The capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond holds a truly unique place in the history of the United States, including as the site of Patrick Henry’s famed “Give me liberty or give me death” speech in 1775. That history has led to Richmond’s present economy, which is driven by law, finance and government. But the city also features an array of positions in the field of higher education with Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Richmond and historically black university, Virginia Union, within city limits. Greater Richmond is home to six Fortune 500 companies, led by electric utility Dominion Resources. Recently the City established the Office of Community Wealth Building, which is headed by Dr. Thad Williamson of the University of Richmond. He was a panelist at PromiseNet 2014.

In the summer of 2015, Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones proposed a budget item of $425,000 for the “creation of a Promise Scholarship-type program for Richmond, with the aim of ensuring that all RPS graduates have both the financial means and nonfinancial support to go on to college or a technical education program.”