Recent Grants

In September 2022, $440,264 in grants were awarded to six nonprofit organizations within the Economic Stability as well as the Health & Wellness program areas. Funds came primarily from donors’ unrestricted and field-of-interest funds. Organizations awarded grants were:

Economic Stability

Hampton Roads Workforce Foundation, $50,000 for one year, to support the Hampton Roads Veterans Employment Center

Survivor Ventures, $100,000 for one year, to support the Survivors to Entrepreneurs initiative, a 24-month employment program for survivors of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation

The Salvation Army Hampton Roads Area Command, $108,956 over three years, to support Pathway of Hope in providing targeted services to families with children to take action to break the generational cycle of poverty

Virginia Legal Aid Society, $146,308, over two years, to expand the eviction prevention and outreach program

Health and Wellness

Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment & Endowment, $10,000 for one year, to refurbish and distribute durable medical equipment to individuals in need with physical limitations due to illness or injuries

Postpartum Support Virginia, $25,000, over two years, to expand their care coordination program and provide training in South Hampton Roads

In June 2022, the following nonprofit organizations received Educational Success and Cultural Vitality competitive community grants:

Educational Success

An Achievable Dream Virginia Beach, $600,000 over three years to expand their program to 10^th through 12^th grades in Virginia Beach

ACCESS College Foundation, $194,467 over three years to expand advising services at First Colonial and Salem high schools

Communities In Schools of Hampton Roads, $199,320 over three years to support a full-time site coordinator at Manor High in Portsmouth

G.I.R.L.S. Club, $85,500 over three years to expand their program to a Norfolk elementary school

Together We Can Foundation, $91,934 over three years to bring the Life-Work Portfolio program to middle school students

Virginia Beach GrowSmart Foundation, $75,000.00 over three years to support the Lena Grow coaching programs at early care centers in Virginia Beach

Walk In It Inc., $100,000 over three years to expand the Ladies of Distinction program to Portsmouth middle schools and a Chesapeake high school

Cultural Vitality

Arts for Learning, the Virginia Affiliate of Young Audiences, $97,500 over three years to support I.D.E.A.L. (Intentional Designs of Expression in Artistic Languages)

New in 2022: Advancing Equity Grants

In June 2022, the community foundation awarded Advancing Equity grants to nonprofits that primarily serve Communities of Color and provide programs and services to neighborhoods in South Hampton Roads, Franklin, and Isle of Wight County. Preference was given to organizations that demonstrated a commitment to racial equity as a core component of their services and programming. Learn more about the community foundation’s commitment to racial equity.

Clever Communities In Action, $12,000

Hearts Full of Grace Inc., $10,000

Virginia Housing and Community Development, $2,000

Tidewater African Cultural Alliance, $5,000

I. Sherman Greene Chorale, Inc., $2,000

Park Place Child Life Center, Inc, $2,500

Mosaic Steel Orchestra, $10,000

Don Carey REECH Foundation, $2,000

Complete The Puzzle, $5,000

NewMan Fitness Foundation, $2,000

T2 Fitness Foundation, $5,000

Community Resource Opportunity Project (CROP) Foundation, $1,000

Real People Educating Others, $1,500

House of Esther Organization Inc., $3,500

Quality of Life Inc., $3,000

StopTheViolence757, $1,000

Namel Prince Foundation, $5,000

C.L.E.A.N. (Citizen Learning and Educating About Neighborhoods), $1,000

Community of Change Incorporated, $2,000

In March 2022, the following nonprofit organizations received Vibrant Places and Environmental Stewardship competitive community grants:

Chrysler Museum of Art, $500,000 over five years to support the expansion of the Perry Glass Studio to become the Center for Advanced Education in Glass Arts and Sciences.

Judeo Christian Outreach Center, Inc., $500,000 over five years to support the rebuild of their campus on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Virginia Beach

Hospice House of Hampton Roads, $150,000 to construct and operate a new hospice facility in Virginia Beach

Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads, $50,000 to renovate their headquarters

Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, $225,000 to protect and repair its 100-year-old building

The Hermitage Museum and Gardens, $100,000 to support the renovation and outfitting of the Visual Arts School

Wesley Community Service Center, Inc., $255,000 to renovate and improve its building, including the addition of two Head Start classrooms

Western Tidewater Free Clinic, $100,000 to expand its current building to serve more patients in need of dental care

Partnership Development Foundation, $25,000.00 to renovate and outfit the new location of Bloom, a nonprofit coworking space in Portsmouth

