NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Foundation, the charitable giving affiliate of Norfolk Southern Corp., awarded grants worth more than $5.7 million to nonprofit charitable organizations in 2009.
The grants included $1.47 million in employee matching gifts in support of 535 organizations. Grants other than matching gifts went to 329 organizations in Norfolk Southern’s operating territory.
The Foundation contributed to 75 United Way campaigns plus other health and human services nonprofits ($1,600,300), educational institutions ($1,100,587), cultural and arts groups ($1,145,478), and civic, community, and environmental organizations ($402,750). Among the largest recipients were the United Ways in Norfolk and Roanoke, Va., and Atlanta; National Merit Scholarship Corporation, Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia Arts Festival, Penn State Altoona, ACCESS Scholarship Foundation, Taubman Museum of Art, The Nature Conservancy of Virginia, Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Virginia Opera, Woodruff Arts Center, Virginia Symphony, Elizabeth River Project, and Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges.
Of the $5.7 million granted in 2009, $2.05 million (excluding matching gifts) went to charitable organizations in Norfolk Southern’s three primary locations: Norfolk and Roanoke, Va., and Atlanta.
As part of its educational funding, the Foundation awarded a total of $258,500 in grants to 13 universities under the Norfolk Southern College Partnership Program. This program, established in 2006, builds relationships to enhance the railroad’s recruiting opportunities, particularly for business and engineering graduates.