Virginia · Nonprofit
THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION
THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION (Virginia) receives grants from 14 organizations whose IRS filings report $643,884 to it, the largest being TOWNEBANK FOUNDATION ($250,000). 8 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $410k
- Funders on record
- 14
- Grants received
- $644k
- Net assets
- $2.3M
What The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation does
Mission
Organization's mission through the master planning, programming and advocacy of this urban waterfront trail, we are able to provide multi-model access to our historic working waterfront, connect 28 communities along 10.5 miles and serve as a safe place to recreate and restore green space in an urban setting, working to connect naval station norfolk to the virginia beach trail.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
The elizabeth river trail (ert) foundation offers over 100 opportunities each year to better the quality of life for residents and visitors. Through free public recreational and educational programming, including nature for all programs, trailwell holistic outdoor literacy, and extensive trail beautification, surface widening, maintenance, and installation of , amenities, gardens and trees for public usage designed to activate and enhance the elizabeth river trail in norfolk, va. Five digital trail counters accurately record trail usage at 696,800 users per year. In august 2024 the ert hosted the first community olympics activating three public parks and 6 miles of trail, in november the jeff robertson park trailhead shelter was installed; a partnership with tidewater tech skilled-trade students, in april 2025 the lambert's point trailhead shelter was installed, the first to include lighting, this ribbon cutting culminated a semester's long project with old dominion university parks, rec and tourism studies students on outdoor programming. In june, the ert was designated a national recreation trail by the department of interior/national park service. Named thrive young…
$348,350 spent100% of program spendingIn partnership with over 90 community partners we have been able to reach 3,425 event participants and provided 106 free events on the trail for the public. Encompassing 2,499 volunteer hours and removing 5,406 pounds of litter. We planted twenty trees and 150 plants adding a pollinator garden and native plants to enhance our managed meadow continuing the maintenance of seven public green spaces.
The eco-counters multi system has been installed at specific locations along the elizabeth river trail and elsewhere on norfolk's bike network to accurately count pedestrian and cyclist use along the trail and bike network. The system allows for the analysis of data from multiple user types over time. This system combines the passive infrared sensor and an inductive loop sensor. An intelligent subsystem analyzes the signal from both sensors in order to count and classify each user. The organization also has engaged in a number of projects which have enhanced the experience of using the trail. Cost of enhancements not donated back to the city are included in fixed assets and depreciated over the useful life of the asset. Cost of enhancements currently under construction are included in construction in progress. Some enhancements include, but are not limited to, playground equipment, trailhead and wayfinding signage, bike repair stations, trash cans and many other amenities.
The 3 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $348,350.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2019, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2019, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $3.6M to $2.3M (−35%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2021 15% · 2025 64%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
89% of THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (62% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 3 of the last 7 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Christine Neikirk
Chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2018 → 2023: the base held at 4 funders, grant income fell $185k → $5k.
2 of 14 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 6% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
Left out of every figure on this page: $904k from 3 payers (the payer shares this organization's board, largest Sentara Health). These are real filings, and they are not money THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION raised.
From the IRS filings of THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION leans on a few funders — its largest provides 39% of grant income and the top three 70%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2018 54% · 2019 47% · 2020 52% · 2021 47% · 2022 55% · 2023 65% — growing more concentrated.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
63% of THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 57% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
89% of THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION's grant income comes from Virginia funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $36k arriving through sponsors registered in 2 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 7,175 community improvement nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 7,175 community improvement nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2025
Government funding THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $150k on record.
- Department of the Interior$150k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Virginia
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
80% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
95%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION?
- THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION (Virginia) receives grants from 14 organizations whose IRS filings report $643,884 to it, the largest being TOWNEBANK FOUNDATION ($250,000). 8 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION have?
- IRS filings report 14 organizations giving $643,884 in grants to THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION, 8 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION?
- TOWNEBANK FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $250,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like THE ELIZABETH RIVER TRAIL FOUNDATION find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Virginia. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Elizabeth River Trail →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2019–2025), and the filings of 14 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing