4 years)
  • Geographic Priority: Virginia-wide, especially rural areas, as well as regional efforts inclusive of Virginia

Priority Recipients

Organisations that are:

  • Led by and/or accountable to Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color
  • Building power through organising, advocacy, policy change, or narrative shift
  • Working at the grassroots level
  • System-impacted communities leading their own transformation
  • Of any budget size (the foundation notes that half of Virginia nonprofits have budgets under $500,000)

Past Time-Limited Programmes (Now Closed)

DMV Power Fund (2020-2024): Supported ten organisations building power through advocacy, organising, and civic engagement by and for People of Color in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia

JustVA Fund (2021-2024): Supported efforts at the intersection of criminal and racial justice in Virginia

Equitable Justice Program: Advanced organisations approaching justice reform with an intersectional lens, centring system-impacted women, girls, trans, and gender non-conforming individuals of color

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not explicitly list exclusions but focuses exclusively on racial justice and power-building work in Virginia. Organisations outside Virginia or without a racial equity focus are unlikely to be considered.

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

Ricshawn Adkins Roane (Executive Director & Independent Trustee) Joined in late 2021 from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Her philanthropic vision is "to lead the return of resources extracted by colonialism, exploitation, racism, exclusion, and sexism to the communities most impacted." Roane has stated: "Five percent is a floor, not a ceiling," and emphasises that "the impact of our efforts goes far beyond the dollar amounts we allocate. The decisions we are making are sending a powerful message of solidarity, responsiveness, and commitment." In July 2025, she will transition to become CEO of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

Staff Team

Brandy Hudson (Director – Organising Power): Designer, strategist, and facilitator with nearly 30 years in social justice work. She emphasises coming in "with the stance of not knowing and treat[ing] everyone I talk to as the experts."

Leah Salgado (Director – Narrative Power, Pascua Yaqui): Narrative and culture change strategist; formerly Chief Impact Officer at IllumiNative

Amanda O'Meara (Director – Operations): Oversees finance, HR, vendor relations, and technology systems; with the foundation since 2009

Kendra Allen (Grants & Operations Manager): Brings a Black queer feminist perspective focused on building collective care cultures; joined in 2025

Board of Directors

Family Trustees:

  • Courtney Morris (Chair): Collaborative consultant and wellness specialist
  • Nina Weissberg (Treasurer & Investment Committee Chair): CEO of Weissberg Investment Corp; founding board member
  • Wesley Weissberg: Founding board member; MFA student in fiction writing
  • Rachel Martin (Next Gen): MBA from University of Denver; specialises in impact-led investing
  • Garrett Martin: President and CEO of Maine Center for Economic Policy

Independent Trustees:

  • Edward Jones (Vice Chair & Secretary): Vice President of Programs at ABFE – A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities
  • Chief Keith Anderson: Chief of the Nansemond Indian Nation; executive director of Red Crook-ed Sky performing arts organisation
  • Tamara Copeland: Retired president of Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers; co-facilitates The Onion Dialogues racial justice training
  • Ashley Kenneth: President and CEO of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis
  • Alexsis Rodgers: Works at Black Futures Lab and Black to the Future Action Fund; 2020 Richmond mayoral candidate

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Weissberg Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation uses a proactive identification model to find and engage potential grantees, removing "the burden on these organisations to find us and engage in time-intensive application processes."

The foundation proactively identifies organisations through:

  • Landscape analyses of racial justice work in Virginia
  • Attending events where organisers already gather
  • Listening to community voice and organisers working in different contexts
  • Building on existing networks while intentionally expanding reach to rural communities
  • Recommendations from current grantees and community leaders

For Virginia Organisations: While there is no formal application process, organisations can complete the contact form at https://weissbergfoundation.org/contact-us/ to introduce themselves. The foundation notes that Virginia organisations may find success by collaborating and networking with other Weissberg grantees.

