Success Stories

What happens when you give passionate teachers the resources to bring their best ideas to life? In Washoe County, five schools are about to find out, thanks to over $11,000 in grants from the Kendyl Ruth Williams Depoali Memorial Fund.

The Women's Giving Circle at the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada exemplifies the power of collective impact and earned the Outstanding Philanthropists award at this year's AFP Cornerstone Awards.

The 2024 High School Giving Circle brought together its most diverse group yet - 25 students from 14 different high schools across Washoe County to learn the grantmaking process and award grants to their top nonprofit organizations that fit their funding criteria.

In time for the coming inclement weather of northern Nevada, The Village on Sage Street, an affordable housing initiative in Reno is expanding to provide additional support to low-income individuals in Northern Nevada.

Since 2022, the Women’s Giving Circle at the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada has provided over $500,000 designated to support youth mental health throughout Washoe County.

Friends of Nevada Wilderness established an endowment fund at the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada to ensure there would be a permanent charitable resource available to serve the programs and advocacy that had been fostered since its founding 40 years ago.

The BBB will utilize grant funding from the Community Foundation and the Washoe County Reinvestment Grant to distribute guidebooks, tip sheets, and educational videos about common scams in our community to further the initiative and help increase awareness of this prevalent issue.

24 teens from various high schools in northern Nevada dedicated 10 weeks to exploring the world of philanthropy, showing that anyone in our community can make a lasting impact.

116 nonprofits in northern Nevada received the 2023 100% Giving Board Award from the Community Foundation for exemplary board contributions totaling $8.4 million.

Education is the cornerstone of opportunity and progress. It has the power to transform lives, opening doors to a world of possibilities regardless of one's background. No one believes this more than Dan Lofrese.

Lilliana Trinchero established a donor-advised fund with the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada in 2004, leading to a 20-year partnership that supported various philanthropic causes, particularly anti-bullying efforts and LGBTQ+ youth support, leaving a lasting legacy in her community.

Ann Silver, Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce CEO, bridges business and community. Learn about her volunteer experience with the Community Foundation and The Chamber's donor-advised fund, which fosters regional growth.

The Community Foundation has named seven Northern Nevada Endowment Fund grant recipients. This year, the focus was to improve mental health outcomes in Northern Nevada by supporting organizations that provide crucial mental health resources across our region. As part of these efforts, we partnered with the University of Nevada, Reno - Community Behavioral Health Collaborative, with the shared goal of enhancing mental health services and fostering the growth of qualified clinical mental health professionals.

Each year a generous donor gifts $10,000 to be granted to local nonprofits through the High School Giving Circle (HSGC). The HSGC serves to bring students together who want to support their community by learning and practicing philanthropy. Participating in the program is more than another activity to add to their resume, and it means a chance to make a difference in their community.

The Community Foundation of Northern Nevada turns 25 and celebrates local impact.

It all began as a blind date set up by friends. Those matchmakers apparently knew what they were doing, as the couple...

At the 2021 EDAWN Existing Industry Awards, the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada was honored as "Community Partner of the Year" --...

It was not always easy for me, and I knew early on after I paid off my student loans that I wanted to be able to give back. I like to give a boost to women who do not give up – to let them know that somebody sees them and cares.

Mary Bisoni talked with me about life in the historic mining town of Eureka in 2014 at the time she included the Community Foundation in her estate plans.

Gere Clark was referred to the Community Foundation by her financial advisor, John Dooley. Read how her Donor Advised Fund enriches her life.

Rodger “Andy” Anderson made a bequest in 2006 in honor of his wife, Dora De Anderson, who died as a young woman....

The GIAR scholarship was established by Jim and Gail Pfrommer to honor their grandmothers. It helps first-generation women from immigrant parents pursue...

Community Foundation Trustee and Fundholder, Lilli Trinchero, an advocate for the elimination of bullying has made real change in Washoe County. Her...

Thanks to an anonymous bequest designated to help our region's homeless pets, a rescue kennel in Yerington, Nevada was able to expand...

The Gorelick Family's Donor Advised Fund Opens Doors Allison Gorelick sought out the Community Foundation as she and a fellow real estate developer...

Surviving a childhood that rivals a movie script, Betty Kopfhammer grew into a person of spirit and drive whose later years were...

Apply for the Foster Children Education Scholarship Keith and Sunny were a type prevalent in midcentury northern Nevada.  Frugal, hardworking, with roots...

Our Community, and Our World Continued The last time I wrote a column was in May, just before my wife and I headed...

All scholarships are an act of faith. Donors believe their investment and encouragement will improve the life of a Nevada student and...

"There was nothing out there that tells us what's available or where to go. I felt that I was blazing my own...

According to Community Foundation Founder, Jim Webster, the Community Foundation was being organized in the winter of 1997 when a he got...

Teamwork Helped Win Federal Grant For School District It is a dream of mine to help people feel safe and accepted for just...

Seven years of Jack Montrose Bobbitt fund grants are adding up to make a big difference for the children in the small...

The Community Foundation of Western Nevada offers this unique opportunity for very young children. Parents and legal guardians are eligible to apply...

Download your Ethical Will Guide The "you", you leave behind. An ethical will is a way to gather your thoughts on your most valuable...

Since the first grant in January 2006 more than $11 million in grants has flowed through the Truckee River Fund to take care...

"I will pass on an instrument of beauty to our community." Daughter contributes her mother’s 18th-century Testore violin, and money for its upkeep, to the...

Impact investing has been gaining traction nationwide as community foundation's leverage more impact from charitable dollars by looking for mission-related investments. A...

"We  can only live the stories  we have been told." Carolyn Heilbrun The Serendipity Scholarship got its name from a chance encounter. 12 years ago, in...

Stepping off the beaten path While most of the grants from the Community Foundation stay within our community, this is the story of...

Imagine an engineless aircraft reaching the edge of space. A wonderful aspect of philanthropy is that it can be a singularly personal reflection...

High School Giving Circle began as an experiment and is now a hallmark of the Community Foundation Where would you grant $10,000 to...

Complete Eligibility Quiz The Chief Master Sergeant Gerald L. Larson Nevada Air National Guard Scholarship provides support for active enlisted members of...

Dickson Realty Spotlight on Community Foundation of Western Nevada with Chris Askin from Dickson Realty on Vimeo. Dickson Realty partnered with This is...

In the days before Christmas, former a Community Foundation staff member answered a phone call from a woman who collects Teddy Bears....

I miss Elizabeth Mollath. She was one of the finest people I have known. I met Elizabeth because she was our Landlady...

The Community Foundation received an estate distribution from a client of  Reno Attorney, Gordon Muir. The client included the  Community Foundation as...

The Dangberg family were living on the ranch home as Nevada became a state. Through a new endowment fund with the Community...

"By the end of the second day a father and young son crossed the street so they wouldn't pass me on the...

For Immediate Release February 24, 2014 Community Foundation of Western Nevada Supporting Safe Schools for 10 years. From: Community Foundation of Western Nevada Contact: Chris Askin,...

One Family's Concern Brought Bright Smiles to 75 Small Faces The young adults of the Langson family from Carson City were given an...