Total investments for 2023 exceed $12 million to support access to care, behavioral health, housing, and food security.
Sentara Health today announced it has awarded more than $6.5 million in grants and microgrants to 171 partner organizations throughout Virginia and North Carolina. The Sentara Cares Fall 2023 grant cycle is the second and series of investments for the year, bringing total annual giving to $12 million.
“Sentara is committed to ongoing collaboration with our partners to respond to the needs in underserved communities,” said Sherry Norquist, Sentara’s executive director of community engagement and impact. “Strong relationships with community organizations and faith-based leaders are essential in achieving our goals to advance health equity and address social drivers of health.”
Sentara prioritizes funding for community partners and initiatives that align with the health system’s primary areas of focus: access to care, behavioral health, food security, housing, and workforce training and career development. Highlights from the Fall 2023 grant cycle include the following:
Access to care and community engagement
Sentara’s partnership with Old Dominion University’s Community Care Clinic builds capacity for serving uninsured and under-insured people seeking assistance through the Housing Resource Center. Additionally, Sentara’s investment in the Halifax County Rescue Squad supports four ambulances with the personnel necessary to provide paramedic care to residents in Halifax County and South Boston, Va.
Behavioral health
With Sentara’s support, Family Crisis Support Services, Inc. (FCSS) in Norton, Va., is able to increase emergency assistance to families experiencing poverty, homelessness, domestic violence and other crises. A statewide grant to the Virginia Health Care Foundation from Sentara’s $2 million Behavioral Health Innovation Fund will increase access to primary care and behavioral health services for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians.
Food security
Sentara’s longstanding support for the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, based in Richmond, Va., facilitates collaboration among member food banks and their partners to improve nutrition security and empower strong, healthy communities. The Federation’s Food Pharmacy and application assistance for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the Unite Us platform help to remove barriers to food access across the Commonwealth.
The following is a list of the 82 Sentara Cares grants for Fall 2023:
Hampton Roads
- Ability Center of Virginia — Virginia Beach
- Armed Services YMCA of Hampton Roads — Virginia Beach
- BizNet Inc., (doing business as Hearts & Homes) — Virginia Beach
- Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia — Norfolk
- Chesapeake Care — Chesapeake
- Child & Family Services of Eastern Virginia Inc. (The Up Center) — Norfolk
- City of Suffolk — Suffolk
- Connect With a Wish — Virginia Beach
- FACT (Families of Autistic Children of Tidewater) — Virginia Beach
- Freekind — Hampton
- Hampton Roads Ecumenical Lodgings and Provisions, Inc. — Hampton
- Hampton Roads Workforce Foundation — Norfolk
- Joy Ministries — Virginia Beach
- Lake Taylor Transitional Hospital Foundation — Norfolk
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Coastal Virginia — Virginia Beach
- New Vision Youth Services, Inc. — Chesapeake
- Nursing CAP, Inc. — Suffolk
- Old Dominion University — Norfolk
- Patient Advocate Foundation, Inc. — Hampton
- Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority — Portsmouth
- Revive Community — Norfolk
- Southeastern Virginia Areawide Model Program, Inc. (doing business as Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia) — Norfolk
- StandUp for Kids — Virginia Beach
- Tidewater EMS Council — Chesapeake
- Village Family — Norfolk
Virginia Peninsula
- Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula — Newport News
- Child Development Resources — Williamsburg
- City of Williamsburg — Williamsburg
- Gloucester Mathews Care Clinic — Gloucester
- Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg — Newport News
- Literacy for Life — Williamsburg
- Peninsula Agency on Aging — Newport News
- Peninsula Pastoral Counseling Center, Inc. — Newport News
- THRIVE Peninsula — Newport News
- United Way of the Virginia Peninsula — Yorktown
- Virginia Living Museum — Newport News
- What’s Next for Success Foundation — Newport News
Central Virginia
- 100 Black Men of Central Virginia — Charlottesville
- All Blessings Flow, Inc. — Charlottesville
- Better Housing Coalition — Richmond
- Blue Ridge Department of Public Health — Charlottesville
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia — Charlottesville
- Charlottesville Free Clinic — Charlottesville
- Commonwealth Catholic Charities — Richmond
- CrossOver Healthcare Ministry — Richmond
- Daily Planet Health Services — Richmond
- Downtown Churches United, Inc. — Petersburg
- Local Food Hub — Charlottesville
- Piedmont Housing Alliance — Charlottesville
- ReadyKids — Charlottesville
- River Street Education, Inc. — Petersburg
- Sacred Heart Center — Richmond
- YWCA Richmond — Richmond
Northern Virginia
- George Mason University Foundation, Inc. — Fairfax
- HopeLink Behavioral Health — Oakton
- Literacy Volunteers of America — Prince William County
- Pathway Homes, Inc. — Fairfax
Shenandoah Valley
- Adagio House — Harrisonburg
- AVA Care of Harrisonburg — Harrisonburg
- Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation, Inc. — Weyers Cave
- Blue Ridge Free Clinic — Harrisonburg
- Bridge of Hope, Inc. — Harrisonburg
- First Step: A Response to Domestic Violence, Inc. — Harrisonburg
- New Creation VA — Harrisonburg
- Shenandoah Housing Corporation — Harrisonburg
- Skyline Literacy — Harrisonburg
- Valley Interfaith Action — Harrisonburg
Southside Virginia
- Halifax County Rescue Squad, Inc. — South Boston
- North Halifax Volunteer Fire Department — Nathalie
- Southside Virginia Community College Foundation — Alberta
- Turbeville Volunteer Fire and Rescue — South Boston
Southwest Virginia
- Family Crisis Support Services Inc. — Norton
Northeast North Carolina
- Albemarle Area United Way — Elizabeth City
- Albemarle Pregnancy Resource Center — Elizabeth City
- Organization to Provide Equal Access to Technology, Inc. — Burlington
Statewide Organizations in Virginia
- American Diabetes Association — Chesapeake
- American Parkinson Disease Association — Virginia Beach
- Federation of Virginia Food Banks — Richmond
- Gateway Homes — Williamsburg
- Safe House Project — Alexandria
- Virginia Health Care Foundation — Richmond
- Young Life — Old Dominion Region — Newport News
In addition to the Sentara Cares grants listed above, Sentara awarded $685,200 in microgrants of $15,000 or less to 89 community organizations across Virginia and Northeast North Carolina.
In 2022, Sentara invested $10 million in grants and microgrants to support partner organizations in Virginia and North Carolina. To learn more about the many ways that Sentara partners with the community, visit Sentara’s 2022 Community Engagement and Impact Report.