Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Phoenix Project?
The Phoenix Project is an independent nonprofit organization that seeks to alleviate poverty by building a sustainable partnership between Virginia higher education and the Commonwealth’s most distressed communities that adds civic capacity to communities, strengthens the mission of universities, and provides a powerful context in which to prepare nonprofit and social entrepreneurs for tomorrow’s Virginia.

Who runs the Phoenix Project?
The Phoenix Project has a professional full-time staff of four and a part-time staff of nine and is governed by a board of directors comprised of leaders in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. We receive valuable guidance in our work from a seventy-member statewide Higher Education Advisory Team representing thirty universities and from community advisory councils in each of the communities in which we develop partnerships.

How is the Phoenix Project funded?
The Phoenix Project is funded through generous contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations, and through income earned through conference fees and tuition for leadership programs. We also receive some support from the universities with which we work. To contribute to our efforts, please click here.

How do university faculty, students, staff and alumni work with the Phoenix Project?
To participate in our university-community partnerships program, faculty and students express their research interests and availability to the Phoenix Project, and then we work to match them with community-identified projects that will have an impact on the communities’ economic and social recovery. The Phoenix Project provides logistical support once a match is made. To express your interest in joining our efforts, please fill out this online form.

We accept applications from students for our Nonprofit Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship programs here. We also have a Higher Education Advisory Team that helps us develop our curriculum and guide our efforts.

How do community leaders work with the Phoenix Project?
All projects in participating communities are community-identified and completed in partnership with community organizations and/or municipal agencies. The Phoenix Project is committed to engaging community members in the identification, prioritization, implementation, and evaluation of all projects. If you have a project to suggest, please fill out our online form and a member of our staff will be in touch to discuss your suggestion.

We also have a community advisory council for each community in which we work that helps us identify and prioritize projects.

Where can I find examples of the kinds of projects that the Phoenix Project completes for the community?
The Phoenix Project focuses on capacity building projects for local nonprofits and municipal agencies. Projects are extremely varied, but they all have in common that when completed they advance the economic and social recovery of the partner community and are valuable research, teaching or service opportunities for our university partners. You can view a representative list of projects from one of our sponsorships here.

Where are the Phoenix Project’s offices located?
The Phoenix Project has two offices, one in Burke in Northern Virginia and one in Petersburg, twenty miles south of Richmond. We are grateful for the generosity of the Hirst family in providing our office space in Burke and to the Historic Petersburg Foundation for providing office space for us in Petersburg. In 2008 we anticipate opening an office in the East End community of Newport News in the Tidewater region of Virginia.