The two defining aspects of our philanthropic approach are (1) Helping to turn ideas into institutions and (2) Building a productive network among our grantees.

We work with nonprofits at their beginnings – often when they exist in concept only. To give new ideas the best chance of succeeding, Blue Ridge couples our seed money with significant in-kind support so that promising start-ups can test their models, and if effective, develop into lasting institutions. We offer a base of financial security, a growing knowledge base of best management practices for start-up nonprofits, and a network of community and private sector contacts that allow our grantees to truly execute their visions.

Blue Ridge actively facilitates interaction, knowledge-sharing, and programmatic partnerships among our grantees. The connections we foster can yield a wide spectrum of collaborative activity, from an exchange of ideas to the delivery of complementary services in the same neighborhood to the same families. We select new organizations in part based on their synergies with our existing portfolio, and we foster a culture of trust and mutual support among organizations in “the Blue Ridge family.” By building a portfolio of complementary groups and helping to integrate their work we develop ways for individual organizations with distinct competencies to bring multifaceted approaches to bear on tough social problems.