Contact: Kathyn P. Crowder, President & CEO
(434) 845-6500
Media Professionals are invited to $100,000 Check Presentation on 6/24/26 at 10:00 am
(Lynchburg, VA – June 17, 2026) - The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation (“GLCF” or “Foundation”) announced the 2026 winner of its seventh annual $100,000 Century Fund Grant.
The 2026 $100,000 Century Fund grant recipient is the Appomattox FFA Alumni Association. Funds awarded will be utilized for its new Agricultural Complex, a 12,500-square-foot multipurpose agricultural facility.
It will provide space for hands-on livestock experience, events, and modern agricultural equipment for the 400+ agricultural education students in Appomattox and community groups in Central Virginia. GLCF funding will support construction and the purchase of equipment.
The complex is projected to serve thousands of youth in the coming years, ensuring continued agricultural vitality in the region by creating an informed agribusiness sector and increasing the number of agribusiness enterprises in our region.
Media professionals are invited to attend a check presentation, which will take place on Wednesday, June 24 at 10:00 a.m. behind Appomattox County High School at 198 Evergreen Avenue, Appomattox, VA 24522. Please enter the ACHS parking lot via Evergreen Avenue and drive to the rear of the school. There will be signs directing visitors to the FFA Alumni Land Laboratory. Parking in the grass near the building site.
“How exciting it is to serve on the Century Fund committee and be able to help the Appomattox FFA Alumni Association complete their fundraising and soon their building,” said Susan Ackley, chair of the Century Fund committee. “This complex is expected to have a significant and lasting impact in Central Virginia.”
“The Century Fund allows us to make a huge impact on a local project each year,” said Kathryn P. Crowder, President & CEO of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, “The recipient is chosen based on its ability to put those dollars to use in a big, impactful way that our community will benefit from for many years to come. We often come alongside nonprofits that are working towards a major goal, so that our grant can get them across the finish line.”
The Century Fund grant is awarded to one organization for one project per fiscal year.
A rigorous application and review process requires that the project is a strong fit with the organization’s mission and that the organization has a track record of providing effective programs to their target population, a history of strong financial management, a structured business plan for ongoing financial and community support to ensure continuation of the program or construction project, be able to measure the program or project’s effectiveness in achieving its stated objective(s) and commit to reporting that to the GLCF, and demonstrate efforts to creatively collaborate with other organizations or agencies.
"The Appomattox FFA Alumni Association is honored to receive the 2026 Century Fund Grant from the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation,” said Ed McCann, Agriculture teacher at Appomattox County High School and FFA Alumni Advisor. “We are grateful for this investment in the Appomattox FFA Alumni Agricultural Complex and their commitment to strengthening educational and workforce development opportunities in our region. This funding brings us one step closer to completing a facility that will serve youth, agricultural producers, and community organizations for generations to come. Most importantly, this grant helps accelerate our construction timeline and increases our ability to deliver a high-quality facility that will have a lasting impact on agriculture throughout Central Virginia."
Now in its seventh year, the Century Fund grant offers a $100,000 grant to a local nonprofit to support a large project that is transformational for the organization and our community. Over $2 million was raised in a campaign to be able to offer this special grant. Organizations may apply for the grant annually in February, and recipients are decided by a committee of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation.
Past recipients of the Century Fund grant have been the Free Clinic of Central Virginia, Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Nature Center, James River Association, Lynchburg Grows, Roads to Recovery and the Altavista Area YMCA.
In addition to the Century Fund, the GLCF offers scholarships for local students and two competitive grant cycles for nonprofits annually in the fall and spring. The next grant cycle will be offered in September 2026. In 2025 alone, the GLCF awarded over $2.6 million to 253 charitable organizations.
For more information on how to establish a scholarship or to make a gift to one of the existing funds at the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, please visit www.lynchburgfoundation.org.
The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation was established in 1972 to promote local philanthropy. The mission of the GLCF is to solve our community’s greatest challenges by providing grants and scholarships and by helping individuals, families, and organizations create their charitable legacy.
The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves the Central Virginia region, including Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell Counties, and the City of Lynchburg.
For more information on how to apply for a grant, to start your own charitable fund, or to make a gift to one of the 345 existing funds at the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, please visit www.lynchburgfoundation.org.
