The BayPort Foundation, Ferguson, and Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of HII, last week announced a community partnership to fund a three-year, $500,000 transformational grant called Accelerating Change Together (ACT).

The grant runs from 2024 to 2026 and aims to invest in the Hampton Roads nonprofit community to build upon education and develop a skilled workforce.

The ACT Grant was initially launched in 2022. The inaugural year’s grant provided an instant lift in equipment funding, enabling the Virginia Beach Education Foundation and Virginia Beach City Public Schools to add a new two-year, half-day Advanced Technology Center Renewable Energy Technologies program.

“The initial results of our founding investment were more successful than we could have hoped. The sustainable VBCPS program switch from fiber optics to renewable energy prepares future-ready students to enter the workforce,” said Nancy Porter, VP of Marketing at BayPort Credit Union and Executive Director o...