Volunteers with Richmond Tree Stewards, which lost $29,000 when Enrichmond folded. (Courtesy Richmond Tree Stewards)
When the Enrichmond Foundation suddenly ended operations last summer, it took down with it at least hundreds of thousands of dollars managed on behalf of dozens of local community groups.
Now, about a year later, those groups left hanging by the failed nonprofit will have a chance to refill parts of their coffers thanks to a new grant funding program.
Armed with more than $250,000 from the City of Richmond, the newly minted Richmond Outdoor and Prosperity Fund expects to begin accepting applications for grant awards early next month.
Nonprofit executive Kelly Chopus and others are organizing the fund under the banner of the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond.
Chopus said Wednesday the fund’s managing committee has a list of the more than 80 organizations once affiliated with Enrichmond and the plan is to contact those groups in the coming days with details about the fund and how to apply for money.
The Community Foundation will hold the money and provide administrative support for the fund. Chopus said that by organizing in this way, she hoped to reassure former Enrichmond partners about the integrity of the project.
“We wanted to use the Community Foundation because of their impeccable reputation around the region. We felt so many people were burned by the Enrichmond process,” Chopus said. “They are leaders in the community and we wanted the reputation and gravitas of the Community Foundation behind us as we try to right this wrong.”
Chopus said she and four other people will make up the committee deciding what groups will receive funding. She declined to identify other committee members because the group was still organizing this week.
The City of Richmond allocated $250,000 toward the effort as part of its fiscal year 2024 budget, which went into effect July 1. Chopus said private donors have contributed several thousand dollars more toward the fund.
The money in the initiative’s first annual funding cycle will be limited to former Enrichmond partners, and the plan is to dole out the entire city-provided allocation of $250,000 in the initial round of awards. The fund is intended to continue with annual grant awards, and starting next year groups that weren’t affiliated with Enrichmond will be able to apply for money.
Chopus said the program is aimed at groups involved in local beautification efforts. Applicants will be required to either be nonprofits or operate under the wing of a nonprofit that acts as a fiduciary sponsor, similar to the role Enrichmond played.
The Community Foundation already oversees similar grant-awarding initiatives, such as the SisterFund, which invests in nonprofits that support the education and health of black women and girls.
Founded in 1990, Enrichmond served as the fiduciary agent for small community groups. In that capacity it collected donations and held money on the behalf of those groups. The organization’s support services allowed volunteers to focus on programming. These small groups were able to effectively claim Enrichmond’s nonprofit 501(c) status as their own, opening the door to accept and hold tax-exempt donations.
When Enrichmond’s leadership voted to dissolve the nonprofit in June 2022 it came as a surprise to the community groups under its wing, and the groups were unable to access their money that still remains out of their reach.
At least $250,000 to perhaps as much as around $500,000 was lost by community groups when Enrichmond ceased operations, an estimate created by the Enrichmond Accountability Project, a coalition of former Enrichmond partner organizations formed last fall that seeks to recoup lost funds.
Enrichmond also stewarded the historic Evergreen and East End cemeteries, and an LLC tied to the nonprofit was still listed as the owner of the properties in online land records this week.
Enrichmond’s collapse touched off law enforcement investigations and changed the local nonprofit landscape as local groups sought new ways to operate or attempted to step into the void left by Enrichmond.
The Pump House, a historic Richmond building being restored by former Enrichmond affiliate the Friends of Pump House. (Photo courtesy of the Friends of Pump House)
Chopus, a consultant and former president and CEO of the nonprofit Robins Foundation from late 2013 to spring 2022, said she was contacted by city leaders seeking help to address the fallout created by Enrichmond’s dissolution. A grant program was settled on as a means to provide some measure of financial support to Enrichmond’s former network. Chopus said she was working pro bono to get the new fund started.
“The city felt a desire to support these organizations who have done so much to support the City of Richmond,” she said. “This seems like the quickest and easiest mechanism to create relief for organizations that were so wronged.”
An FBI spokeswoman confirmed last week that the agency is investigating Enrichmond’s collapse but declined to comment further. A spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s office declined to comment on its investigation of Enrichmond.
Richmond Tree Stewards, which lost $29,000 when Enrichmond folded and maintains trees in the city, is eyeing the grant as a way to fund an upcoming event, President Dave Pohlmann said.
“Anything helps. We were looking at it because we have this tree giveaway in October this year,” Pohlmann said. “(The grant) is another possible source of income for us to defray the costs of the various programs we do.”
Preservation group the Friends of Pump House, another former Enrichmond affiliate, is planning to apply for the grant funding to further support its efforts to restore the historic Pump House building near Maymont, President Penn Markham said.
“We’ve been pretty busy down at the building,” Markham said. “We’re planning to apply to basically get reimbursed and hopefully that’ll (cover the cost of) a few windows.”
Volunteers with Richmond Tree Stewards, which lost $29,000 when Enrichmond folded. (Courtesy Richmond Tree Stewards)
When the Enrichmond Foundation suddenly ended operations last summer, it took down with it at least hundreds of thousands of dollars managed on behalf of dozens of local community groups.
Now, about a year later, those groups left hanging by the failed nonprofit will have a chance to refill parts of their coffers thanks to a new grant funding program.
Armed with more than $250,000 from the City of Richmond, the newly minted Richmond Outdoor and Prosperity Fund expects to begin accepting applications for grant awards early next month.
