Reinhart Foundation

The Reinhart Foundation is a family-driven private philanthropy headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, operating exclusively as a preselected grantmaker since its founding in September 2000. The foundation runs c/o The Community Foundation Inc. at 3409 Moore Street — Richmond's premier community philanthropy intermediary — and gives almost entirely to organizations with whom it has cultivated multi-year relationships. There is no open application cycle, no public RFP, and no formal grant portal. ProPublica and Instrumentl both confirm zero publicly listed grant opportunities, consistent with the foundation's preselected-only designation.

Leadership rests with William L. Reinhart (President since September 2020, succeeding founder Myron H. Reinhart), joined by Cynthia R. Richards (Secretary/Treasurer) and Christopher R. Richards (Vice President). All three serve without compensation. The family character of the foundation is evident throughout its grantee record: a named journalism internship program at Barnard College (Cynthia Reinhart Richards, class of 1973), the Myron H. Reinhart Endowment at Feedmore Inc., and the Evelyn D. Reinhart Guest House Fund at Benedictine Schools all reflect personal legacies woven into formal grantmaking.

Organizations the foundation favors share several characteristics: they operate in Richmond metro Virginia or Hudson Valley, New York; they have a multi-year track record delivering human services, arts programming, healthcare, or recovery services; and they have established relationships with either Reinhart family members or Community Foundation Inc. staff. In the 990 record, the average grantee has received 3-4 consecutive grants — Virginia Supportive Housing, YWCA of Richmond, Daily Planet Health Services, and the Byrd Theatre Foundation each appear across 4-6 grant cycles.

First-time organizations face a significant barrier. The most appropriate entry is a warm introduction from an existing grantee or Community Foundation staff, followed by a brief letter of inquiry to info@reinhart.org — not a full proposal. The foundation's phone at (804) 330-7400 connects through The Community Foundation Inc. There is no stated LOI template, formal application form, or published review calendar. If the foundation expresses interest, it will likely request audited financials, a board list, and a brief program narrative.

The typical funding relationship progresses from a small introductory grant ($5,000-$25,000) to annual gifts in the $40,000-$80,000 range as trust builds. Capital campaign requests have been funded alongside operating support for established grantees. Patience and presence in Richmond's philanthropic community — not grant-writing skill — are the essential prerequisites for success with this funder.

The Reinhart Foundation's financial profile reflects a mature endowed private foundation with investment-driven revenues and a stable, gently declining asset base. Assets peaked at $41.9 million in FY2022 before settling to $39.6 million in FY2024. Revenue is almost entirely investment-derived: in FY2024, dividends accounted for $941,144 (77.5% of total revenue), interest $106,497 (8.8%), and asset sales $158,526 (13.1%). No external contributions were received in FY2024, FY2023, FY2020, or FY2019 — confirming a fully endowed model. The singular exception was FY2021, when $25.4 million in contributions inflated total revenue to $36.1 million and grants to $7.7 million, likely an estate transfer or major asset infusion not representative of ongoing capacity.

Annual giving has grown steadily in normal operating years: $733K (FY2019), $787K (FY2020), $1.08M (FY2022), $1.40M (FY2023), and $2.48M (FY2024). FY2024 represents a payout rate of approximately 6.3% of assets — above the standard 5% private foundation minimum — suggesting actively increasing distribution intent.

Across 259 documented historical grants totaling $10,990,255, the average grant is $42,433 and the estimated median is approximately $10,000. The divergence signals extreme concentration at the top. The five largest grantees account for roughly 71% of all documented dollars: The Community Foundation Inc. ($5,581,198 across 6 grants, including the Reinhart Performing Arts Endowment); Feedmore Inc. ($1,060,000 across 3 grants); Hudson Opera House ($640,000 across 4 grants); Barnard College ($390,000 across 4 grants); and Byrd Theatre Foundation ($263,000 across 6 grants).

For mid-tier recurring grantees, the typical annual gift falls in the $15,000-$80,000 range: Virginia Supportive Housing averages $56,250/year (4 grants, $225,000 total); Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond averages $20,000/year (4 grants, $80,000 total); Health Brigade averages $20,000/year (4 grants, $80,000 total).

By program area (approximate share of all documented giving): - Performing arts endowment transfer: ~51% ($5.6M) - Human services (housing, food, recovery, healthcare): ~28% ($3.1M) - Arts and culture (excluding endowment): ~9% ($1.0M) - Reproductive health: ~5% ($545K) - Education: ~5% ($515K) - Other (legal aid, international, environmental): ~2% ($215K)

Geographically, Virginia accounts for 66% of grants (171 of 259) and New York (Hudson Valley) for 25% (64 of 259), with North Carolina, Minnesota, Missouri, California, and Washington accounting for the remaining 9%.

