Charleston Gazettee-Mail
December 23, 2025
By Dr. Michelle M. Foster
President & CEO, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
Imagine waking up tomorrow in Charleston, West Virginia, and discovering that every nonprofit organization has vanished.
No food pantries opening their doors. No organizations providing emergency housing or supporting families experiencing homelessness. No afterschool or mentoring programs welcoming children when the final school bell rings. No community clinics offering preventive care. No arts organizations bringing music, theater, and creativity into our neighborhoods. No workforce programs helping residents build skills, earn credentials, and secure stable employment. No child advocacy centers standing with children and families in their most vulnerable moments.
It is difficult to imagine because nonprofits are so deeply woven into the fabric of our daily lives that their presence is often taken for granted.
Across Charleston and the six counties we serve—Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam—nonprofits address the issues that matter most to community well-being. At The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF), we invest in nonprofit organizations working across health, education, community economic development, arts and culture, and basic needs. These organizations are on the front lines, responding to real needs with compassion, innovation, and accountability.
A day without nonprofits would not simply be inconvenient; it would be destabilizing.
Families facing food insecurity would have nowhere to turn. Children would lose safe spaces for learning and growth. Seniors would miss meals, transportation, and connection. People in recovery would lose critical support. Artists and cultural organizations that bring vitality to our city would go silent. Entire systems that rely on nonprofit partnerships—from schools and hospitals to courts and workforce agencies—would feel the strain immediately.
Nonprofits are also economic engines. Beyond their social impact, nonprofits are also a major economic force in West Virginia. Statewide, nonprofits employ 75,000 to 80,000 people, representing more than 14 percent of the workforce. These are healthcare workers, educators, social workers, arts administrators, childcare providers, counselors, and program staff whose livelihoods are tied to mission-driven organizations. A day without nonprofits would not only disrupt essential services-it would mean tens of thousands of West Virginians without jobs, paychecks, or stability, with ripple effects felt across families, businesses, and local economies.
For more than 60 years, TGKVF has partnered with donors, volunteers, and nonprofit leaders to help ensure that charitable resources are directed where they can do the most good. We see every day what happens when philanthropy is strategic, collaborative, and rooted in community voice.
As our region navigates ongoing economic and funding uncertainty, this is not the moment to undervalue the nonprofit sector. It is the moment to recognize it as essential infrastructure—just as critical as roads, schools, and utilities.
So rather than imagining a day without nonprofits, let us imagine a future where they are fully supported and able to plan, innovate, and respond to emerging needs.
A stronger Charleston depends on strong nonprofits.
And strong nonprofits depend on all of us.