Frequently Asked Questions

Gifts of any and all amounts go a long way to support the efforts of our students and faculty. Student scholarships and emergency aid help NOVA keep students in school while unrestricted gifts allow us to further develop important, employment-oriented programs and bring high-quality faculty to our campuses. We encourage you to give what you can, whenever you can. Please note that there is a $5.00 minimum for gifts made online.

Yes, there are a number of scholarships and programs to which you can designate your gift. Given its purpose to support the College and its students, the Foundation concentrates its grants in three key areas: Student Emergency Aid, Student Scholarships, and Endowed Faculty.

The impact of private gifts to Northern Virginia Community College is seen in more than dollars. It is visible in faces. It is found in lives. Gifts become textbooks for students, professional development for faculty, and even an opportunity for students to participate in research internships with NIH, or present at national conferences on their school research. Gifts can evolve into student programs, computers, buildings and campuses. Your gift impacts the parents who may not have achieved their educational goals, their little brother or sister who now dream of going to college, and the student who now has a pathway to their future.

We invite unrestricted gifts to our general scholarship fund. Through scholarships, gifts provide time for students to spend on nursing clinicals instead of on waiting tables, time for studying accounting instead of maintaining lawns, time for learning how to prevent cyberattacks instead of babysitting. For many students, your gift makes a college degree possible. Scholarship donations of $25,000 or more enable the donor to name an Endowed Scholarship Fund. The choices are listed on our online giving form. If you would like to give to an area not listed on the form, please select ‘Other’ on the form and add the relevant information.

Yes. Charitable gifts are a thoughtful and meaningful way to honor those you love. Your gift can be designated in honor or in memory of someone special. You may also wish to make a gift in celebration of a special occasion or to commemorate a special event. Please complete the information on our online giving form and we will notify the intended honoree of your generosity. If you are sending your gift to us through the mail, please include relevant gift information and the name and mailing address of the person who should be notified of your gift.

Companies set their own matching gift policies and may match charitable contributions at a variety of ratios. Check with your company to see if they support a matching gift. Donors whose generosity is enhanced by a matching gift will receive recognition credit for the matching gift. For example, if your employer matches charitable contributions at a 2:1 ratio, and you make a $100 gift, your total recognition credit would be $300.

Yes. The NOVA Foundation is non-profit organization and is tax exempt under Internal Review Organization code 501 (c) 3. Our tax identification number is 51-0249730.

We maintain the highest level of confidentiality with respect to our donor information. We do not share, loan or rent donor names, addresses or fund-related financial information with any individual or organization outside the Foundation.

Effective July 1, 2024, the Finance and Audit Committee of the Northern Virginia Community College Educational Foundation approved the following administrative and gift fees on donations. These fees have not increased since 2020 and are used to help offset the costs of the NOVA Foundation's administrative activities to manage the scholarships and funds in support of the Foundation’s mission.

The NOVA Foundation assesses a one-time administrative fee on all new restricted contributions as follows:

• 5% - Annual scholarship donations
• 10% - Donations received in support of College Programs and College Facilities
• 15% - Private and Local Grants
• 15% - Registrations/Fees collected in exchange for services, goods, classes & camps

Endowed funds are assessed an annual fee of one percent.

Gifts to the NOVA Foundation can be made in a variety of ways. You can make a gift or establish a recurring pledge online via credit card . You can also mail a check, made payable to the NOVA Foundation, Inc., to 4001 Wakefield Chapel Road, Annandale, VA 22003-3724. If you would like to make a deferred gift via your estate or other planned gift vehicle, please contact Kelly Persons, Executive Director, at 703-323-3263. or kpersons@nvcc.edu. Still not sure how to get your gift to us? Feel free to contact the Foundation directly at 703-323-3023.