Richard Lykes Rappahannock Community Fund
The following represents the Eligibility Principles that the Richard Lykes Rappahannock Community Fund creators believe best represent their goals for the grant. These grant guidelines are specific to this grant. Northern Piedmont Community Foundation also has a set of grant guidelines for all the grant cycles we run throughout the year.
Applicants must be a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit serving or primarily benefiting residents of Rappahannock County.
Richard Lykes Biography
Richard Lykes was a freelance photojournalist whose work most often appeared in the Rappahannock News (Washington, Virginia). He was active in a number of county civic organizations including the Ki Theatre, the Rappahannock Association for the Arts and the Community (RAAC), the Rappahannock Historical Society, and the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection (RLEP). Lykes lived at Vista Hermosa Farm on Fogg Mountain near Flint Hill which he and his partner, Buddy Darden, purchased in 1992. He was an avid photographer since the mid-1950s but turned professional upon coming to Rappahannock County.
Before retiring in 2000 as an economist and research director for the Manufacturers Alliance, Lykes wrote extensively on international trade and authored several studies, including A Handbook on Financing U.S. Exports and Are You Ready for Disaster? A Corporate Guide for Preparedness and Response. He lived permanently in Rappahannock County since 2000. Born in Laredo, Texas, Lykes attended college at George Washington University (B.A. and M.A. in International Affairs/Economics). Growing up bilingual in Spanish and English, Lykes also studied abroad at Mexico City College (Mexico) and did graduate work in international law at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina) as a Rotary Foundation Fellow. Lykes has an identical twin brother, Roy, of Silver Spring, Maryland and brother, Dr. Frederick Lykes of Victoria, Texas. Richard Lykes died February 25, 2009.
In his obituary, Jim Gannon said of Richard Lykes, “He was a soft-spoken man of refined taste, delicate constitution and sensitive talent, both a gentleman and a gentle man. Though he was a native of Texas, he was the polar opposite of the stereotypical Texan–nothing about him suggested toughness, loudness or swagger.”
Richard Lykes was a giving man — of his time, talent and, ultimately, from his estate after his death. By all accounts he loved Rappahannock County and was beloved by many who came to know him. The Richard Lykes Rappahannock Community Fund invites proposals for projects that strengthen the fabric of Rappahannock County by addressing community challenges or creating new opportunities.