About Sentara Health
The Sentara Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports Sentara Health's mission to improve health every day by responding to the healthcare needs of the communities and people it serves through philanthropy.
Focus Areas
Healthcare accessMedical researchPatient care and support servicesCommunity healthPlanned giving/legacy gifts
Who They Fund
low-income and food-insecure familiesstudents and healthcare career trainees (scholars, nursing, paramedic students)people experiencing homelessness and residents needing housing stabilizationsurvivors of domestic violence and their childrenindividuals with behavioral health/mental health needsregional communities in Virginia and Northeast North Carolina (e.g., Hampton Roads/Tidewater)
About Sentara Health
Sentara Health’s largest recent grant was $45,450,000 to Eastern Virginia Medical School for transition, mission and relational support, along with leadership recruitment. That scale frames a foundation that uses philanthropy to shape health-related institutions as well as community services. In the recent grant record, its support extends from medical education and clinical partnerships to food access, housing stability, and emergency response. The foundation’s recent giving also shows repeated support for Norfolk-based organizations and other Virginia recipients, including major awards to Planning Council, Old Dominion University Educational Foundation, and United Way. Those grants point to a funder that combines large institutional commitments with targeted community support. Sentara Health is a public charity and a regular funder, and its work is tied to improving health every day for the communities it serves. Across the record, the foundation backs healthcare access, patient care, community health, medical research, scholarships, and planned giving. Its grants reach hospitals, universities, food banks, crisis services, and community organizations working on health and basic needs.
What Sentara Health Funds
Healthcare access appears prominently in the grant list. Sentara Health gave $375,000 to Virginia Alliance of YMCAs for access to care, and $450,000 to Paul D Camp Community College for acquisition and renovation of healthcare professions space. Behavioral and crisis support also show up in the record. The foundation awarded $400,000 to Family Crisis Support Services Inc for the FCSS Crisis Intervention Center - Esserville Campus, and $500,000 to Judeo-christian Outreach Center for addressing homelessness and hunger through Help. Hope. Healing. Food security is another clear area of support. A $600,000 grant to Federation of Virginia Food Banks funded food pharmacy work, while $354,355 went to Food Bank of the Albermarle for infrastructure to bring healthy food to Northeast North Carolinians. In education, Sentara Health supported Scholarship America Inc with awards tied to 2023 scholarship awards.
How Sentara Health Gives
Sentara Health’s typical grant size sits at $12,500 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $58,386 at the 75th percentile, which shows a mix of small awards and larger institutional commitments. The recent record includes both one-time sponsorships and multi-year support to the same organizations, especially in Norfolk. It is a public charity and a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Unsolicited applications are not accepted for the general community-health and sponsorship streams, though an injury-prevention inquiry path is listed as open.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$63.8M
Total Assets
$7.2B
Total Revenue
$1.3B
Total Expenses
$443.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $13K and $58K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$58K
Geographic Reach
Local16 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
DENNIS A MATHEIS
PRESIDENT/CEO/EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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