The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation (CMCF) is a private Virginia philanthropy established in 1987 by Dr. Claude Moore. Dr. Moore grew up in poverty and through hard work and frugality became a successful physician and landowner. He firmly believed in providing a “leg up, not a handout” and the Foundation strives to implement this philosophy in its giving decisions.
Dr. Moore also wanted the Foundation to make an impact for “200 years and a day”. This is one day more than the foundation of his hero, Benjamin Franklin, and guides CMCF in our work. Under the direction of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and professional staff, CMCF has become one of the larger private funders in Virginia.
The Foundation’s giving includes funding its “flagship program”, the Claude Moore Scholars Program, as well as invitational grants to non-profit organizations primarily serving, but not limited to Loudoun County. These grants tend to focus on education, health, and human services. Our Trustees also are able through discretionary grants to fund a variety of other projects and programs that further the mission. In the past 35 years, CMCF has provided over $90 million in grants to more than 500 non-profits.
Dr. Claude Moore was a successful physician and Northern Virginia landowner. He established the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation in 1987 for the purpose of enhancing educational opportunities throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. The Foundation was fully funded upon his death in 1991.
The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation was established in 1987 by Dr. Claude Moore, a successful physician and Northern Virginia landowner who left most of his fortune in trust for the purpose of enhancing educational opportunities throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Dr. Moore left his estate to the Foundation to increase its capacity for philanthropy.