University of Mary Washington students enrolled in a philanthropy class sought applicants for $10,000 in grant money to be awarded to local nonprofit organizations.
The class, made up of 22 students called the University of Mary Washington Philanthropic Society, hopes the funds will improve the welfare of the disadvantaged in the greater Fredericksburg area by providing financial support to regional nonprofits, according to the class’s mission statement.
The class will award a total of $10,000 to one or more nonprofits on Tuesday, December 6. The deadline for paper applications was Tuesday, October 25 and the deadline for electronic applications was Tuesday, November 1.
Eligible applicants must come from the City of Fredericksburg; the counties of Spotsylvania, Orange, King George, Stafford, Caroline, Culpeper and Prince William; the Middle Peninsula or the Northern Neck region. This year, the primary interest of the Economics of Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Sector class is programs that promote better health and education.
Since 2005, classes under the instruction of Robert Rycroft, professor of economics, have provided grant money to local nonprofit organizations. Every year, philanthropist Doris Buffett’s Sunshine Lady Foundation has funded the grants through the Learning by Giving Program.
The Learning by Giving Program has supported similar undergraduate courses in philanthropy at institutions across the country. The success of the program led to the recent creation of the Learning by Giving Foundation, which is sponsoring eight philanthropy classes this fall, including the class at UMW.
Last year, UMW’s philanthropy class received 53 applications from local nonprofit organizations and awarded grants to Bragg Hill Family Life Center, Habitat for Humanity Middlesex and Rappahannock Goodwill, Inc.
For more information, contact umwphilanthropy@gmail.com or visit https://sites.google.com/site/umwphilanthropy/application.
News release prepared by: Kate Gibson
