Weissberg Foundation

The Weissberg Foundation operates on a fundamentally different model than most private foundations: rather than accepting applications, it identifies and approaches organizations it wants to fund. This proactive identification model reflects a core conviction that traditional application processes place undue burden on under-resourced BIPOC organizations — the very communities the foundation seeks to support.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on building power, not funding programs. It resources organizations building organizing, economic, political, and narrative power among Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color, primarily in Virginia. This means Weissberg funds what organizations *are* — their ongoing operations and movement infrastructure — rather than what they *propose to do*. Multi-year general operating support is the dominant grant type; program-restricted grants are the exception, and one-time project support is rare.

For first-time engagement, the critical insight is that formal outreach is not the entry point. Weissberg program staff research the field, engage community networks, and receive recommendations from existing grantees to identify new partners. An organization's visibility within Virginia's racial justice ecosystem — its presence in coalitions, its relationships with peer organizations, its reputation for accountability to affected communities — matters more than grant-writing credentials or polished proposals.

The foundation favors organizations led by or deeply accountable to BIPOC communities, not merely serving them. Board composition, staff demographics, and participatory decision-making structures are all evaluated signals. Virginia geography is the primary lens: 142 of 293 documented grants went to Virginia organizations, compared to 90 in DC and 31 in Maryland.

With assets growing from $14M (2019) to $222.96M (2024) and the March 2025 surge authorization bringing annual giving to $19.6M — a fourfold increase over FY2023's $4.9M — Weissberg is now operating at a fundamentally expanded scale. This growth suggests the foundation is actively expanding its grantee base, making this a critical moment for aligned Virginia organizations to build relationships within Weissberg's existing networks. The relationship invariably begins through mutual contacts, aligned networks, and visible field presence, not a cold approach.

The Weissberg Foundation's financial trajectory tells a story of rapid institutional transformation. For most of its history, the foundation operated as a modest family philanthropy: assets hovered around $6-8M from 2012-2019, with annual giving of $1.6-1.9M per year. A transformative endowment infusion followed: contributions received jumped to $8.1M in FY2022 (pushing assets to $55.4M), then to $168.7M in FY2023 (propelling assets to $209.6M). By FY2024, total assets stood at $222.96M — a 15-fold increase from 2019.

Grant totals have not yet fully reflected this asset growth: total giving was $2.9M in FY2022 and $4.9M in FY2023. The March 2025 Board authorization of $10M in surge funding signals a decisive pivot toward $19.6M in annual grantmaking — more than four times the FY2023 level and representing approximately 8.8% of current assets, well above the traditional 5% payout floor.

Across 293 documented grants totaling $8.25M, the average grant is $28,145. The foundation's internal data shows a median individual grant payment of $20,000, with a range of $250 to $50,000 per payment. However, multi-year relationships compound dramatically: New Virginia Majority has received $291,500 across 13 grants; Virginia Community Voice $290,500 across 7; Virginia Student Power Network $270,500 across 6; Human Rights for Kids $270,500 across 6; and Nolef Turns $250,500 across 7. Long-term grantees routinely accumulate $180,000-$290,000+ in total support.

Geographically, Virginia dominates: 48.5% of grants by count (142 of 293) went to Virginia organizations, DC received 30.7% (90 grants), Maryland 10.6% (31 grants), New York 3.1% (9 grants), and North Carolina 1.4% (4 grants). Grant purposes skew strongly toward general operating support and capacity support — the foundation rarely funds discrete programs. The outlier in the grantee data is Beloit College ($1.66M across 5 grants), which reflects a personal relationship of the founding Weissberg family rather than programmatic strategy.

The table below compares Weissberg to four peer foundations operating in overlapping geographies and issue areas. Peer figures are approximate, drawn from publicly available IRS filings and foundation reports.

Weissberg distinguishes itself in two meaningful ways. First, its geographic concentration on Virginia is unusual at this asset level — most foundations with $200M+ operate regionally or nationally, while Weissberg deliberately anchors to a single state. Second, its intersectional power-building framework cuts across issue areas (criminal justice, housing, immigration, arts, civic engagement) rather than targeting discrete topics, making it a more flexible funder for broad-base organizing work than peer foundations requiring programmatic specificity. The 2025 giving surge also positions Weissberg as the most aggressively expanding funder in this peer set at the current moment.

The defining development of 2025 is the March 2, 2025 Board authorization of $10 million in surge funding, bringing the annual grant budget to $19.6 million — more than four times the $4.9M disbursed in FY2023. The announcement cited urgent threats facing racial equity organizations and framed the surge as institutional solidarity with frontline communities. Three priority areas drove new allocations: grantee emergency support (legal defense, cybersecurity, physical safety), pro-democracy funding for organizations protecting democratic institutions, and targeted support for BIPOC, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities facing elevated risk.

Within two weeks of Board approval, the foundation had accelerated disbursements to more than 80 existing multi-year grantees — over 60% of the grantee pool received early 2025 installments. A no-application emergency track (operational, capacity-building, and wellness support) was activated simultaneously.

At the leadership level, Executive Director Ricshawn Adkins Roane (compensated at $205,000) has driven the foundation's strategic repositioning from a small family philanthropy to a professionally staffed institution. Board Chair Tamara Copeland, a recognized racial equity philanthropist and former President of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, provides strategic governance. The founding generation — Marvin F. Weissberg (deceased 2021) — ran the foundation with under $6,000 in officer compensation; the current leadership team represents a substantial professionalization of operations commensurate with the foundation's expanded asset base. Family members Wesley Weissberg and Nina V. Weissberg remain engaged as unpaid board members.

Because Weissberg does not accept unsolicited applications, conventional grant-writing tactics are irrelevant. What matters is strategic positioning within Virginia's racial justice ecosystem — being known, trusted, and visible to the people who advise the foundation.

Get into their networks deliberately. Weissberg grantees are the most direct pathway to awareness. Organizations like New Virginia Majority, Virginia Organizing, Black Swan Academy, Bread for the City, One DC, NAKASEC, Virginia Student Power Network, and CASA have longstanding relationships with the foundation. Collaborative work, coalition participation, or formal partnerships with these organizations increases the likelihood of a warm introduction to Weissberg program staff.

Speak the four-pillar language. In all public communications — website, social media, annual reports, conference presentations — describe your work using Weissberg's vocabulary: Organizing Power (grassroots mobilization and movement-building), Economic Power (wealth-building, land, reparations), Political Power (democratic participation, representation), and Narrative Power (BIPOC-authored storytelling, countering racist narratives). Misalignment in language is a soft disqualifier.

Demonstrate BIPOC-led governance, not just service. The foundation scrutinizes organizational structure. Document board composition, staff demographics, and participatory decision-making mechanisms. Organizations with white-led boards despite BIPOC constituencies are unlikely candidates regardless of programmatic focus.

Virginia presence is the primary filter. For DC and Maryland organizations, identify Virginia programs or partnerships. For national organizations, establish a Virginia chapter, state campaign, or coalition role before seeking engagement.

Timing matters in 2025. With $19.6M in annual giving authorized and $222M in assets under management, Weissberg is actively building new grantee relationships. The surge period — and the staffing capacity required to deploy it — is the most receptive moment for new organizations to enter the foundation's awareness. Invest in field visibility now.

If the foundation initiates contact, be prepared immediately with: current audited financial statements or IRS Form 990; IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter; executive and board profiles; a concise proposal covering organizational goals, population served, the specific problem being addressed, key staff with primary responsibility, full budget, dollar request, grant site, specific measurable goals, timetable for implementation, and evaluation methodology.