Virginia Foundation for Community College Education

06/04/2026

Award-winning reporter and author Jodi Kantor recently sent hand-signed book plates to this year's cohort of Virginia Foundation for Community College Education Fellows that reads "Rooting for You~ Jodi Kantor."
An instant , "How to Start" has been widely praised as both practically useful and genuinely inspiring for anyone at the beginning of their career.

05/04/2026

04/29/2026

04/28/2026

Makayla Stover of Spotsylvania County received the 2025 - 2026 Ronald H. Holmes Scholarship. Ms. Stover is currently in her sophomore year at Germanna Community College and is studying to become a teacher. She is dedicated to education and community service, with volunteer experience at Germanna/Spotsylvania’s STEM camp as an assistant teacher, her church’s nursery program, neighborhood support for an elderly resident, and large community events such as Trunk or Treat.
She is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa at Germanna. Makayla plans to complete her associate’s degree at Germanna in 2026, transfer to the University of Mary Washington for her bachelor’s degree in 2028 and pursue a master’s degree in education.

The Ron Holmes Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship was created in 2017 by family and friends of Ron Holmes to honor his service as the VFCCE Chairman and his commitment to the community college mission. Holmes served on the Finance and Investment Committee, the Development Committee, and the Executive Community during his tenure on the VFCCE Board. Holmes has also been very engaged with Germanna Community College.

01/17/2025

The VFCCE is proud to partner with Laughing Gull Foundation to improve access to higher education in Virginia's prisons.

“We are committed to expanding access to high-quality education in prisons and strengthening support for BIPOC-led initiatives. Our grantees are dedicated to breaking down barriers and ensuring equitable access to transformative educational opportunities within prison walls. Together, we’re buil...

12/20/2024

We're excited to announce a new program to empower community college students to achieve engineering degrees, the A. James Clark Engineering Pipeline Transfer Program!

Students in the program will receive comprehensive support to help them make the transition from community college to university while balancing their classes, work, and family responsibilities. Coaching, tutoring, financial aid and more will help students overcome barriers and support diversity in engineering by encouraging traditionally underserved students to pursue the field.

Eligible students must be enrolled in a full-time engineering curriculum and participate in community service. Candidates will be selected after completing their first semester at the community college level based on faculty recommendations and application completion. To remain in the program, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA each semester and be Pell-eligible to receive financial assistance.

12/19/2024

Thank you to HCA Virginia and the HCA Healthcare Foundation for a generous grant that will expand access to healthcare careers across the Commonwealth! The grant will support four key areas: expanding access to healthcare careers for underserved populations; providing an innovative and scalable model to strengthen the healthcare workforce; focusing on diversity and inclusion in healthcare careers; and making a long-term economic and workforce development impact.

“We are deeply grateful to the Foundation and HCA Healthcare for their commitment to investing in Virginia and nurturing the next generation of healthcare leaders and professionals,” said Dr. Jennifer Gentry, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. “This funding will play a pivotal role in addressing educational disparities and creating pathways to healthcare careers.”

The grant award to The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education will fund the expansion of Virginia Western Community College’s joint venture model to provide students with a broader range of programs, including radiation oncology, surgical technology, and other non-nursing healthcare options.

Virginia Western Community College

11/22/2024

The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education has received a grant from the Truist Charitable Fund, a donor-advised fund administered by The Winston-Salem Foundation, to support its College Attainment for Parent Students (CAPS) program.

“We are deeply grateful for the support of the Truist Charitable Fund for the CAPS program,” said Director of Community Engagement Anne Rogers. “With this funding, we can help even more students achieve their educational goals, build brighter futures for their families, and ultimately contribute to the success of our communities.”

Nationally, one in five students is a parenting student, many with children requiring childcare. The CAPS program was created to expand Virginia’s talent pipeline and ensure parent students have access to education as well as critical resources to help them succeed. Funding will help parent students offset the cost of childcare and unexpected expenses, provide learning materials to their children, and create more family-friendly campuses.

“As I meet with business owners across the Commonwealth of Virginia, workforce development is top of mind. The CAPS program is critical to this effort as it provides important resources to parents who are attending one of our great 23 community colleges to gain the skills that match today’s job opportunities,” said Thomas Ransom, Truist’s Virginia regional president. “Our purpose at Truist is to build better lives and communities, and we’re proud to help VFCCE support parent students in joining the workforce.”

About The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education
The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) is a supporting arm of Virginia’s 23 community colleges. It works to broaden educational access, promote student success, and provide innovative solutions to workforce needs. To ensure access to high quality, affordable education, the VFCCE provides statewide leadership in raising funds for community college education, supplementing the activities of the 23 individual colleges, and advocating for major system-wide initiatives that could not be undertaken by any single college. For more information, please visit https://vfcce.org/.

About Truist Charitable Fund
The Truist Charitable Fund (“TCF”) is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives. TCF was established as a donor-advised fund and is administered by The Winston-Salem Foundation. TCF invests in local community organizations, focusing on grants that support initiatives and programs in the areas of educational equity, leadership development and essential community services. To learn more about Truist’s purpose, visit https://www.truist.com/who-we-are/about-truist.

11/21/2024

The VFCCE is bringing real solutions to the obstacles parent students face through our CAPS program.

College Attainment for Parent Students began at some VCCS schools in 2023.