Giving Back: World War I Veteran Remains Relevant

A World War I veteran, Clarence Robertson was president of Norfolk, Virginia’s Robertson

Clarence Robertson

Investment Crop. and Robertson Chemical Co. He was an elder at Presbyterian Church of Norfolk, a Rotary Club of Norfolk member and served on the board of Hampton-Sydney College, his alma mater.

Many people may not remember Clarence, whose companies no longer exist. But we remember him well at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. We consider this local business and civic leader who died in 1965 at the age of 73 a visionary philanthropist.

In 1968, Robertson's generous $42,000 bequest to the Hampton Roads Community established a permanent unrestricted fund in his name. In the 47 years the Clarence B. Robertson Fund has existed, it has more than quadrupled to about $180,000. It has also unpinned a variety of nonprofits in the region -- many of which did not exist when Robertson was alive! By choosing an unrestricted fund, Robertson paved the way for our current board of director to respond to current needs.  

So far more than $215,000 from the Robertson Fund has been awarded in grants to area nonprofits including the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Crispus Attucks Cultural Center.

Robertson's generosity inspired his cousin, Lelia E. Robertson of Norfolk to start two unrestricted funds herself. This former YWCA board president donated $106,928 in 1973 in memory of her father Walter H. Robertson and then arranged for her own $104,503 bequest following her death in 1979.

Today, all three Robertson endowments continue to grow while helping Hampton Roads citizens thrive in ways the donors could not have imagined decades ago.

You, too, can leave a legacy! Click here to learn how to start a fund at the community foundation or donate to one already doing great work.

Robertson's Fund helps the Foodbank provide food for hungry citizens.

Find Funding: Scholarships Available for Undergraduate, Graduate & Medical Students

Hampton Roads Community Foundation donors love helping students achieve their full

potential. Through their generous support, we are able to offer over 70 different college scholarships for undergraduate, graduate, and medical school students.And, are our donors ever generous! For the 2015-16 academic year alone, our donors made possible over $1.2 million in scholarships  for 391 students.

Our scholarships are awarded through a competitive process based on established criteria. Most applicants must demonstrate financial need and plan to maintain full-time enrollment while on scholarship. While most scholarships are for students from the South Hampton Roads region of Virginia, we do have a few that draw applicants from throughout Virginia. With 70+ scholarships available, we encourage you to spend time reviewing them all to see which ones apply best to your situation (your major, college of choice, high school attended, etc.)  

·         Undergraduate Scholarships

·         Graduate and Medical School Scholarships

Applications are posted online on each December 1 and must be submitted by their deadline which ranges from March 1 (in most cases) to as late as May 1 for a few specific scholarships. Each student who submits an application  online through our scholarship portal,will be considered for all scholarships for which they meet the criteria. The following materials will be required at the time of application:

·         FAFSA Student Aid Report

·         Financial Information

·         School Transcripts

·         SAT Scores

·         References

·         Your Personal Statement

Still have questions? Contact our friendly scholarship staff at (757) 622-7951 or scholarships@hamptonroadscf.org. Please  follow our Hampton Roads Community Foundation Scholarships page on Facebook for up-to-date information and resources that can help you. 

 (The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is a regional community foundation started in 1950 as the first community foundation in Virginia. It is among nearly 750 community foundation around the country serving specific geographic regions. It is the largest grant and scholarship provider in southeastern Virginia and manages more than 400 charitable funds created by donors from all walks of life. Over the decades it has provided more than $230 million to improve life for residents living in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, including the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Smithfield, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. It also serves people in Isle of Wight and Southampton counties and the Eastern Shore of Virginia, including Accomack and Northampton counties. Learn more at hamptonroadscf.org. You can click here to locate a community foundation near you.)