Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation

About Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation

The Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by a large commitment to regional public media: Blue Ridge Public Television received $500,000 for program support in 2025. That grant sits alongside other major awards to Virginia-based organizations working in education, housing, conservation, and local history, showing a place-based strategy tied to Central Virginia and nearby Appalachian communities. The foundation supports both operating needs and specific projects, including a $375,000 program-support grant to Miller Center Foundation in Charlottesville and $333,000 to Albemarle Housing Improvement Program for emergency repair and rehabilitation in 2024. Its priorities are organized around Economic Mobility & Well-Being, Preserving Natural Assets, and Family Legacy, with grantmaking focused on organizations that serve communities in Virginia. Recent awards also show support for community college access, health services, environmental work, and historic preservation. The pattern suggests a funder that uses grants to sustain local institutions and infrastructure rather than to make broad, dispersed awards. Several recipients reappear across multiple years, including charitable, educational, and preservation organizations in Charlottesville, Abingdon, Big Stone Gap, Richmond, and Bristol.

What Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation Funds

In economic mobility work, the foundation gave $300,000 to Endless Opportunity (eo) in Abingdon for program support and $250,000 to Piedmont Housing Alliance for the Friendship Court Early Learning Center. Those grants align with priorities in education, housing, workforce development, and economic opportunity. Health-related funding appears in awards such as $234,136 to Mission Dental Virginia Inc in Bristol for phase II renovations and $224,000 to Horizon Health Services Inc in Ivor for program support. The foundation also supports clinical care and medical education through grants to university-affiliated organizations. Natural assets are another clear theme. The Nature Conservancy in Virginia received $350,000 for program support, while Appalachian Sustainable Development received $500,000 in Duffield. In the Family Legacy area, Preservation Virginia was awarded $250,000 for restoration of Bacon’s Castle, and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture received $250,000 for museum renovation and expansion.

How Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation Gives