Elizabeth River Project, $50,000 for youth education programs on environmental resilience across the region

In December 2021, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation approved more than $1.5 million in grants to these organizations:

• Help and Emergency Response Inc., $34,700 to support its children’s program

• YWCA South Hampton Roads, $122,500 for counseling and case management for youth ages five-18

• Tidewater Friends of Foster Care, Inc., $60,000 for educational programming for youth in foster care

• Virginia Wesleyan University, $47,500 to buy a piano

• Chesapeake Humane Society, $100,000 for facility and program updates

• Norfolk SPCA, $100,000 for facility improvements

• Virginia Beach SPCA, $100,000 for major facility repairs

• Minus 9 to 5, $197,800 for operating support

• Reinvent Hampton Roads, $200,000 for operating support

• Business Consortium for Arts Support, $493,000 for operating support to assist arts organizations

• The Hermitage Museum and Gardens, $10,000 for a garden lecture and workshop series

• Norfolk Botanical Garden, $7,500 to create a “Bird Buds” educational program theme in the World of Wonders Children’s Garden

• Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater, $3,000 for its sports leagues for youth with autism

• Tidewater Arts Outreach, $3,200 to produce 20 arts programs for the Ability Center of Virginia

• Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, $10,000 for a Youth Global Leadership Certification program in partnership with the YMCA of the Virginia Peninsula

• EVMS, $15,000 to support research on the impact of mental health first aid training

• Samaritan House, $20,300 for transportation to support services for children

In September 2021, $673,260 in grants were awarded to 9 nonprofit organizations within the Health & Wellness program area. Funds came primarily from donors’ unrestricted and field-of-interest funds. Organizations awarded grants were:

• Urban Renewal Center, $150,000 over three years to support a shelter director for homeless programming.
• Norfolk Senior Center, $100,000 over two years to support the Lifestyle Change Program for Diabetes.
• T2 Fitness Foundation, $30,000 over two years to launch the T2 Fresh Start Initiative.
• Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition, $50,000 over two years to expand services to people who use drugs in Hampton Roads.
• Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, $45,000 to support an additional nurse practitioner.
• Virginia Symphony Orchestra, $250,000 over two years to support the African American Fellowship program.
• Trails of Purpose, $22,500 over three years to expand their mental health clinician staff.
• Virginia Dental Association Foundation, $7,500 to support dental care for seniors and persons with disabilities.
• YMCA of South Hampton Roads, $18,260 to support the Healthy Weight and Your Child program.

The June 2021 grant cycle primarily focused on cultural vitality and educational success. Nonprofit organizations that received grants include:

Families of Autistic Children of Tidewater, $32,100 over three years to expand its reach with the after-school program, Arts Adventure.

KD Entertainment, $30,000 over three years to support its music program.

Community Outreach Coalition, $45,000 over three years to support its Arts & Music Afterschool Enrichment after-school program.

Joy Ministries, $30,000 to support its summer literacy camp.

Wesley Community Service Center, Inc., $30,000 over three years to expand its after-school tutoring program.

Virginia Arts Festival, $500,000 to support its 25^th Season Anniversary capital campaign.

In March 2021, grants were awarded to six nonprofit organizations for Vibrant Places community grants. Organizations awarded grants included:

Armed Services YMCA of Hampton Roads, $50,000 as a challenge grant to support major improvements to their building in Virginia Beach.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia, $100,000 to support their capital campaign for the newly purchased Portsmouth Club site. Funds will be used for the pool area.

Chesapeake Bay Academy (CBA), $40,000 to support their capital campaign. Funds will be used for building renovations required to house the Center for Educational Research and Technological Innovation (CERTI).

Dockside Art Review of Tidewater (d’Art Center), $50,000 to fund the technology and equipment necessary for the major renovations of their new space in Norfolk’s NEON district.

Louise W. Eggleston Center, Inc., $125,760 to renovate a newly purchased building that will house the Beacon House brain injury and Warrior Bridge programs and headquarters’ offices.

Seton Youth Shelters, $255,000 over two years to support the Building Promise Capital Campaign to combine Seton’s programs and services on one campus, including a boys’ shelter, girls’shelter, and an administrative and community education center.

December 2020 grants

In December 2020, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation approved more than $1.9 million in grants focused on special interest grants.

