The year was 1996 and Dolly the sheep was cloned, mobile phones with emojis were invented and everyone was dancing the Macarena.
While those events may or may not have mattered to residents of the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula that year, the concept of a nonprofit community foundation was still unfamiliar to many when River Counties Community Foundation (RCCF) was founded.
RCCF, along with the Gloucester Community Foundation and Mathews Community Foundation, are affiliated with the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, which provides back-office support and investment management so that local RCCF leadership can focus on donor and community needs.
RCCF’s mission is to bring people together to transform the community through informed and inspired philanthropy. Think of them as personal philanthropic advisors who work with donors to make their financial gifts go further. “The main value of RCCF is how we’re in touch with the community,” says foundation director Lincoln Boykin. “There are lots of variations in how we can help donors contribute in the world. It’s all about what works for them.”
Opening a charitable fund through RCCF makes a wise choice for people seeking a strategic yet simple approach to their long-term philanthropic giving. Not every donor wants the same level of involvement; some choose to recommend every grant that comes from their fund while others allow the foundation to make the best decision based on community needs. “With donor-advised funds, donors can recommend that specific programs and nonprofits receive grants,” Boykin explains. “Whereas a designated fund provides regular, annual funding to specific nonprofits and can grow over time, providing even more financial support to an organization.”
Janet Maughan, RCCF donor.
Janet Maughan moved to the Northern Neck in 2021 with a desire to help support those with the greatest need and do what she could to protect what she calls “this spectacular environment we call home.” She says it was challenging to know how to make a difference. “But RCCF has staff whose job it is to know the community, its leaders, its institutions and its needs,” she says. “It’s easy to waste money when supporting charitable organizations. RCCF ensures that my contributions go where they can make a difference.”
The advisory board, chaired by Lance Franke, is composed of 15 community members from the counties served. The board sets the foundation’s grant-making strategy and represents the foundation to potential donors. “Each county is represented by five board members so we can have a better understanding of what’s valued in that community,” says Franke. “Our knowledge of what’s happening in the community is our strength.”
Some of that knowledge comes from Boykin’s “listening tour,” an ongoing series of meetings with regional nonprofit, faith, business and government leaders to really dig into what matters where. “We’re on the ground 24/7 and I talk to nonprofits daily,” Boykin says. “That way, we know the needs and resources of the communities.”
In 2024, RCCF and its donors provided more than $2 million in total grants to nonprofits and scholarships for students in Lancaster, Middlesex and Northumberland counties. In addition to the hundreds of grants that go out from various donor-advised and other funds, the foundation allocates funds through the annual Community Impact Grants program.
By leveraging the generosity of current and past donors, RCCF provides a perpetual source of funding across the essential sectors of economic prosperity, community vibrancy, environmental stewardship, educational success and health and wellness. “Last year, we provided 68 grants,” Boykin says with pride. “The Mathews Community Foundation provided 28 grants, and the Gloucester Community Foundation, 24. That’s over a hundred organizations served in 2024.”
Nonprofit organizations submit an application through the foundation’s online grants portal, which is then reviewed by the grants committee, which must match needs with available funding. “It’s kind of like a Tetris game, figuring out how to match the requests and fund them as fully as we can,” Boykin says. “We get more requests than we have the funding to support.”
Because of that need, the foundation responded with an annual fund initiative known as “Together. Stronger.” The funds raised are used to support operations, the Community Impact Grants program and, given the tough lesson the pandemic taught the world, unforeseen emergencies and natural disasters. “COVID showed us we can’t predict the future,” Boykin says. “It used to be that planning was done in five-year chunks, but you can’t count on that anymore. Our flexibility is our strong point.”
As a result, Franke says the board continues to evaluate how things are done as well as the grant-making process. “The hope is that we’ll have continued growth in asset size through local donors,” he says. “Historically, our assets have doubled every five years, which means we get to do more for the community.”
Doing more suits Boykin just fine. After working at various D.C.-based nonprofits for more than a decade, he was excited to see the RCCF position advertised five years ago. “We already had a second home here, so it was an opportunity to move here and enjoy all this area has to offer full time, while continuing my professional career supporting the nonprofit community,” he says. “Honestly, this is my dream job.”
Sera Petras Photography
Pictured L to R: Lincoln Boykin, Director; Ashleigh Elliott, Administrative Associate; and Jonathan Putt, Philanthropic Advisor. Photo by Sera Petras Photography.
Assisting him is philanthropic advisor Jonathan Putt, RCCF’s donor steward, who helps donor-advisors set up funds and make grants from their funds. He’s also the foundation’s link to other professional advisors in the region such as estate attorneys, CPAs and financial advisors. Administrative Associate Ashleigh Elliott handles the day-to-day activities in the office and supports the administrative needs of Boykin and Putt, as well as assisting with management of the advisory board and meetings.
Boykin quickly learned how different grant writing and fundraising were in a rural county as opposed to an urban one. “I began looking more at the concept of rural philanthropy because the needs are different,” he acknowledges. “In rural communities, everyone has to wear 10 different hats, and changes happen, so every day is different. It keeps me on my toes and interested.”
Franke has been on the board for six years and continues to relish his participation. “We take seriously helping the community through the grant-making process,” he says. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see that play out every year.”
At the end of the day or year, it’s all about helping donors be more effective in their philanthropy by creating a legacy that continues to support the donor’s pet causes and organizations. “The most satisfying part for me is grant-making and being able to respond to the community’s needs while getting to know the donors who make it possible,” Boykin says. “I tell people that when you’ve seen one community foundation, you’ve seen one community foundation. Because they’re all different.”
River Counties Community Foundation I 834 Rappahannock Drive, White Stone I 804-436-1600 I rivercountiescf.org
