About Vmi Foundation
Inspires support for the future of the Virginia Military Institute through the VMI alumni, family and friends and those committed to the mission of the Institute to develop leaders of character for all walks of life.
Focus Areas
Higher educationScholarshipsStudent leadership and cadet lifeAcademic programs
Who They Fund
college/university studentscadets / military-affiliated studentsfaculty membersgeneral public (via public support/trust distributions)
Funding Style
unrestricted/undesignated supportoperational/administrative supportscholarship-based direct service
About Vmi Foundation
Vmi Foundation’s largest recent grant was an $18,556,130 award to Virginia Military Institute in 2025 for various program services, a signal that the foundation’s work is built around direct institutional support rather than broad external grantmaking. Its recent records show a sustained flow of scholarship, academic, leadership, and operational funding to the Institute and closely affiliated campus entities in Lexington. The foundation also backed Virginia Military Institute with $7,303,534 in 2024 for scholarships and $3,415,450 in 2024 for other support, underscoring a pattern of recurring institutional aid across multiple budget categories. The foundation’s stated purpose is to support the future of the Virginia Military Institute through alumni, family, and friends committed to the mission of developing leaders of character. Recent grants align with that mission through cadet scholarships, academic support, faculty and program funding, and student leadership support. Awards to VMI Alumni Agencies Board and VMI Alumni Association show that the foundation also funds affiliated organizations that help administer and sustain the Institute’s ecosystem.
What Vmi Foundation Funds
Scholarships are a central part of Vmi Foundation’s grantmaking. It gave $7,303,534 to Virginia Military Institute in 2024 for scholarships and $6,013,560 in 2023 for the same purpose, alongside other scholarship programs such as the Call to Duty Scholarships and VMI General Scholarships for cadets. Academic support is another clear area of funding. The foundation awarded $2,263,329 to Virginia Military Institute in 2024 for instruction and $2,021,684 that same year for professional chairs, with additional support for academic support in both 2024 and 2023. It also funds student experience and campus life. In 2023, Virginia Military Institute received $1,317,200 for Jackson Hope and $976,084 for leadership, while the VMI Keydet Club received $85,273 for administrative support.
How Vmi Foundation Gives
Recent grants cluster in large institutional awards, with a typical grant size of $54,988 at the 25th percentile, a median of $148,239, and $1,563,423 at the 75th percentile. The distribution shows a small number of very large grants alongside many smaller operating and support awards. Recipients appear across multiple years, especially Virginia Military Institute and the VMI alumni organizations, which receive repeated support in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation is structured as a private foundation tied to the VMI community, and the active programs list shows no unsolicited applications are accepted.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$23.2M
Total Assets
$691.3M
Total Revenue
$26.7M
Total Expenses
$28.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $55K and $1.6M, with a median of $148K.
25th Percentile
$55K
Median
$148K
75th Percentile
$1.6M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
CRISSY S ELLIOTT
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