Virginia Foundation for Community College Education

01/22/2025

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.

10/07/2024

Virginia is rallying together help those in Southwest Virginia who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene. Please considering donating to the Emergency Fund for Southwest Virginia Community Colleges by visiting: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=virginiaccs&id=31

https://www.vccs.edu/blog/virginias-community-colleges-respond-to-widespread-storm-damage-in-southwestern-virginia/

Given the scope of destruction from Florida through North Carolina, it’s no surprise that most media attention has been focused there in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. But when still-powerful […]

10/02/2024

In response to the horrific weather situation over this past weekend created by Hurricane Helene, the Virginia Foundation for Community Foundation Education (VFCCE) is reaching out to you and our many constituents to ask for your generous support to the Emergency Fund for Southwest Virginia Community Colleges, to provide emergency funds for our colleges in the regions where the most devastation has occurred:

• Virginia Highlands Community College
• Southwest Virginia Community College
• Mountain Empire Community College
• New River Community College
• Wytheville Community College

The Emergency Fund for Southwest Virginia Community Colleges will be collected through the VFCCE, and immediately disbursed to the local college foundations. The need is urgent and now.
You can give by clicking the following link:
https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=virginiaccs&id=31

09/27/2024

Thank you for hosting our 2024-2025 Fellows Orientation! Your partnership, along with Anthem Healthkeepers Plus, makes a world of a difference for our students!

The VBA Education Foundation announced 11 $10,000 scholarships to community college students, in partnership with Virginia banks and VFCCE.

09/25/2024

The VBA Education Foundation announced 11 $10,000 scholarships to community college students, in partnership with Virginia banks and VFCCE.

09/25/2024

There are many 'Vigilant Voices' in our community, speaking up for the wellbeing of children. Today, we chat with ⁠Rachel Mayes Strawn of Virginia's Community Colleges who is the Program Director for their Great Expectations program.

What is Great Expectations?! A program that offers comprehensive support to help foster youth transition to college! Listen to today's episode to learn more: https://buff.ly/4cF71if

09/25/2024

The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education has launched the Connie Kincheloe Fund for Parent Student Success, backed by nearly $400,000 in donations!

This fund aims to support the 20% of college students in Virginia who are parents, helping to remove barriers like childcare and financial challenges.

At a recent celebration honoring Connie Kincheloe, a dedicated advocate for education, she expressed her gratitude for this initiative. “Education is a powerful tool for families,” she said.

Join us in empowering parent students and building stronger communities!

To read more about the fund and learn how to get involved, visit https://vfcce.org/news/new-fund-launched-to-support-parent-students-in-virginia/