6 / 41
Organizational
Overview
With the decline of the traditional industries of Southwest Virginia – agricultural tobacco, extractive
coal mining, and labor-based manufacturing – the Commonwealth of Virginia recognized the need for
an organization to lead the redevelopment of the region through a new system based on the creative
economy. The Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Commission, established in 2008 by the Virginia
General Assembly, took the lead on this initiative in Southwest Virginia. In 2011, the Commission
became the Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation.
The Department of Housing and Community Development serves as the administrator for the
organization and employees key leadership of both organizations, serves as a fiscal administrator
and provides additional resources for organizational success. The Foundation operates with a full
Board of Trustees made up of elected and lay leadership from throughout the 19 counties and four
cities of the region.
To further the organizations work, an 501(c)3 non-profit organization was established to operate
along-side the foundation and serve as a fiscal, fundraising, and operational body. The two
organizations work in tandem under the leadership of a single Executive Director reporting to two
separate boards that oversee their individual authorizations. The complex nature of this model of
public / private partnership is reflective of the complex economic issues the organization tackles on
a daily basis.
Commonwealth
of Virginia
Legislative
Authorization
Legislative Allocation
SWVA Cultural
Heritage
Foundation
Organizational
Policy
Implementation
DHCD
Employment
(Administration)
Policy
Friends of SWVA
Employment
Fiscal
Administration