Dominion Foundation Provides $1.2 Million in Grants to Organizations in Central Virginia

* $250,000 for restoration of James Madison’s Montpelier in Orange County
* Grants for Richmond Ballet, Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera outreach
* Others for Virginia War Memorial educational center, Richmond Police Foundation

The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion, one of the nation’s largest energy producers, announced today that it is providing grants of $1.24 million to nine organizations in Central Virginia.

“These programs are important to the entire state of Virginia and to the communities that receive them,” said William C. Hall Jr., Dominion vice president-Corporate Communications and Community Affairs and president of the Dominion Foundation. “They help our youth, enrich our appreciation of the arts, preserve our history and promote diversity. We are pleased and proud to offer them financial support.”

The grants include:

* The Montpelier Foundation: $250,000 for the restoration of key parts of James Madison’s Orange County home, Montpelier, to enhance the understanding of the lives of the slaves who served in the Madison family home.
* Richmond Ballet: $150,000 to help the highly acclaimed State Ballet of Virginia expand its tour program into more locations around the state and into West Virginia.
* Richmond Symphony: $150,000 to help the symphony build on its recent successes through reaching out to new audiences in Richmond and surrounding areas with free concerts, special musical opportunities for students and other programs.
* Virginia Opera: $150,000 to support Virginia’s extraordinarily successful opera company, which performs statewide and has the largest in-school touring program in the nation.
* Richmond History Makers: $120,000 to support the group’s efforts to recognize and promote the accomplishments of both everyday citizens and outstanding organizations. Richmond History Makers is a program of the Valentine Richmond History Center.
* Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden: $120,000 to support GardenFest and its growing use of energy-efficient LED lights in its award-winning holiday lighting program.
* Richmond Police Foundation: $100,000 for the department’s program to further reduce the city’s crime rate by helping more than 1,000 young persons stay in school and avoid gangs.
* Virginia War Memorial: $100,000 to help build the Phyllis and Paul Galanti educational center with an outdoor amphitheatre, training and research space, additional room for exhibits and permanent storage, and a computer education program.
* Boys & Girls Clubs of Orange: $100,000 to support the club’s Project Learn program, which is designed to help young people build on their school studies while at the club.

The Dominion Foundation awarded approximately $15 million last year to 1,081 nonprofit organizations, primarily to organizations in Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and other states where Dominion operates power stations, natural gas and other energy facilities.

Grant focus areas included preservation of natural and historic resources, workforce development and education, diversity initiatives, neighborhood and community development, and meeting basic needs for food, shelter and clothing.