Arlington County Fair Awards Inaugural $5K Grants To Community Groups

ARLINGTON, VA — Three local nonprofit organizations were selected as the inaugural recipients of grants from the Arlington County Fair’s Community Endowment Fund.

The organizations — Latinas Leading Tomorrow, the Center for Youth and Family Advocacy and the Arlington Free Clinic — will each receive a $5,000 grant from the endowment fund.

In August, thousands of people attended the five-day Arlington County Fair on the grounds of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center. It was the 47th year of the fair.

The Arlington County Fair is a public-private partnership, with most of the organizing work conducted by the all-volunteer Arlington County Fair Board.

The establishment of the Community Endowment Fund signifies the Arlington County Fair’s commitment to the community, Matt Richard, chair of the Arlington County Fair’s board of directors, said in a statement Tuesday.

“With a vision to reciprocate the dedication of our volunteers and participants, the Fair Board envisioned giving back to those who contribute to our success,” Richard said. “At the core of the fair’s mission lies the aspiration to offer invaluable services to our community, and this initiative is a pivotal step in advancing that objective.”

CEF grant recipients must primarily serve Arlington residents, address underserved needs, maintain non-partisan and non-discriminatory practices, operate as a registered 501(c)(3) entity for a minimum of three years, and demonstrate the impact the award makes within their organization.

Madeline LaSalle Frazier, founder of Latina’s Leading Tomorrow, said the $5,000 award will make “a significant impact on the lives of young Latinas in Arlington.”

Devanshi Patel, CEO of the Center for Youth and Family Advocacy, said it is “especially meaningful for CYFA to receive the Fair's investment in CYFA's mission to promote, create, and sustain the community conditions for all children, youth, and families to thrive.”

The Arlington Free Clinic said it will use the grant award to purchase diagnostic equipment that will be used to identify problems of the throat or voice box in the clinic’s patients.

“Having this new equipment at Arlington Free Clinic will help avoid delays in diagnosis and treatment and will prevent lost work time by our patients,” said Nancy White, president of the Arlington Free Clinic.

The Arlington County Fair raises funds through ticket sales, booth rentals, and sponsorships. The CEF is funded by profits, and amounts will vary based on the success of the Arlington County Fair each year.

The fair said one of its goals will be to increase sponsorships in order to expand the grant awards for Arlington nonprofit groups.

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