To address gaps in services for Hampton Roads communities, three leading corporations headquartered in Newport News—HII, Ferguson and BayPort Credit Union—have partnered to fund a $500,000, three-year transformation grant, called Accelerating Change Together (ACT).

The inaugural year’s focus will be on Education and Workforce Development.

The grant is an extension of the One Community Transformational Grant program, which HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division launched in 2018 and has since provided start-up funding for the Fort Monroe Foundation’s National Center for Freedom and the Newport News Public Schools STEM Ecosystem project.

The partnership among the three companies will expand the initial program’s scope and funding. Recognizing their commitment to the community, the ACT grant is an extension of the three companies existing charitable giving and social impact efforts.

“The ACT grant builds on the tremendous success of the One Community Transformation Grant tha...