Applications Now Open For Cultivate WV

The West Virginia Community Development Hub ​(The Hub) announced today that it will implement Cultivate WV through a new partnership with Volunteer West Virginia, The State’s Commission for National and Community Service. The program was one of just 18 grants funded nationally by AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. The recently announced grant supports a new partnership between the Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF), The Hub, and Volunteer West Virginia to support community leadership development.

AmeriCorps provides support to organizations to help them to alleviate poverty, expand capacity in organizations, and build economic opportunity through community-driven efforts across the country. The Volunteer Generation Fund grants will be used to strengthen entities' ability to recruit, engage, and support volunteers. At a time of social need, when Americans of all ages are looking for ways to give back, AmeriCorps seeks to fund effective approaches that strengthen the capacity and impact of volunteerism and invest in innovative volunteer engagement practices.

Jessica Sammons, Executive Director of Volunteer West Virginia, shared, "We are excited to join forces with The Hub to engage, support, and elevate the voices of local residents as they build leadership skills through volunteerism. The Hub has an innovative model of working in rural communities, and their track record of successfully engaging volunteers and sustaining that engagement over years and even decades is well established."

Heather Foster, Executive Director of The West Virginia Community Development Hub, shared about the new initiative. "Our innovative community development approach lifts up rural community members, empowering citizens to make real, visible improvements in their towns together. We are excited to reimagine our Cultivate WV program in partnership with Volunteer West Virginia, expanding our training and volunteer management skills and expanding the program to four additional communities in 2027."

Cultivate WV supports community members coming together to make a difference in their towns. The program provides the resources and training needed to help residents build their individual leadership skills, volunteer management capacity, and keep the work going into the future. Workshops and facilitated discussions are paired with seed funding to implement small-scale community projects. As community teams implement projects, they work together, bridge divides, and manage conflict. Communities are expected to develop at least two dozen separate project teams, engaging multiple new community members and helping to break down traditional silos.

The Cultivate WV Program is ideal for communities who are interested in making a change but are unsure how to get started. Learn more about Cultivate and the successes of towns like ​Smithers, Montgomery, Grafton, Cowen, and more at https://wvhub.org/cultivate-wv.