ACT Community Fund

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The ACT Community Fund pools charitable dollars from people throughout the city, and directs funds to support and strengthen existing programs, as well as create new collaborative solutions to the city’s pressing needs. Every dollar raised for ACT’s Community Fund stays here, helping people in our own backyard.

Through ACT’s Community Fund, ACT has been able to create the following initiatives:

ACTion Alexandria is a new online civic engagement initiative launched by Act for Alexandria. Using a new social media platform launching in October, ACTion Alexandria will work closely with local non-profits, city organizations, and citizens to identify and prioritize community needs and challenges and empower citizens to take collective action to resolve them. Similar to community barn raising efforts of the past, ACTion Alexandria operates under the premise that the citizens of Alexandria are the raw material for collective action and change and that meaningful community action takes many hands.

ACT Now Fund is a temporary fund set up to help the city's nonprofits meet basic human needs in our community, such as emergency financial assistance, housing assistance, food, clothing, and medical assistance. The ACT Now Fund was created in 2009 to respond to the increasing needs in the community.

Alexandria Board Leadership Exchange (ABLE) provides access to training and fundamental knowledge about effective board leadership; supports a vibrant network of members for sharing and learning; and fosters a dynamic environment for recruitment of and volunteering for board service. ACT, in partnership with Volunteer Alexandria and Leadership Alexandria, launched this initiative in June 2008. (ACT provides administrative support for this initiative)

Alexandria Council of Human Service Organizations (ACHSO) seeks to improve human services through cross-sector collaboration to benefit the entire Alexandria community, resulting in an innovative and integrated human service model. ACHSO has just released the findings of a community-wide needs assessment of the City’s human services sector. (ACT underwrote a consultant to facilitate the creation of this organization, partially funded the needs assessment, and has given time and resources to the on-going support of the organization)

Capacity Building Grants are designed to foster excellence and growth in non-profit management and capacity. These grants include an organizational assessment project, Compass strategy projects and strategy implementation grants for nonprofit organizations serving Alexandria. In 2008, in response to changes in the economy, ACT offered operational needs grants to organizations experiencing an increase in service demand and/or decrease in steady funding streams. (Since 2005, ACT has invested over $300,000 in support)

Center for Alexandria's Children (CAC) – A Child Advocacy Center is a best practice model center that offers a centralized, effective forum to investigate, treat and prevent child abuse in Alexandria. This multi-disciplinary team approach offers a collaborative way to best serve our children and families. (ACT has underwritten the salary of the Executive Director for three years)

Give Back Alexandria seeks to develop and encourage the nonprofit and philanthropic leadership of Alexandria’s next generation by providing a social network, education, training and volunteer opportunities in support of the priorities and needs of the City. (ACT has provided a $25,000 per year matching grant since 2007)

Nonprofit Excellence Forum is a half day session offering educational seminars focusing on nonprofit capacity building. The free professional development forum, funded by Capital One, is open to all nonprofit staff and board members serving Alexandria residents.

The Giving Circle of Alexandria pools intellectual and financial resources with a strategic purpose to serve the children, youth and families of Alexandria. Members are women who believe that confronting the city’s high-priority issues collectively and strategically is the best means to inspire social change. (ACT has provided a $25,000 matching grant per year since 2005. In 2009, ACT co-invested $15,000 with The Giving Circle on a city-wide playgroup initiative)