Competitive grant awards were made from specific funds to these organizations:

From the Sue Cook Winfrey Memorial Fund for organizations helping children and/or relationship partners who have been abused:

• The Genieve Shelter, $50,000 to fund a full-time Children’s Advocate for the children's program.
• Samaritan House, $15,000 to create child-friendly safe spaces for families staying in emergency shelter.
• Tidewater Friends of Foster Care, Inc., $60,000 to expand its tutoring program for foster youth.
• United Methodist Family Services of Virginia, $25,000.00 to support children in the Treatment Foster Care program through the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Virginia Beach CASA, $18,720 to fund a part-time coach/mentor for the Bridges to Success program.

From the Landmark Fund for Slover Technology for technology at the Slover Library in Norfolk:

• Slover Library Foundation, $149,600 to modernize and expand the Slover Library's existing lighting and digital AV system.

From the E.K. Sloane Fund for pianos, a combined total of $121,132 to these organizations:

• Tidewater Winds
• Chesapeake Public Schools
• Christopher Newport University
• Norfolk Public Schools
• Virginia Beach City Public Schools

From the Alfred L. Nicholson Fund for the humane treatment and care of animals:

• Norfolk SPCA, $115,000 to support capital upgrades to the main facility and equipment for their new off-site clinic.
• Virginia Beach SPCA, $115,000 to provide for capital improvements, IT equipment and software upgrades.

From the Jennifer Lynn Gray to support training for people with mental disabilities:

• The Academy of Music, $1,400 to support Band-Together, a new outreach program to provide instrumental instruction
• Hope House Foundation, $1,992 to provide online learning modules that focus on the needs and concerns of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

From the Jennifer Lynn Gray Fund to support training for people with mental disabilities and from the Laura Turner Fund to assist adults with cerebral palsy:

• Ability Center of Virginia, $3,000 to support the Ability Day Program, which provides activities and outings that emphasize and encourage community inclusion, personal independence, skill development, and positive team-building.

From the Julian Haden Gary and Margaret Savage Gary Fund for horticultural educational purposes:

• Hermitage Museum and Gardens, $8,000 to expand the educational programs through 2hands-on, practical approaches to garden and environmental conservation
• Norfolk Botanical Gardens, $15,000 to support the programming in the children's garden in conjunction with the 2021 summer exhibit, Washed Ashore
• Virginia Zoological Society $6,500 to replace eight raised garden boxes and signage on the Animal Wellness Campus

From the Charles G. Brown Fund for advanced research in mental illness:

• Eastern Virginia Medical School, $15,000.00 for research to study specific stresses in relation to perinatal and postpartum care during the Covid-19 pandemic

From the Charles G. Brown Fund for advanced research in mental illness and from the

Benjamin R. Brown Fund for research in mental illness and for those living with it:

• Old Dominion University Educational Foundation, $13,000 for research to study the effects of peer-supported exercise on symptoms of anxiety and depression among young adults.

From the Mary E. and Curtis M. Chappell Jr. Fund for arts and humanities on the Virginia Peninsula and from the H. Lee Kanter Fund for the performing arts:

• Virginia Symphony Orchestra, $1,200 to provide sessions to music students in Hampton City Schools to learn technique, posture, fingerings, sound production, music theory and general musicality

From the Mary E. and Curtis M. Chappell Jr. Fund for arts and humanities on the Virginia Peninsula

• Mosaic Steel Orchestra, $1,200 to support a steel drum virtual program for Black boys in Newport News.

From the Harry F. Wall Memorial Scholarship Fund for public high schools on the Virginia Peninsula

• Communities in Schools of Hampton Roads, $12,380 to provide counseling, mentoring, and attendance monitoring, academic assistance, and connections to resources for students at Hampton High School

Miscellaneous grant awards were made to these organizations:

• Urban League of Hampton Roads, $300,000 over three years for Project Ready-Career Beginnings program designed to improve school retention and graduation for youth ages 11-18 and to prepare older youth ages 16-24 for the workplace
• EVMS Minus 9 to 5, $197,744.00 for the EVMS Minus 9 to 5 regional organization
• Reinvent Hampton Roads, $200,000 for support of Reinvent Hampton Roads
• Business Consortium for Arts Support, $478,000.00 to support the Business Consortium for Arts Support in 2021

In September 2020, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation awarded $505,992 in competitive grants to five area nonprofits. Funds came from community foundation donors’ unrestricted and field-of-interest funds.

