This award honors an existing University project or program that actively is seeking support and that aims to bring long-term, institutional change to the University in the areas of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and/or Access. In addition to awarding a grant of $5,000, Trustees will advocate for the chosen project, bringing attention to the recipients’ value to the University and encouraging sustainable support from the University’s administration, friends, and supporters. The Fund considers projects led by faculty, administrators, students or alumni but all qualifying projects must aim for institutional integration and of course serve the IDEA Fund’s mission. Special events, conferences, or independent research will not be considered for this award.
2021 IDEA Fund Marcus L. Martin Endorsed Award – UVA Groundskeepers Program.
The recipient of the 2021 Endorsed Award is the UVA Groundskeepers program. The group was created by Marques Hagans after the racial and social justice movements of 2020 with an aim to bring unity to Grounds and the greater Charlottesville community. The Groundskeepers held a march in August from Heather Heyer Way to the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers and then to the UVA Rotunda, symbolizing their commitment to unity within the UVA community and greater Charlottesville. Visit the Virginia Sports page to learn more about their efforts.
2020 IDEA Fund Marcus L. Martin Endorsed Award – Virginia Equity Center
The UVA IDEA Fund awarded its 2020 Endorsed Award to the University of Virginia Equity Center. For this project, these funds were used to design a local COVID-19 emergency wrap around services support program for low-income individuals who have tested positive for COVID. They have also used the grant to successfully transition the program to the long-term efforts of the Blue Ridge Health District. You can learn more about this year’s award in this CBS 19 news report.
2018 IDEA Fund Marcus L. Martin Endorsed Award – Bicentennial Oral History Initiative
The UVA IDEA Fund is excited to offer its 2018 Endorsed Award to the Oral History Initiative. This award honors an existing University project or program that actively is seeking support and that aims to bring long-term, institutional change to the University in the areas of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and/or Access. For this project these funds were vital to supporting two major components of the initiative’s pilot phase: the WTJU mobile studio refurbishment, and the hiring of a Design Thinking intern to move the initiative forward strategically and financially, in partnership with the Bicentennial Commission and Alumni Association. View this PDF to learn more about the program.
2017 IDEA Fund Marcus L. Martin Endorsed Award – Admission’s Virginia Alumni Admission Network (VAAN)
The recipient of the 2017 IDEA Fund Endorsed Award is the VAAN program administered by UVA’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. VAAN is currently composed of 300+ enthusiastic African American and Hispanic/Latino alumni who are trained to have specific conversations with underrepresented students in various regions of the country. VAAN chapters are currently rooted in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New England, NYC, Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia, Richmond, and St. Louis. Volunteers are connecting with these prospective students via college fairs, evening programs, and admission events, and help support the Office of Undergraduate Admission’s goal of recruiting diverse students to UVA. Visit the VAAN website to learn more about the program.
The Trustees have made this gift to VAAN because it engages alumni to help make UVA a better place and is consistent with the vision and principles of the IDEA Fund. By engaging diverse alumni throughout the country to help personalize interaction with prospective students and their families, the VAAN program helps UVA compete for the best and the brightest students in the country.
2016 IDEA Fund Marcus L. Martin Endorsed Award – LGBTQ Studies Program
The recipient of the 2016 IDEA Fund Endorsed Award is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Studies, a new course of study at UVA being administered by the Women, Gender and Sexuality (WSG) program of the College of Arts and Sciences. You can learn more about the program and courses available by visiting their website.
LGBTQ Studies is an academic field that directly serves IDEA Fund values of inclusiveness and diversity. UVA has made great strides in expanding this important field of study and with this gift the Trustees are joining forces with the Serpentine Society and other alumni to further expand and strengthen the program.
2015 IDEA Fund Marcus L. Martin Endorsed Award – The Julian Bond Professorship of Civil Rights and Social Justice
The inaugural recipient of the IDEA Fund Endorsed award is the Julian Bond Professorship of Civil Rights and Social Justice, which seeks to honor the legacy of Julian Bond (1940-2015). From his Morehouse College days as a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, to his Chairmanship of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, to his twenty years on the History faculty at the University of Virginia, Julian Bond was a leader in the movements for civil rights, economic justice and peace. The Julian Bond Professorship of Civil Rights and Social Justice, to be established within the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, will honor this legacy and advance teaching and scholarship of the civil rights era and issues of social justice for future generations of students.
The IDEA fund seeks to assist the college in achieving this goal. To contribute directly to the Julian Bond Professorship of Civil Rights and Social Justice, please visit the Julian Bond Professorship donation page or send a check payable to the “College Foundation of UVA” with “Julian Bond Professorship” in the memo line to:
A&S Development
University of Virginia
PO Box 400801
Charlottesville, VA 22904