Norfolk Southern Awards $1 million to 74 Hampton Roads Nonprofits

Seventy-four Hampton Roads non-profit organizations are set to collectively receive $1 million in grants. The diverse group is committed to positive change in homelessness, education, food insecurity, arts and culture, workforce development, public safety, mental health, as well as environmental preservation and restoration.

This is part of a 2021 commitment Norfolk Southern made to contribute $5 million to the Hampton Roads community over five years. In 2022, $1 million in grants were awarded to 57 Hampton Roads nonprofits.

“Hampton Roads has helped to shape Norfolk Southern, and we are proud to do business in, and invest in, the growth of this community,” said Annie Adams, Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer at Norfolk Southern. “This grant program and our partnership with the Hampton Roads Community Foundation is a testament to the strong ties to the region held by our current employees, retirees, and their families who call Hampton Roads home.”

In partnership with the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, a selection committee of Norfolk Southern railroaders who live and work in the Hampton Roads area reviewed 140 applications to pick the recipients.

“Norfolk Southern’s generosity has been instrumental in transforming our community for the better,” said Deborah M. DiCroce, President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. “We are privileged to collaborate with Norfolk Southern on our shared journey toward building a brighter and more inclusive future for all.”

The organizations receiving grants were recognized at a luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, at the Hilton Norfolk The Main hotel, where Adams provided remarks. Organizations that will receive grants include:

• Access College Foundation
• Access Virginia
• An Achievable Dream Virginia Beach
• Armed Services YMCA of Hampton Roads
• Begin Again Foundation
• Blakey Weaver Counseling Center Inc
• Boys & Girls Clubs Southeast Virginia
• Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia
• Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Inc.
• Chrysler Museum of Art
• Communities in Schools of Hampton Roads
• Cover 3 Foundation
• Eastern Virginia Medical School
• Elizabeth River Trail Foundation
• Empowerment Center for Children Youth and Families
• Envision Lead Grow, Inc.
• ForKids, Inc.
• G.I.R.L.S. Club
• Garden of Hope Inc.
• Habitat for Humanity South Hampton Roads
• Hampton Roads Workforce Foundation
• Healthy Chesapeake
• Horizons Hampton Roads, Inc.
• The Barry Robinson Center
• James E. Newby, Jr., M.D. Foundation
• Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, Inc.
• Junior Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads
• KD Entertainment
• LGBT Life Center
• Lynnhaven River NOW
• Mercy Medical Angels
• Mile High Kids and Community Development, Inc.
• Neighborhood
• New Vision Youth Services, Inc.
• Norfolk Botanical Garden, Inc.
• Norfolk Senior Center
• Nursing CAP, Inc.
• Postpartum Support Virginia, Inc.
• Quality of Life Inc.
• Reck League
• Retail Alliance Foundation
• Samaritan House, Inc.
• Seton Youth Shelters
• Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia
• Spotlight Documentaries
• Survivor Ventures
• The Community Builders, Inc.
• The Legacy of HOPE Foundation
• The Literacy Lab
• The Norfolk Street Choir Project
• The Union Mission
• THRLC
• Tidewater African Cultural Alliance
• Tidewater Emergency Medical Services Council, Inc.
• Tidewater Youth Services Foundation
• Together We Can Foundation
• Trails of Purpose
• VB Home Now
• Village Family
• Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Foundation
• Virginia Arts Festival
• Virginia Children's Chorus
• Virginia Opera Association, Inc.
• Virginia Stage Company
• Virginia Symphony Orchestra
• Virginia Zoological Society
• Walk In It Inc.
• Wesley Community Service Center, Inc.
• YESUSA Transformational Cities
• YMCA of South Hampton Roads
• Young Investors Group
• Youth & Family Empowerment Services
• Youth Outreach Urban Resources and Services Ministry (YOURS)
• YWCA South Hampton Roads

2022 grant recipient Samaritan House, Inc. leveraged its funding to support its 275 Emergency Housing Program participants (half of which were children) with health services, transportation, food, clothing, and other critical needs. Funding also allowed 2022 grant recipient Norfolk Senior Center to purchase enough food for its growing senior population, in turn increasing the center's attendance by 15% without having to turn anyone away. 2022 grant recipient Lynnhaven River NOW expanded its tree planting efforts in Virginia Beach, allowing the nonprofit to plant 650 trees in Green Run neighborhoods.

This grant program underscores Norfolk Southern's longstanding commitment to supporting the communities it serves across its 22-state network. Learn more about Norfolk Southern’s corporate giving initiatives here.