Oak Hill Fund

The Oak Hill Fund is a Charlottesville, Virginia-based private family foundation established in 2001 by William "Bill" and Liza Edgerton as a successor to the W. Alton Jones Foundation. Its mission—"promoting the well-being of people and the planet through effective and inspiring grantmaking"—reflects the founders' dual passions: Bill Edgerton's background in sustainable architecture and affordable housing, and Liza Edgerton's long-standing commitment to women's reproductive rights. The Edgerton family continues to hold all officer positions: William A. Edgerton (founder-President, $310,946 compensation), Todd A. Edgerton (President/Treasurer, $208,323), Leigh W. Edgerton (Secretary, $75,833), and Liza T. Edgerton (Vice President, no compensation).

The foundation operates through two pillars with six named programs: Healthy People (Reproductive Health, Food Security) and Healthy Planet (Climate Change and Renewable Energy, Chesapeake Bay Rivers and Water Quality, Conservation of the Mesoamerican Reef, and Diminished Tree Species). Two programs—Food Security and Mesoamerican Reef Conservation—are invitation-only, leaving four programs open to unsolicited LOIs.

Oak Hill's grantmaking philosophy strongly favors established organizations with demonstrated track records and measurable outcomes. Analysis of 394 tracked grants totaling $14.27M reveals a deep preference for repeat relationships: Virginia League for Planned Parenthood ($425,000 across 3 grants), Whole Woman's Health Alliance ($399,975 across 4 grants), Chesapeake Climate Action Network ($275,000 across 3 grants), and Rivanna Conservation Alliance (6 grants, $150,750) all represent multi-cycle relationships. First-time applicants should plan for a longer runway to meaningful grant size.

Geographic proximity to Virginia is a material advantage. Virginia accounts for 47% of all tracked grants (184 of 394), with the Washington D.C. metro area (Maryland: 29 grants; D.C.: 32 grants) adding another 15%. Organizations outside the Southeast or Mid-Atlantic must ensure their work directly serves Oak Hill's geographic footprint to be competitive.

The application process is deliberately egalitarian: the foundation does not meet with grantseekers prior to LOI submission—even past grantees—in order to "level the playing field." All applications flow through an online CyberGrants portal at oakhillfund.org. The pipeline from LOI to funding decision takes 4–5 months. Relationships at Oak Hill are built through successive LOI cycles, not pre-submission networking.

Across 394 tracked grants totaling $14,267,240, Oak Hill Fund's median grant size is $24,500, with an average of $36,211 and a range from $100 to $200,000. The database records a typical grant range of $100–$200,000, but the distribution is notably right-skewed: the top 10 grantees by cumulative dollars account for approximately $3.0M, while the majority of grants cluster in the $10,000–$50,000 range. Large grants ($100,000+) are almost exclusively awarded to organizations with established multi-cycle relationships.

Annual giving has followed a declining trajectory over the past decade: $8.0M (FY2015), $7.7M (FY2019), $7.1M (FY2021), $6.5M (FY2022), $6.0M (FY2023)—a 25% reduction from the 2015 peak. Grants actually disbursed in FY2023 were $4.1M across approximately 71 grants; total giving of $6.0M includes set-asides and pledges. Net investment income in FY2023 was $3.3M, below the $6.0M total giving figure, indicating the foundation is drawing down corpus.

By geography: Virginia receives 47% of grants (184 of 394). Maryland and D.C. together account for 15% (61 grants), reflecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed focus. Colorado (16 grants) represents a notable cluster tied to Denver-area education and food security work (Book Trust: $300,000; Denver Public Schools Foundation: $200,000).

By program area, reproductive health is the largest dollar category. The top 14 reproductive health grantees account for at least $3.07M in tracked giving (~21% of total), though actual share is higher given smaller grants outside the top-50 cut. Climate and clean energy grantees represent approximately 13% ($1.82M); Chesapeake Bay and water quality 9% ($1.22M); Mesoamerican reef and marine conservation 7% ($988K); and diminished tree species/land restoration 4% ($592K).

Grant size by project type: large multi-year organizational support runs $100,000–$200,000; project-specific grants cluster at $25,000–$75,000; exploratory or one-time grants fall below $25,000. The foundation has funded capital-adjacent work in select cases (Innisfree solar installation: $160,000; Piedmont Housing Alliance rooftop solar: $136,800) despite its stated exclusion of capital campaigns, suggesting that capital items embedded in programmatic projects may qualify.

