On December 19, the Virts Miller Foundation announced that it has awarded $100,000 to thirteen local nonprofits as part of the Foundation’s first competitive grant program, including a $10,000 grant to the Lovettsville Historical Society for its museum expansion program.
“Our family has been fortunate to have achieved success through our past business endeavors, affording us the opportunity to give back to our community,” said Sharon Virts, the founder of the Foundation. “From expanding exhibit space for the interpretation of Loudoun’s rich and diverse history to extending STEM and occupational training programs to the underserved, the initiatives our Foundation funded this year will impact hundreds of lives in our county and make a difference in the community for generations to come.”
The LHS grant money will be used for architectural services to design and plan the expansion of the Lovettsville Museum.
The Lovettsville Historical Society launched a Museum Expansion Fund in late 2016, with a goal of $300,000 to either purchase an additional building, or to expand the existing Museum building. With the Virts-Miller grant, the Fund has now raised over $122,000 toward its goal. Over the past year, Tim and Camille Murphy of Lovettsville have also donated $10,000 to the Expansion Fund. We thank them for their generosity.
We have a tentative agreement with the Town of Lovettsville, which owns the Museum building and property, that we will each contribute $25,000 for site development. In our preliminary discussions, we have found enthusiastic support for this project from the Town government.