Five Pillars of Civic Investment in Virginia

Flagship Program

Historic Preservation Grants

Awards: $25,000 – $285,000

Deadline: March 15 & September 1

Our flagship Historic Preservation program provides capital grants for the structural stabilization, facade restoration, and adaptive reuse of historically significant buildings, monuments, and cultural landscapes throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Eligible projects include properties listed on or nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, the Virginia Landmarks Register, or recognized by local historical commissions. We prioritize endangered structures facing imminent demolition threat, buildings with documented pre-Civil War provenance, and adaptive reuse projects that preserve architectural integrity while introducing sustainable modern functionality.

Applicants must provide a detailed scope of work prepared by a licensed preservation architect, a minimum two-source construction cost estimate, evidence of building ownership or long-term lease (minimum 15 years), and a maintenance endowment plan demonstrating ongoing stewardship capacity. The foundation strongly encourages matching contributions from local government, state historic tax credits, or federal preservation incentives. Our Grants Committee conducts site visits for all applications requesting more than $100,000 in funding.

Education

STEM Education Scholarships

Awards: $2,500 – $7,500/year

Deadline: March 15 (annual)

The Cheney Foundation STEM scholarship program provides merit and need-based financial support to Virginia students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines at accredited institutions. Our flagship award, the Cheney STEM Excellence Award, provides up to $7,500 per academic year, renewable for up to four years of continuous enrollment, with priority consideration given to first-generation college students from underserved rural communities across the Commonwealth.

Scholarship recipients are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, participate in one foundation-sponsored mentorship event per semester, and submit an annual progress report documenting their academic achievements, research involvement, and community engagement. The foundation also provides supplemental grants for laboratory fees, research conference travel, and summer internship stipends through our STEM Pipeline Initiative, a three-year partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University that supports 40 underrepresented undergraduates annually.

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Infrastructure

Community Infrastructure Grants

Awards: $15,000 – $200,000

Deadline: Rolling (quarterly review)

Community Infrastructure grants fund public-benefit projects that improve the physical environment and economic vitality of Virginia’s underserved communities. Eligible projects include vocational training centers, public park improvements, pedestrian safety and ADA-compliance upgrades, community gathering spaces, and sustainable infrastructure initiatives that address documented public health or safety deficiencies.

We work closely with county and municipal governments to co-fund projects that leverage our philanthropic investment with matching public dollars, effectively doubling the impact of every grant. Applicants must demonstrate community support through resolution of their local governing body, provide a detailed project budget with identified matching funds, and present a five-year maintenance and operations plan. The foundation particularly values projects serving census tracts with median household income below the Virginia state average, areas with documented infrastructure deficits, and rural communities with limited access to state or federal capital improvement funding.

Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Micro-Grants

Awards: $500 – $5,000

Deadline: May 1 (annual)

Our Arts and Culture Micro-Grant program supports individual artists, creative collectives, and community organizations whose projects enrich the cultural fabric of Virginia communities. Eligible activities include outdoor performing arts series, public mural installations, heritage craft preservation workshops, literary arts programming, and community music education initiatives. Awards range from $500 for individual artist projects to $5,000 for season-long community arts programming, with an emphasis on projects that bring creative expression to underserved neighborhoods, rural communities, and populations with limited access to mainstream cultural institutions.

Applicants should submit a project narrative describing the artistic vision and community impact, a realistic budget, a timeline for completion, and at least one letter of support from a community stakeholder or venue partner. The foundation does not restrict artistic medium or genre, but all funded projects must be accessible to the public at no cost to participants. Grant recipients are required to submit a brief completion report with photographic documentation within 60 days of project conclusion.

Emergency

Emergency Community Relief

Awards: Variable (rapid deployment)

Application: Continuous / as-needed

The Emergency Community Relief fund operates outside our regular grant cycle to provide rapid financial assistance to Virginia communities affected by natural disasters, public health emergencies, or other catastrophic events. This program maintains a standing reserve drawn from the foundation’s unrestricted endowment, allowing the Grants Committee to authorize emergency disbursements within 72 hours of a qualifying event declaration. Relief grants support direct household assistance, small business recovery, temporary shelter operations, and infrastructure emergency repairs.

Emergency relief applications are accepted from municipal and county governments, registered 501(c)(3) organizations with demonstrated disaster response capacity, and Community Action Agencies operating in affected areas. The foundation coordinates with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and American Red Cross to identify communities with the greatest unmet need and to avoid duplication of efforts with federal disaster assistance programs. Since 2010, the Emergency Relief fund has deployed $1.2 million across seven qualifying events, most recently providing $175,000 to Petersburg households and businesses following September 2023 flash flooding.