It’s a beaut, Richmond, it’s a beaut. This holiday season we’re unwrapping a few presents you won’t find under a tree or in a store. From group-funded artworks to public grants and online tools, check out these five gifts given to Richmond through the years.
$16 million in Richmond-based grants | Preservation and reimagination were at the forefront of six grants awarded to Richmond projects and organizations by the Mellon Foundation in 2022. Richmonders may recognize recipients like the RPL’s Memory Lab, The Valentine Museum, and The Shockoe Institute, set to open in 2025.
$1 million for Richmond nonprofits | Lego distributed varying donations totaling $1 million to six local nonprofits in 2023. Beneficiaries included public school children via the Blue Sky Fund, families visiting the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, at-risk students attending the YMCA of Greater Richmond’s summer Power Scholars Academy, and others.
“Rumors of War” was unveiled in Times Square before moving to VMFA.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
“Rumors of War” by Kehinde Wiley | Before being unveiled at its intended home in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Wiley’s 27-ft bronze statue was initially presented in Times Square. Funding for the piece came from multiple local donors — talk about a group gift.
Legal resources + online tools | Yield Giving, spearheaded by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, donated $1 million to the Virginia Property Law Center in March 2024, which provides online resources and tools to residents facing legal battles with or without representation.
The Common Prize for Art and Education | Richmond’s own Institute for Contemporary Art celebrates two individuals or collectives annually with this $20,000 award, provided to the museum by Pamela Kiecker Royall’s $500,000 gift honoring her late husband and former VCU vice rector Bill Royall.
These extraordinary gifts not only add character and value to our city but also show how generosity can have a lasting impact. Know of a gift that isn’t on our list? Let us know.
