Norfolk Southern announces $5 million contribution to the Hampton Roads community

Norfolk Southern transportation company announced that it is contributing $5 million to the Hampton Roads community on behalf of the many Norfolk Southern employees and retirees who call Hampton Roads home, and the many more who have lived and raised their families in the area over the years.

The funding will be administered through the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. The announcement was made at the Southside Boys and Girls Club in Norfolk, which also received a $10,000 gift from the company.

"Norfolk has been home to Norfolk Southern for decades," said James A. Squires, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Norfolk Southern. "The Hampton Roads community has helped to shape Norfolk Southern and will remain part of who we are. Even as we relocate our headquarters, we will continue to actively support the prosperity of the Hampton Roads community to express our ongoing gratitude and commitment."

Deborah DiCroce, president and CEO of the community foundation, praised the company as a model corporate citizen of the region.

“Five million dollars is an impressive gift, and the Hampton Roads Community Foundation is both honored and delighted to accept this gift from Norfolk Southern,” she said. “We’ll be a good steward of this generosity.”

Beginning January 2022, Norfolk Southern will distribute $1 million in grants to nonprofits across Hampton Roads each year for a five-year period. A committee of Norfolk Southern employees and retirees will work together to review and select the proposed grants. The committee will target organizations and initiatives that support education, the environment, social equity, and community advancement.

Nonprofit organizations interested in receiving information about this future grant opportunity should sign up for the Grant Seekers Gazette e-newsletter which will include details about the process in coming months. Sign up here: bit.ly/HRCFNewsletters