Suzee Leone Grants Program

Grants Program Overview

Grants will be awarded twice annually subject to merit and appropriateness of the submissions. Grant activities must be in alignment with the purpose and vision of the Virginia Counselors Association Foundation. 

Within the program, one of the available grants is named in honor of Esther Pincus. The Esther Pincus Grant is presented annually to the grantee whose proposal affirms the qualities of genuine care and concern that Esther extended to her family, friends, colleagues and especially to her students for 32 years at West Springfield High School in Fairfax, Virginia. 

Purpose

The VCA Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable, philanthropic endowment fund. The primary purposes of this fund are to:

• Promote and foster professional education and development in the field of counseling in Virginia.
• Acknowledge and support individuals engaged in professional pursuits in the counseling field in Virginia.

Vision

The vision of the VCA Foundation is to provide financial resources to promote and enhance the counseling profession in Virginia.

Mission

The mission of the VCA Foundation is to create fundraising, philanthropic and other opportunities, which will generate financial resources that will support the purpose of the Foundation.

Eligibility Requirements

Proposals will be accepted from members of the Virginia Counselors Association in good standing.

Guidelines

The VCAF Grant Application must be completed and submitted with signatures as required. Submission of the grant indicates the applicant’s agreement to submit a final summary of results and an itemized list of final expenses as stated in the grant application. All applications must be consistent with counseling ethical guidelines and reflect the purpose of VCAF.

VCAF is interested in funding professional counseling activities that support the purpose and vision of VCAF.

As a rule, VCAF does not fund the following: Academic requirements including those for internship, practicum, dissertation, or thesis; salaries, stipends, gift cards for participation; experimental or unproven modalities; professional fees; or political activities.

Timeline

Applications will be accepted twice a year and must be uploaded to the VCAF Google Drive link below as a Word or PDF Document March 31st or October 1st.

If you have any difficulties uploading your documents, please contact Celeste Hall, VCAF Grants Chair

Amount of Grants

The maximum amount of each grant will not exceed $1000.00. The final amount awarded for each application will be determined by the VCA Foundation, based on available funds, the number of applications, and the VCAF Grant Committee’s perceived value of the proposal.

Criteria for Selecting Recipients

• Grant activities must be in alignment with the purpose and vision of the Virginia Counselors Association Foundation. Applications must also meet all guidelines as stated in the application.
• Grants are for one fiscal year and are non-renewable. Grants that are not selected may be resubmitted for the next application period.
• Each fiscal year the VCAF Board approves the amount of funds for grants based on the availability of funds raised during the year.
• Applications will be reviewed, scored and final decisions made by the VCAF Grants Committee. A list of final selections will be presented to the VCAF Board at the next Board of Directors meeting.  
• All decisions are final and may not be appealed.
• The Virginia Counselors Association Foundation does not discriminate against qualified individuals or programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation.

Outcomes Report

The Suzee Leone Grant Committee will request a summary of results and an itemized list of final expenses within 30 days of project completion.

Failure to provide this information may result in a request for returned funds and/or ineligibility for future Suzee Leone Grant awards.

Application Submission Process

• Step 1: Download the Suzee Leone Grant Application to your computer.
  • Click Here
• Step 2: Complete the information requested in the Grants application, and print a copy to get signatures.

Step 3

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Complete the biographical survey information on the VCAF Google Drive.

• Step 3: Go to the VCAF Google Drive, and fill in the biographical information.
  • Click Here

• Step 4: At the end of the biographical information, UPLOAD your application documents to the VCAF Google Drive Folder for Grants 2026 Spring.     

NOTE: If you have difficulties uploading your documents to the VCAF Google Folder for Grants 2026 Spring, please contact Celeste Hall, Grants Program Chair chall@vccs.edu