Nonprofit executive Kelly Chopus and others are organizing the fund under the banner of the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond.
Chopus said Wednesday the fund’s managing committee has a list of the more than 80 organizations once affiliated with Enrichmond and the plan is to contact those groups in the coming days with details about the fund and how to apply for money.
The Community Foundation will hold the money and provide administrative support for the fund. Chopus said that by organizing in this way, she hoped to reassure former Enrichmond partners about the integrity of the project.
“We wanted to use the Community Foundation because of their impeccable reputation around the region. We felt so many people were burned by the Enrichmond process,” Chopus said. “They are leaders in the community and we wanted the reputation and gravitas of the Community Foundation behind us as we try to right this wrong.”
Chopus said she and four other people will make up the committee deciding what groups will receive funding. She declined to identify other committee members because the group was still organizing this week.
The City of Richmond allocated $250,000 toward the effort as part of its fiscal year 2024 budget, which went into effect July 1. Chopus said private donors have contributed several thousand dollars more toward the fund.
The money in the initiative’s first annual funding cycle will be limited to former Enrichmond partners, and the plan is to dole out the entire city-provided allocation of $250,000 in the initial round of awards. The fund is intended to continue with annual grant awards, and starting next year groups that weren’t affiliated with Enrichmond will be able to apply for money.
Chopus said the program is aimed at groups involved in local beautification efforts. Applicants will be required to either be nonprofits or operate under the wing of a nonprofit that acts as a fiduciary sponsor, similar to the role Enrichmond played.
The Community Foundation already oversees similar grant-awarding initiatives, such as the SisterFund, which invests in nonprofits that support the education and health of black women and girls.
Founded in 1990, Enrichmond served as the fiduciary agent for small community groups. In that capacity it collected donations and held money on the behalf of those groups. The organization’s support services allowed volunteers to focus on programming. These small groups were able to effectively claim Enrichmond’s nonprofit 501(c) status as their own, opening the door to accept and hold tax-exempt donations.
When Enrichmond’s leadership voted to dissolve the nonprofit in June 2022 it came as a surprise to the community groups under its wing, and the groups were unable to access their money that still remains out of their reach.
At least $250,000 to perhaps as much as around $500,000 was lost by community groups when Enrichmond ceased operations, an estimate created by the Enrichmond Accountability Project, a coalition of former Enrichmond partner organizations formed last fall that seeks to recoup lost funds.
Enrichmond also stewarded the historic Evergreen and East End cemeteries, and an LLC tied to the nonprofit was still listed as the owner of the properties in online land records this week.
Enrichmond’s collapse touched off law enforcement investigations and changed the local nonprofit landscape as local groups sought new ways to operate or attempted to step into the void left by Enrichmond.
The Pump House, a historic Richmond building being restored by former Enrichmond affiliate the Friends of Pump House. (Photo courtesy of the Friends of Pump House)
Chopus, a consultant and former president and CEO of the nonprofit Robins Foundation from late 2013 to spring 2022, said she was contacted by city leaders seeking help to address the fallout created by Enrichmond’s dissolution. A grant program was settled on as a means to provide some measure of financial support to Enrichmond’s former network. Chopus said she was working pro bono to get the new fund started.
“The city felt a desire to support these organizations who have done so much to support the City of Richmond,” she said. “This seems like the quickest and easiest mechanism to create relief for organizations that were so wronged.”
An FBI spokeswoman confirmed last week that the agency is investigating Enrichmond’s collapse but declined to comment further. A spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s office declined to comment on its investigation of Enrichmond.
Richmond Tree Stewards, which lost $29,000 when Enrichmond folded and maintains trees in the city, is eyeing the grant as a way to fund an upcoming event, President Dave Pohlmann said.
“Anything helps. We were looking at it because we have this tree giveaway in October this year,” Pohlmann said. “(The grant) is another possible source of income for us to defray the costs of the various programs we do.”
Preservation group the Friends of Pump House, another former Enrichmond affiliate, is planning to apply for the grant funding to further support its efforts to restore the historic Pump House building near Maymont, President Penn Markham said.
“We’ve been pretty busy down at the building,” Markham said. “We’re planning to apply to basically get reimbursed and hopefully that’ll (cover the cost of) a few windows.”
Hopefully, charges will be forthcoming for the responsible party who absconded with EnRichmond funds.
And some insurance policies against directors or board members for their fraud and mismanagement will be pursued (or did they not have professional insurance at EnRichmond).
I wonder who “Enrichmonded” themselves with other peoples money. Curious minds want to know.
Kudos to Chopus and I’m thrilled that these nonprofits are being given a chance to recover, at least in part. I have mixed feelings about the city of Richmond funding this. Any settlement that comes from an investigation should be used to reimburse these costs.
Why is this investigation taking so long? This is not that complicated…how about a forensic accountant and subpoenaing bank records of the former CEO, directors, and board members? Bet they’ll find where the money went…
It has been alleged that finding out this information would be tantamount to taking on the Democratic Party. Doing Good is the main well of their slush funding. The gap will be filled by the taxpayers or those they wish to further shake-down, as usual. It’s why they run for office, but not what they say in their campaign literature, which tends to say “As a single mother, I understand…” and other inspiring qualifications. The smartest don’t illegally redirect any money, of course — they do it legally, and the people who benefit are usually playing in legal grey areas… Read more »