Awarded grants were:

ForKids, Inc. $46,750 over three years for the Economic Mobility Interventions for Families program

New Vision Youth Services, $45,000 over three years to expand their Transitional Housing Step I program for young people ages 18-21 who are not working or in school

Neighborhood, $103, 000 over three years to expand the career training and coaching program

VB Home Now, $150,000 over three years to help families experiencing homelessness or at risk of being homeless obtain and retain permanent housing

The Up Center, $161,242 over three years to support a Pediatric Clinician who will provide specialized counseling services for military children and adolescents.

In June 2020, more than $600,000 in grants were awarded to nonprofits. This grant cycle primarily focused on cultural vitality and educational success. Recipients included:

Armed Services YMCA of Hampton Roads, $30,000 over two years for the 5 Star Kids preschool program.

d’Art Center, $17,000 to support an expansion of its financial literacy and art program at Richard Bowling Elementary School in Norfolk.

RVA 757 Connects, $300,000 over three years to support regional competitiveness of Hampton Roads and the greater Richmond area through strategic collaboration.

Teens with a Purpose, $90,000 over three years to expand its arts and culture programming for youth.

The Literacy Lab, $30,000 to support the expansion of its literacy program in Norfolk and Portsmouth.

Tidewater Community College Educational Foundation, $158,014 to support the Academy for Nonprofit Excellence for the 2020-21 academic year.

Virginia Air and Space Center, $40,000 over two years, to expand its STEM 360 Project to 4^th and 5^th grade students in Norfolk and Portsmouth.

Virginia Stage Company, $5,000 to support an artist in residence for the 2020-21 year at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk.

In March 2020, grants were awarded to nonprofit organizations from donors’ unrestricted and field-of-interest funds. Organizations awarded grants included:

Elizabeth River Project, $350,000 over three years to help build the Louis & Pru Ryan Resilience Lab in Norfolk along the Lafayette River. The lab will be the regional nonprofit’s headquarters and will have a sea-level rise resilience park along the river. Funding is in part from the Community Fund for the Environment, Inge Family Fund for the Environment, Willliam Thomas Reilly Fund and the Barbara Upton Wilson Fund.

The Hurrah Players, $101,000 over two years to add a second floor to regional family theater’s Hugh R. Copeland Center in Norfolk’s NEON District. The expansion to the training center will include a television and film academy and costume storage.

Nansemond River Preservation Alliance, $50,000 over two years to expand to all third graders in Suffolk Public Schools the Watershed Explorers program. This environmental education program, which has been in Suffolk middle and high schools teaches students about waterways, watersheds and sea-level rise.

Southside Boys & Girls Club, $150,000 to help replace windows and renovate the nearly 40-year-old building’s classrooms, computer room, gym, kitchen and other areas. The club provides programs for 1,500 annually youth from Title I schools in the Berkeley and Campostella neighborhoods in Norfolk and the South Norfolk neighborhood in Chesapeake.

Virginia Stage Company, $157,425 to upgrade the outdated sound system at the Wells Theatre as well as its antiquated system that uses pulleys and sandbags to change sets. Funds come from the William A. Goldback Fund for the Performing Arts and the H. Lee Kanter Fund for the Performing Arts.

VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads, $75,000 for the VolunTier Vision software program that matches are volunteers with nonprofit opportunities.

Virginia Wesleyan University, $73,700 to upgrade the Fine Arts Building’s heating and cooling system and build a new kiln area in the building that houses ceramics, painting photography, and sculpture studios and also provides rehearsal space for instrumental and choral programs.

December 2019 grants

In December 2019, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation approved more than $2.4 million in grants during its last round of Community Grant funding for 2019 primarily focused on special interest grants.

Awards were:

Business Consortium for Arts Support, $478,000 from seven donor funds focused on the arts, to help support 39 area cultural and performing arts groups in 2020.

Chesapeake Humane Society, $200,000 from the Alfred L. Nicholson Fund for expansions that include dog kennel space, larger veterinary clinic, a conference room and more administrative space.

Communities in Schools of Hampton Roads, $15,000 from the Harry F. Wall Fund for Peninsula high schools to expand its Hampton High School program that assists students at-risk of dropping out of high school graduate to help them succeed in life.

Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation, $500,000 over five years to support the medical school’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Funding is in part from the William A. Goldback Fund for medical education.

Help and Emergency Response Inc. (HER Shelter), $23,745 from the Sue Cook Winfrey Memorial Fund for abused and neglected children to add a part-time program assistant, curriculum materials and mentoring activities for its children’s program.

Norfolk Botanical Garden, $15,000 from the Julian Haden Gary and Margaret Savage Gary Fund for horticultural education for education program in the Children’s Garden in 2020.

