There are quite possibly more nonprofits and charities in Norfolk than one can even know about. An activist can take his or her pick when it comes to worthy causes to represent. Below is a short list of Norfolk-based organizations (with their links and missions) that have in one way or another made an impact on the city’s local culture and its residents.
Virginia Arts Festival
The mission of the Virginia Arts Festival is to bring world-class performing arts to our citizens and visitors, impact the lives of students through outstanding educational programs, commission new works of national and international significance, and make a tangible difference in Hampton Roads through regional partnerships and positive economic impact through the generation of cultural tourism.
Tidewater Arts Outreach
The mission of Tidewater Arts Outreach is to uplift the human spirit by bringing live, quality music and arts experiences to people in Hampton Roads who are in homes, hospitals, shelters, facilities and dependent care programs or otherwise are isolated from society.
PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 2 million members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organization in the world.
PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other “pests,” and the abuse of backyard dogs.
PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) mission is to Save the Bay, and keep it saved, as defined by reaching a 70 on CBF’s Health Index.
Our vision is that the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers, broadly recognized as a national treasure, will be highly productive and in good health as measured by established water quality standards. The result will be clear water, free of impacts from toxic contaminants, and with healthy oxygen levels. Natural filters on both the land and in the water will provide resilience to the entire Chesapeake Bay system and serve as valuable habitat for both terrestrial and aquatic life. Learn more about CBF’s programs.
Hope House
We believe neighborhoods and communities are enhanced when all the people in them, including those with disabilities, participate fully. Our services are based on the conviction that people with disabilities should live in their own homes and have control over their day-to-day lives, just as people without disabilities do.
We believe that being a part of the community should not be limited by attainment of certain skills. Helping people achieve true citizenship requires all of us to make the concepts of freedom and choice a reality; we do this through our services, our participation in our community and within our hearts – each day, every day.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk
Our mission at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk (RMHC-Norfolk) is to provide a “home away from home” for families with children facing medical challenges and to also support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. We fulfill our mission by providing lodging for families of seriously ill children and by providing grants to nonprofit organizations for programs that enable children to live happier, healthier lives.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk, VA is a not for profit corporation and is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads
Though our services have expanded, we have never wavered from the basic mission: to strengthen nonprofits through training and volunteerism so that as a collective force, we can make our community a better place for everyone.
To accomplish our mission most effectively, we have organized our services into three key areas: Nonprofit Training, Corporate Programming, Volunteerism.
Hampton Roads Community Foundation
Mission: To inspire philanthropy and transform the quality of life in southeastern Virginia.
Vision: To be the premier provider of philanthropic services in southeastern Virginia offering: community impact through our grants and scholarships, regional leadership through our focus on community needs and initiatives, and personal philanthropy that helps donors achieve their charitable goals.
We connect you with charitable causes to improve life in our region.
As the largest community foundation in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, we manage permanent funds created by people from all walks of life. We invest their gifts to grow over time while awarding grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to students.