Measuring Our Impact Across Three Decades
Since our founding in 1987, the Edmund Cheney Foundation has maintained a rigorous commitment to measuring and reporting the outcomes of every grant we award. We believe that accountability to our donors, grantees, and the Virginia communities we serve demands more than good intentions. It demands transparent, verifiable evidence of lasting civic improvement.
Impact by Program Area
$6.8 Million in Preservation Capital
Our Historic Preservation program has directed $6.8 million toward 47 individual preservation projects across Virginia, making it the largest single program area in the foundation’s portfolio. These investments have preserved an estimated 890,000 square feet of historically significant built environment, including pre-Revolutionary War churches, antebellum plantation outbuildings repurposed as community centers, Civil War-era industrial complexes, and early 20th-century commercial districts.
An independent economic impact study conducted in 2022 by the University of Richmond Robins School of Business estimated that foundation-funded preservation projects generated $41.2 million in downstream economic activity through construction employment, heritage tourism, increased property values, and historic tax credit leverage. Every dollar of foundation preservation investment generated approximately $6.06 in total economic return to Virginia communities.
612 Scholars, 94% Graduation Rate
Since the STEM Scholarship program launched in 1995, the foundation has awarded more than $2.8 million in scholarships to 612 Virginia students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Our scholars have attended 23 different Virginia institutions, from community colleges to doctoral programs, with a four-year graduation rate of 94 percent — significantly above the national average for STEM disciplines.
Cheney scholars have gone on to careers in clinical medicine, aerospace engineering, environmental science, data analytics, and university research. A 2024 alumni survey found that 78 percent of former scholarship recipients remained employed in Virginia, contributing to the Commonwealth’s STEM workforce retention goals. The foundation’s alumni network now serves as an informal mentorship pipeline, connecting current scholars with established professionals who once benefited from the same program.
$1.9 Million in Public-Benefit Projects
Community Infrastructure grants have funded 31 public-benefit projects totaling $1.9 million, with a documented 1.8:1 matching ratio from municipal and state co-funding sources. Infrastructure investments include three vocational training centers serving a combined 1,200 students annually, seven public park and greenway improvements, twelve pedestrian safety and ADA-compliance upgrades, and nine community gathering space renovations.
The Chesterfield County Trades Apprenticeship Hub, funded by a $160,000 foundation grant in 2022, has since graduated 340 certified tradespeople in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and welding disciplines, with a 91 percent job placement rate within six months of program completion. This single investment demonstrates the foundation’s conviction that vocational education infrastructure delivers immediate, measurable workforce development returns.
$1.2 Million Rapid Response Since 2010
The Emergency Community Relief fund has deployed $1.2 million across seven qualifying events since its establishment in 2010, providing rapid financial assistance to Virginia communities affected by natural disasters and public health emergencies. Relief distributions have reached 340 households and 45 small businesses in communities from Petersburg to the Shenandoah Valley.
Our most significant deployment was the $175,000 Petersburg Flood Recovery Assistance Fund following September 2023 flash flooding along the Appomattox River, which provided direct grants to 85 affected households and 12 small businesses for emergency repairs, temporary housing, and inventory replacement. The foundation’s 72-hour rapid deployment capacity — enabled by a standing endowment reserve — allows us to respond faster than most federal disaster assistance timelines.
Major Impact Milestones
$285,000 Tredegar Ironworks Heritage Center
Largest single preservation grant in foundation history, funding structural stabilization of the 1837 ironworks foundry complex on the James River in Richmond.
VCU STEM Pipeline Partnership Launches
Three-year, $120,000 initiative providing laboratory internships and mentorship for 40 underrepresented STEM undergraduates per year at Virginia Commonwealth University.
$12 Million Cumulative Grantmaking Milestone
Foundation surpasses $12 million in total grants awarded, coinciding with the 35th anniversary of our founding charter. Independent economic impact study commissioned.
500th STEM Scholar Awarded
Marcus Davis, Ph.D., a first-generation biochemistry student from rural Louisa County, becomes the 500th recipient of a Cheney STEM scholarship.
Emergency Community Relief Fund Established
Board of Trustees creates standing emergency reserve with 72-hour rapid deployment capacity for natural disaster and public health emergency response.
Foundation Chartered
Edmund R. Cheney establishes the foundation with an initial endowment of $1.2 million, awarding the first three historic preservation grants in Henrico and Hanover counties.