Virginia Foundation
for the Humanities
Explore the Past, Discover the Future




Search





grants
fellowships
events
contact
Search
home
what we do
who we are
support VFH
subscribe to our newsletter
Explore more: VFH News
VFH Receives $1 Million Gift for
Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia Virginia
Charlottesville, VA—Virginia Foundation for the
Humanities (VFH) has received a $1 million gift from its Board chairman, Barbara J. Fried, to
support Encyclopedia Virginia (EV), the largest donation from an individual for the encyclopedia
in its eight-year history.
Fried’s investment will partially endow a critical editorial position for the award-winning online
encyclopedia, viewable at EncyclopediaVirginia.org, ensuring that this authoritative and userfriendly resource on the history and culture of Virginia will educate the public, including
thousands of students and teachers, for many years to come.
Fried, president of Fried Companies Inc., a real estate development and property management
firm based in Crozet, has served as chairman of the VFH Board of Directors since July 2014. She
is also a member of the U.Va. Board of Visitors, a member and immediate past chair of the
Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership State Advisory Board, and active in many community
organizations. She earned a bachelor’s and law degree from the University of Chicago and a
master’s degree in history from U.Va.
“We are profoundly grateful to Barbara for her support of EV,” said Rob Vaughan, founding
president of VFH. “Her generosity and long-term commitment is allowing this important
resource to expand and thrive with a sustainable future, meaning that Virginians of all ages, and
many others worldwide, will explore Virginia’s unique history and culture in the highest quality
way.”
We are honored to be the beneficiary of such generosity and leadership and eager
to put the funds to good use – Matthew Gibson
This significant contribution follows Fried’s previous giving of more than $500,000 to EV since
2005. “It’s essential for our citizens to have access to reliable information about Virginia, so that
we can understand our past and shape a more promising future,” Fried said. “With the expertise
and drive of EV’s staff, the commitment of the VFH Board, and the organization’s unique
position as the largest and most diverse of all state humanities councils, we have the capacity to
educate and inspire millions of people with this dynamic resource.”
EV publishes topical and biographical entries written by scholars, edited for a general audience,
and vigorously fact checked. Content creation is a work in progress, with more than 900 entries
currently live on the site and new entries published regularly. EV also features more than 500
primary documents and numerous media objects, including images, audio and visual clips, and
links to Google Street View tours of historic sites.
We are profoundly grateful to Barbara for her support of EV – Rob Vaughan
One of the only humanities projects using Google Street View technology, EV currently offers
thirteen virtual tours of sites such as Poplar Forest, Montpelier, Bacon’s Castle, Patrick Henry’s
Scotchtown, and Menokin, with more in the works. In August, EV staff will host a summit at
VFH to train other Virginia humanities organizations, including museums and historic sites, to
use this technology to advance their missions and reach broader audiences.
Thousands of teachers and students benefit from EV’s high-quality and accessible primary
sources, innovative pedagogy, and history scholarship, earning the encyclopedia the Virginia
Council of the Social Studies’ Friend of Education award in October 2014.
“Barbara’s support opens up a world of future possibilities for the encyclopedia,” said Matthew
Gibson, EV’s editor. “We are honored to be the beneficiary of such generosity and leadership
and eager to put the funds to good use. As a result of this gift, many more people will make
connections and discoveries around the ideas, individuals, and events that continue to shape the
Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Brief History of EV
In 2001, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded VFH a grant to study the
feasibility of creating a comprehensive online resource on the history and culture of Virginia.
After years of consulting with similar ventures, fund-raising, and infrastructure- and partnershipbuilding, EV published its first entries late in 2008.
In 2012, the project partnered with the Library of Virginia to become the digital publisher of the
Library’s ongoing, multivolume Dictionary of Virginia Biography, one of the most authoritative
resources on Virginia history ever published. That same year, and in collaboration with the
Virginia Indian Heritage Programs at VFH, EV created the Virginia Indian Archive, a repository
of images, documents, and audiovisual resources related to the history and cultural experience of
Virginia Indians since the colonial period. With increased financial support and readership, EV
continually expands and serves as an essential resource for connection and discovery in the
Commonwealth.
Explore More



Encyclopedia Virginia
Support VFH
EV Uses Google Street View

Explore More:
o
o
Books & Literature
History
o
o
o
o
o

Culture & Identity
African American Heritage
Folklife
Virginia Indians
Civil War
VFH Location
145 Ednam Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22903

VFH Spotlight On...
Across The Commonwealth
Explore VFH's Statewide Activities
© Virginia Foundation for the Humanities | 145 Ednam Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22903-4629 |
Phone: 434.924.3296 |
Fax: 434.296.4714 | VFH Webmaster | Contact Us | Like Us | Board Intranet