Getting on Their Radar

The Weissberg Foundation takes a distinctive approach to identifying grantees. Based on the foundation's documented practices, Virginia-based organisations can position themselves to be noticed through:

Build Connections with Current Grantees: The foundation values collaboration and networks among racial justice organisations. Being embedded in Virginia's racial justice ecosystem and connected to current grantees may increase visibility.

Be Present Where Organisers Gather: The foundation's staff attend events where organisers already gather rather than hosting their own convenings. Being active in Virginia racial justice organising spaces, coalitions, and networks may create opportunities for organic connection.

Lead with Community Accountability: The foundation prioritises organisations "led by and/or accountable to Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color." Demonstrating clear community accountability and leadership from affected communities aligns with their criteria.

Focus on Power-Building: The foundation seeks organisations building organising, economic, political, or narrative power. Organisations should be able to articulate how their work builds power for communities most impacted by racism.

Regional and Rural Reach: The foundation specifically mentions seeking to support rural Virginia communities. Organisations working outside urban centres like Richmond and Northern Virginia may be of particular interest.

Complete the Contact Form: While not an application, the foundation's contact form at https://weissbergfoundation.org/contact-us/ includes options to indicate interest in their Strategic Grantmaking work. This may serve as an introduction point.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable due to proactive identification model. The foundation identifies and reaches out to potential grantees rather than following a traditional application-review-decision cycle.

Success Rates

Not applicable. The foundation made 63 grants in 2023 and 82 grants in 2022, but these were proactively identified rather than selected from an applicant pool.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no traditional application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Given the foundation's unique proactive identification model, organisations cannot "apply" in the traditional sense. However, based on the foundation's documented priorities and approach, organisations that would be strong partners demonstrate:

Community Leadership and Accountability: Organisations "led by and/or accountable to Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color" are the foundation's priority. Director of Organising Power Brandy Hudson emphasises treating community members as "the experts."

Clear Power-Building Focus: The foundation looks for organisations building organising, economic, political, or narrative power. Organisations should be able to articulate how their work shifts power to communities most impacted by racism.

Trust-Based Partnership Readiness: When the foundation gives general operating support, they're saying "we trust you, we trust your leadership to do the best you possibly can toward your vision, and in exchange, we want grantees to be honest about how things are going and what they're learning." Organisations that value honest, two-way communication and learning thrive in this model.

Intersectional Approach: The foundation learned from grantees that communities "don't live single issue lives." Organisations with intersectional approaches across organising, narrative, economic, and political power align with the foundation's philosophy.

Grassroots and System-Impacted Leadership: The foundation prioritises grassroots community organisations where system-impacted individuals lead their own transformation.

Virginia Connection: The foundation has intentionally narrowed its geographic focus to Virginia, especially rural areas. Strong roots in Virginia communities are essential.

Responsiveness to Community Needs: The foundation practices "only doing what people ask for" rather than designing strategies in isolation. Organisations that centre community voice in their work align with this philosophy.

Examples of Funded Work: Past grantees have included organisations working on criminal justice reform, voting rights and civic engagement, economic justice, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ liberation, Indigenous sovereignty, arts and culture for social change, and policy advocacy.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No traditional application process exists - the foundation proactively identifies and invites organisations into partnership rather than accepting proposals
  • Multi-year general operating support is the norm - over 80% of grants are unrestricted, multi-year commitments signalling deep trust in grantee leadership
  • Virginia-based racial justice work is the exclusive focus - since restructuring their strategy, the foundation only funds in Virginia, with particular interest in rural communities
  • Power-building is the central criterion - organisations must demonstrate how they build organising, economic, political, or narrative power for communities most impacted by racism
  • Community leadership and accountability matter most - organisations led by and accountable to Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color are prioritised
  • The foundation values two-way relationships - they emphasise listening, learning, and being responsive to what grantees actually need rather than imposing requirements
  • Surge funding demonstrates responsiveness - in March 2025, the board authorised $10 million in additional funding, doubling annual grantmaking to $19.6 million, showing their commitment to meeting urgent community needs
  • Trust-based practices shape the partnership - expect streamlined paperwork, honest conversations about progress and challenges, and respect for your expertise as community leaders

References

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