Enrichmond Foundation Calls it Quits Leaving Leaving Local Non-profits With Questions and No Money

For years Enrichmond Foundation has been the umbrella non-profit organization that helped small groups work to better the community. Groups like Friends of the Pump House, Friends of Evergreen Cemetery, Friends of East End Cemetery, and many more depended on Enrichmond for dealing with donations and distribution of funds.

Enrichmond acquired both Evergreen and East End Cemetery in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The relationship between Friends Evergreen Cemetery, East Cemetery and Enrichmond has been very rocky over the years. The Friends group felt that not enough was being done by Enrichmond and they were being barred from taking action themselves. This ill will seemed to reach a head this spring when executive director John Sydnor stepped down.

This week all the organizations that funneled their donations through Enrichmond received the following letter.

To the Partner Organizations of Enrichmond Foundation,

I am writing on behalf of my client, Enrichmond Foundation. The Board of Directors of Enrichmond Foundation (the “Foundation”) has determined that it is in the best interest of the Foundation and its charitable mission to dissolve the Foundation. On June 29, 2022, the Board of Directors affirmatively voted to take the steps necessary to complete the dissolution in accordance with its Articles of Incorporation, its Bylaws, its charitable mission, and applicable laws. Those steps will include making adequate provisions for the payment and discharge of liabilities and obligations as well as distribution of the Foundation’s assets to the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities or a similar organization.

Until now, my representation of the Foundation has been limited to providing legal advice and services with respect to real estate matters involving the Foundation’s restoration and preservation of the Evergreen and East End Cemeteries. I am now assisting the Foundation with the dissolution process in furtherance of the Board’s June 29, 2022 resolution to initiate the dissolution of the Foundation. In the coming weeks, I will be working to gather a comprehensive list of the Foundations’ assets and liabilities so that the Foundation can follow up with Partner Organizations regarding the next steps in the dissolution process. I appreciate your patience and understanding as I do this work, and if you have questions, please contact me. I will do my best to answer them as soon as I have sufficient information.

Sincerely,

Kerry Brian Hutcherson, Esquire

In practical terms, this means that organizations throughout the city that have been working diligently to supplement the city’s efforts are now suddenly in a lurch. In some cases that means organizations can’t pay bills, host events, and have no access to in some cases tens of thousands of dollars. For now, all they can do is wait.

As you can see from the graphic above the Enrichmond Foundation website is now a wasteland of File Not Found.