On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the Arlington County Board awarded grants totaling more than $1.8 million to 23 nonprofits serving Arlington. This funding was awarded as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) equity-based grant program, RACE to Rebuilding Trust & Community.

“Arlington County Government is committed to advancing racial equity across the County, despite political headwinds at the national level,” Chair Takis Karantonis said. “Our Board invests in meeting a broad spectrum of community and human service needs of minority and marginalized residents through this competitive grant program and congratulates all the Awardees on their unwavering dedication to help meet those needs on a daily basis.”

Building upon last year’s inaugural grant process, the County collaborated with the United Way of the National Capital Area (UWNCA), as well as community members and County staff with lived experience and subject matter expertise. From October to December 2024, County and UWNCA staff held five technical assistance sessions for applicants. A total of 55 completed applications were submitted for FY 2026 funding. This year’s iteration of the program was tailored to better accommodate smaller organizations to participate and submit proposals. Of the total submitted, five proposals were from organizations with operating budgets less than $250,000.

Staff reviewers evaluated each written application based on the rubric that was provided in the grant announcement. Community reviewers, who participated in multiple evenings of oral presentations from applicants, evaluated presentations with another rubric that also was provided in advance. Both sets of reviewers discussed the scores in separate consensus sessions, forming an agreement on what the final score should be for the written and presentation portions of each proposal. Those scores were combined, with each weighing 50%, to form a final score that was used to form the award recommendations.

The awards were based on the following parameters. Proposals which scored a 95.0 or above (in the top 90th percentile) were awarded at their full request. Those proposals which scored a 93.0-94.9 were awarded at 75% of their request, and those scoring a 92.0-92.9 were awarded at 50% of their request. Additionally, several proposals which scored above 85.59 and also had significant subjective support from reviewers, were awarded at 50% of their request. Awards were capped at $150,000. In total, 23 organizations meeting a variety of human services needs received funding through the grant process. The following table lists the FY 2026 awardees, amounts, and proposal descriptions/

FY 2026 RACE to Rebuilding Trust and Community Grant Awards

Organization

Award

Impact*

1st Road South

$ 37,500

Scholarships for 30 students to attend 5 weeks of summer camp plus all out-of-school time activities during the school year

AHC Inc.

$ 75,000

Targeted academic support, career readiness, and leadership development initiatives for 160 youth

Arlington Free Clinic

$ 150,000

Comprehensive health care and integrated community resources to over 1,500 uninsured adults

Arlington Neighborhood Village

$ 67,715

Support 535 older adults, particularly with lower incomes, with a variety of practical and social services

Aspire! Afterschool Learning

$ 149,064

No-cost afterschool and summer learning programs for 150 3rd-8th grade students during the school year and 120 during summer

Ayuda

$ 112,500

Comprehensive legal and case management supporting 60 low-income immigrants, including hosting 8 emotional support groups

Center for Youth and Family Advocacy

$ 44,720

Support training for youth restorative justice services for staff and youth peer ambassadors; improve Spanish-speaking capacity for ambassador program*

Challenging Racism

$ 109,654

DEIBA training and mentorship for 24 human services nonprofits

City Center Nova dba Our Stomping Ground (OSG)

$ 126,000

Creating inclusive communities for individuals with developmental disabilities through 288 health, wellness, and social events; 4 employment sessions; and 48 food distributions

Dream Project

$ 27,500

Mentoring, scholarships, and holistic support for 28-35 immigrant students and families

English Empowerment Center

$ 54,393

Education for 60 low-income residents to read, write, speak, or understand English

Friends of Guest House

$ 50,000

Address health, housing, and employment needs of 75 women returning from incarceration

La Cocina VA DBA Kitchen of Purpose

$ 75,000

Support up to 100 individuals in workforce development program and 720 individuals served family dinners

L'Arche Greater Washington D.C.

$ 75,000

Housing and support for adults with intellectual disabilities, including housing for 8 core members, community programming for 540 adults with Developmental Disabilities, and increased salary for assistants ($12 to $20/hour)

Legal Aid Justice Center

$ 75,000

Legal representation, navigation, and education, including 2 legal clinics on a variety of legal issues, assistance for 60 households for immigration, and 6 Know Your Rights events

Meals on Wheels of Arlington, Virginia Inc.

$ 37,500

Prepared meals for 24 homebound clients for one year

Northern Virginia Family Service, Inc.

$ 112,500

Healthy Families program to support 100 families of new parents and babies

NovaSalud, Inc.

$ 75,000

HIV and STD prevention for 720 individuals, 180 education sessions, and care services for approximately 150 individuals

Read Early and Daily (READ)

$ 26,520

Supporting early literacy by providing culturally relevant book bags (2,000 books) to 400 families at the VHC Outpatient Clinic

Restorative Arlington

$ 150,000

Heart of Safety Restorative Justice Conferencing Program to repair harm outside of the criminal legal system by starting 12 cases and hosting 12 community circles

Rock Recovery, Inc.

$ 30,000

BIPOC therapist for sliding scale eating disorder therapy for 175+ clients

Shirlington Employment and Education Center (SEEC)

$ 150,000

Job placement, employment services, and referrals for at least 325 immigrant day laborers

The Salvation Army

$ 60,960

Direct emergency assistance for 150 low-income households; food distribution for 4,000 people; afterschool programs for 46 youth