The five peer foundations identified by asset size are all private grantmaking foundations (NTEE T22) holding assets within $100,000 of each other in the $39.5-39.6 million range. Public data on peer giving levels and program focus is limited due to their smaller public profiles.

Estimated peer annual giving is based on the standard 5% required minimum distribution for private foundations at this asset level; actual figures were not publicly available for these comparators.

Among these peers, the Reinhart Foundation is the most programmatically legible and the most geographically ambitious. Most comparably sized family foundations operate within a single metro market; Reinhart maintains substantive grantmaking across two distinct regions — Richmond, Virginia and Hudson Valley, New York — each with its own cluster of longstanding grantee relationships. The foundation's breadth of program coverage (recovery services, performing arts, reproductive health, housing, food security, domestic violence) is also wider than typical for a peer-tier family foundation, which tends to cluster around one or two focus areas. The preselected-only model and Community Foundation Inc. administration are structural features that reduce direct accessibility compared to peers, but also signal a more relationship-intensive, trust-based grantmaking culture.

The most significant recent development is the FY2024 commitment of $2,040,471 to the Benedictine Schools Educational Foundation in Richmond — two grants combining the Reinhart Foundation Ranch Recovery Fund and the Evelyn D. Reinhart Guest House Fund. This award is nearly 12 times the combined cumulative total of all prior recovery grants in the 990 record (Ranch Recovery Centers Inc. received $60,000 across 4 grants; Caritas/The Healing Place received $160,000 across 4 grants). The scale of the Benedictine commitment suggests a major new programmatic priority under William L. Reinhart's leadership — building a named, endowed residential recovery program at a Richmond institution rather than continuing smaller annual operating grants to multiple recovery providers.

Also in FY2024, the Byrd Theatre Foundation received $181,398 for HVAC system installation and general operations. The Byrd Theatre — a 1928 movie palace on Richmond's Cary Street — has been one of the foundation's most consistent arts grantees (6 grants, more than $263,000 total in the database, now substantially higher). The HVAC investment reflects a deepening capital commitment to this historic cultural venue.

The earlier announcement of the Reinhart Performing Arts Endowment — a $5 million fund seeded through The Community Foundation Inc. — remains the foundation's largest single institutional legacy to date, shifting from annual arts grants toward a permanent endowment designed to provide stable support for Richmond's major performing arts organizations in perpetuity.

The September 2020 leadership transition from founder Myron H. Reinhart to William L. Reinhart has not disrupted the foundation's core grantee relationships. Virtually all historical grantees continue to appear in recent filings. No new public announcements specific to the Richmond foundation were identified for 2025-2026, consistent with its low public profile.

Because the Reinhart Foundation operates as a preselected grantmaker, the following tips are calibrated to how this funder actually works — not to generic grant-writing conventions.

Confirm geographic eligibility first. The foundation gave 66% of documented grants to Virginia organizations and 25% to New York (Hudson Valley) organizations. Richmond metro — including Goochland County — and the Hudson/Chatham corridor of Columbia and Greene counties in New York are the operational zones. Organizations outside these geographies should not invest time in outreach.

Lead with relationship, not proposal. The appropriate first move is a 1-2 paragraph inquiry email to info@reinhart.org: organization name, 501(c)(3) status, one-sentence mission, service geography, the program you would like considered, your annual budget, and a polite close asking whether the foundation is currently accepting inquiries in your area. Do not attach a proposal, 990, or budget in the initial email.

Route through The Community Foundation Inc. The Reinhart Foundation is administered at (804) 330-7400 through Richmond's Community Foundation (cfrichmond.org). Connecting with Community Foundation program staff — even through their capacity-building or community programs — puts your organization inside the information network that surrounds Reinhart's grantmaking decisions.

Seek a peer grantee referral. Identify board or staff connections to established Reinhart grantees: Virginia Supportive Housing, Daily Planet Health Services, Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, YWCA of Richmond, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond, or Byrd Theatre Foundation. A personal introduction from a trusted grantee carries far more weight than a cold inquiry.

Match the foundation's language. Grant purpose descriptions in the 990 record use plain terms: 'general charitable purposes,' 'general operations,' 'capital campaign,' 'endowment.' Avoid program-specific jargon. The foundation tends to fund organizations and their core work, not narrow project deliverables.

Show capital campaign credibility. Grantees including Virginia Supportive Housing, James River Association, and Hudson Opera House received capital support specifically when they could document challenge or matching grants from other institutional funders, including the Cabell Foundation. Reinhart appears to act as a co-investor in capital campaigns.

Set realistic timelines and amounts. Entry grants in the record fall in the $10,000-$25,000 range. Relationships typically deepen to $40,000-$80,000 annually over 2-4 years. Plan for a cultivation period of 2-3 years before expecting a first award.