Norfolk SPCA, $100,000 from the Alfred L. Nicholson Fund to upgrade veterinary clinic technology and improve the shelter facilities.

Old Dominion University Educational Foundation, $500,000 over five years to help develop Recover Hampton Roads, which will assist people from areas vulnerable to flooding and who are medically fragile quickly recover from natural disasters.

Piano grants: $178,200 from the E.K. Sloane Fund for pianos at Ballet Virginia International, Chesapeake Public Schools (for Hugo A. Owens Middle School), Christopher Newport University, the Hermitage Museum and Gardens, Newport News Public Schools (for Warwick High School), Suffolk Presbyterian Church, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (for Plaza Middle School) and Virginia Opera Association.

Slover Library Foundation, $159,101 from the Landmark Fund for Slover Technology to upgrade interactive and multimedia displays throughout the library to help library patrons better access materials and information.

Tidewater Friends of Foster Care Inc., $80,000 from the Sue Cook Winfrey Memorial Fund to expand its tutoring program for youth living in foster care in Hampton Roads to help them stay on grade level.

Virginia Beach SPCA, $100,000 from the Alfred L. Nicholson Fund to complete its expanded yard where shelter dogs exercise.

In September 2019, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation awarded $497,500 in grants to seven area nonprofits. Funds came from community foundation donors’ unrestricted and field-of-interest funds.

Awarded grants were:

American Heart Association, $100,000 over three years to expand its mobile cooking program that provides healthy cooking classes for people who rely heavily on the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. The program aims to improve the health of participants, and it is conducted in partnership with Eastern Virginia Medical School and Healthy Portsmouth.

The Chas Foundation, $54,000 over two years for its Mental Illness Navigator and Support program. It provides peer crisis support, assistance with navigating the court system, transportation assistance, and development of action plans. The Chas Foundation also trains police crisis intervention teams, behavioral mental health providers, pediatricians and social workers. This grant will help The Chas Foundation double the number of families it serves by adding two part-time staff positions and increasing care coordination and follow-up.

Commonwealth Catholic Charities, $193,500 over three years, to support rapid re-housing services for people facing homelessness in Western Tidewater and Chesapeake. Funds will help individuals find permanent, stable housing and will provide case management services to keep participants on track.

Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, $100,000 over three years for the Healthy Foods Pantry Program to increase the number of people who have access to healthy foods. Funds will help convert eight food pantries into markets where Foodbank shoppers can choose healthy foods they want instead of receiving a prepared box of food. Shoppers will be guided by volunteers to fresh foods as well as receive nutrition education lessons developed by a dietitian.

The FREE Foundation (Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment and Endowment), $14,000 over two years to support a program that provides free, durable medical equipment and assistive devices for people who cannot afford them. The grant covers a new community outreach position, rehabilitation equipment, and sanitation equipment and supplies to assist people with physical mobility challenges.

PIN Ministry (People In Need), $8,000 to expand the medication program for people experiencing homelessness. The medications will provide emergency care for acute issues, decreasing the use of the hospital emergency departments for primary care.

St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children, $10,000 to support a program to better serve children with complex behavioral issues, including those who self-harm and show aggression towards others.

Grants were awarded to 10 nonprofit organizations primarily from donors’ unrestricted and field-of-interest funds. Organizations awarded grants were:

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation, $250,000 matching grant to design and build a mobile oyster restoration center for Hampton Roads.
• The Children's Center, $100,000 to help construct an addition to its Suffolk center to expand its Early Head Start program from two days to five days.
• Children's Health Investment Program (CHIP), $100,000 to renovate its Chesapeake headquarters to accommodate additional nonprofits and community meeting space.
• The Honor Foundation, $30,000 to pilot an online virtual campus program for transitioning Hampton Roads military service members.
• The Mariners' Museum, $25,000 to upgrade storage conditions to archival standards at the Newport News museum.
• Paul D. Camp Community College Foundation, $150,000 to renovate space for a regional training program to prepare warehouse, distribution, and logistics workers.
• Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia, $25,000 to develop a plan for implementing the "No Wrong Door" Connectivity Project to improve area services for seniors, people with disabilities, veterans and caregivers.
• StartWheel Corporation, $25,000 to create a supportive environment for Hampton Roads entrepreneurs.
• Virginia Zoological Park, $47,492 to expand the Conservation Youth Team program to help high school students learn about environmental and conservation issues.
• WHRO, $16,300 to expand to 20 area high schools the “Catch the King” project to help students to better understand impact of sea-level rise.