Initiatives

We exist to enable and promote philanthropy that inspires, facilitates and fosters a vibrant and engaged Chattahoochee Valley. Our initiatives, ranging from civic engagement efforts to grantmaking programs, are just a few of the ways we do that.

A Vibrant and Engaged Chattahoochee Valley...

On the Table

Watch our 2019 wrap-up video highlighting what three years of On the Table meant for the Chattahoochee Valley.

On the Table is a civic engagement initiative that took place on a single day each year from 2017-2019. Residents from all over our region came together over meal-time conversations to talk about their community. With additional support from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, we were able to present this unique opportunity to the community in an effort to break bread with neighbors, meet new people, share ideas and build bridges.

After those conversations, residents completed a short survey where they shared their thoughts on our community. The survey responses were compiled by Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies and asked about items such as participants’ On the Table experiences, their opinions on community issues and the topics their group discussed. Responses to the survey provided analysis about the issues and themes emerging from On the Table conversations.

The results of the data are shared publicly at OnTheTableChatt.com for everyone's use in an effort to help us better understand our needs and opportunities. In addition to the data results, hosting and conversation resources will remain accessible permanently for community, so valuable community conversation can continue!

"The biggest thing I think for me is unifying our community in ways we never thought possible."

– On The Table ambassador Crystal Pendleton Shahid;
Manager, Retail Lending Center, Synovus

Discretionary Grantmaking Programs

2018
In the fall of 2018, our discretionary grantmaking programs awarded over $99,485 supporting over 18 area projects throughout the Chattahoochee Valley. (To view a list of the 2018 awarded grant projects click here). The awarded projects from each grant program were chosen by that program’s respective selection committee.

Funding for both programs comes from the Chattahoochee Valley Fair Fund and the Community Foundation’s Discretionary Funds, including The Community Endowment Fund and its named sub-Fund, the Moselle W. and H. Quigg Fletcher, Jr., Endowment Fund. These funds exist to support projects serving persons or communities in the following counties: Georgia: Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Muscogee, Taylor, Talbot, Quitman, Meriwether, Troup, Stewart, Webster; Alabama: Russell, Lee. These counties represent the Community Foundation’s service area.

Nine projects were selected to receive grants totaling $79,500 in funding from the Discretionary Grant Program, and Nine projects were selected to receive grants totaling $19,985 in funding from the Innovation Grant Program.

2017
In the fall of 2017, our discretionary grantmaking programs awarded over $105,000 in support of efforts all throughout the Chattahoochee Valley. These programs sought to leverage the action areas of Columbus 2025. CFCV offered application processes for nonprofits in both the five central counties of the Columbus 2025 region and the eight additional counties in CFCV's service area.

Ten of those projects received grants from the Community Endowment Funds, while six were awarded grants from the Chattahoochee Valley Fair Fund. A total of sixteen projects received support from the Community Foundation’s Discretionary Funds.

To view the list of all funded projects, click here.

Dragonfly Trails

CFCV is home to the Dragonfly Trails Fund, which seeks to leverage the strengths of what Columbus has built already, capitalizing on the Alternative Transportation Plan and partnering with the City to offer an even bigger opportunity. CFCV is working with the nonprofit PATH Foundation, which over 22 years has designed and built more than 230 miles of off-road trail networks in and around Georgia for walkers, runners, cyclists and skaters. This effort will:

Better connect our neighborhoods
Improve our travel and mobility
Spur economic development
And elevate our overall quality of life

PATH created a design for an interconnected linear park trail network throughout Columbus connecting the Fall Line Trace to the RiverWalk and so much more. Below you'll find the master plan for the trail; construction is already underway!

Master Plan