Oak Hill Fund occupies a mid-tier private foundation tier by assets ($81.5M FY2023), surrounded by similarly sized family foundations across the country. Unlike many asset-equivalent peers, Oak Hill operates a structured multi-program grantmaking operation with defined program areas, rolling LOI windows, a named program contact, and professional staff—rather than the purely discretionary, relationship-only approach typical of family foundations at this asset level.

Oak Hill Fund stands apart from its asset-peer group for its transparency and accessibility: it publishes explicit program guidelines, defined LOI windows, named staff contacts, and a public-facing FAQ. Most comparable family foundations in this range maintain minimal public footprint and fund primarily through invitation. For organizations working in reproductive health, Southeast climate advocacy, Chesapeake Bay restoration, or tree species conservation, Oak Hill represents a rare open-application opportunity at this funding level. The consistent multi-year giving patterns and six-program structure signal an institutionalized approach that rewards patient, mission-aligned applicants.

Web searches conducted in April 2026 returned no results specifically about the Oak Hill Fund (philanthropy) in 2025-2026. Search results surfaced only Oak Hill Advisors and Oak Hill Capital—unrelated investment entities—confirming the foundation's deliberately low public profile. No press releases, grantee announcements, new RFPs, or initiative launches were found in publicly available sources.

The most significant detectable development is a generational leadership transition. IRS 990 filings document both William A. Edgerton (founder, "PRES/TREAS/S," $310,946 compensation) and Todd A. Edgerton ("PRESIDENT/TREASURER," $208,323) holding the presidency in overlapping filings, signaling an active handoff from founding generation to the next. Liza T. Edgerton remains as Vice President (no compensation) and Leigh W. Edgerton as Secretary ($75,833). This family continuity suggests programmatic priorities are unlikely to shift abruptly.

On the financial side, the foundation's asset base declined from $99.4M (FY2021) to $81.5M (FY2023)—a 17.8% drop over two years—with total annual giving falling from $7.1M to $6.0M over the same period. Net investment income of $3.3M in FY2023 trails the $6.0M total giving outlay, confirming the foundation is actively drawing down principal. Prospective grantees should anticipate a somewhat tighter competitive environment compared to the 2019–2021 peak giving years when total assets exceeded $96M and annual giving exceeded $7M.

The single most important fact about applying to Oak Hill Fund is that you cannot pre-position yourself through relationship-building before submission. The foundation's explicit no-meeting policy—applied even to past grantees—means your LOI must carry the full weight of your case. Treat the LOI as a competitive written document, not an informal inquiry. Invest significant drafting effort in the first submission.

Timing is everything. Oak Hill runs three 30-day application windows per year per pillar, and submissions outside those windows are not accepted. For Reproductive Health (Healthy People): mark March 1, July 1, and November 1 as target open dates. For Climate Change, Chesapeake Bay, and Diminished Tree Species (Healthy Planet): target February 1, June 1, and October 1. Build your organizational calendar around these dates a full quarter in advance—late submission means waiting another four months.

Calibrate your ask to the relationship stage. The median tracked grant is $24,500 and the average is $36,211. Large grants ($150,000+) appear almost exclusively in multi-cycle relationships. A first-time applicant requesting $200,000 will likely be screened out before review. Request $25,000–$75,000 for an initial engagement, sized to your actual project budget.

Use the foundation's own programmatic language. Grant purpose descriptions from 990 filings consistently include: "capacity building," "advocacy and litigation," "organizing and mobilizing constituents," "movement-building," "citizen science," and "direct services." Mirror these terms in your LOI to signal mission alignment. Avoid language suggesting a diffuse or multi-issue organizational focus.

Geographic alignment is non-negotiable. Virginia receives 47% of all tracked grants. For Chesapeake Bay work, confirm your project serves the watershed states (VA, MD, PA, DC). For climate/clean energy, demonstrate Southeast regional impact. For reproductive health, Charlottesville, Virginia broadly, and the Southeast are the primary service areas for direct services; national advocacy organizations must show direct beneficiary impact in these geographies.

Persistence pays off. Organizations like Rivanna Conservation Alliance (6 grants, $150,750) and Whole Woman's Health Alliance (4 grants, $399,975) built their relationships over multiple cycles. If an initial LOI is declined, refine the focus and resubmit in the next window. Contact Anne O'Brien (anne@oakhillfund.org) for procedural questions only—not for pre-LOI strategic guidance.