$500,000 ACT Grant Awarded to Fund New Virginia Beach City Public Schools Renewable Energy Technologies Program

BayPort Credit Union and HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division announced today the awarding of the $500,000 Accelerating Change Together (ACT) Grant to the Virginia Beach Education Foundation.

The inaugural year’s shared focus on Education and Workforce Development will support the Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) addition of a new two-year, half-day Advanced Technology Center (ATC) Renewable Energy Technologies program. The three-year step-down grant will provide an instant lift in equipment funding necessary for ATC to answer the regional call to build a workforce pipeline for young people to enter the emerging career fields of renewable energy technologies.

“As founding partners, the Contributions Committee is thrilled with the interest the ACT Grant has generated. This grant initiative marks the beginning of an entirely new career pathway for students,” said Nancy Porter, VP of Marketing at BayPort Credit Union and Executive Director of the BayPort Foundation.

“We are investing not just in a public school program but in the future of our region, and we look forward to seeing the impact our ACT Grant will yield.”

Seventy-two organizations started the inaugural ACT Grant application process, with 27 completed for submission. The Contributions Committee selected the Virginia Beach Education Foundation application based on its ability to address the specific needs outlined in the 2022 ACT Grant application, including a sound financial investment and an original, innovative, and sustainable project plan to impact a target population/community. The funded program will work specifically to:

• Connect Grades 9-12 to solar, offshore wind, and electric vehicles trade certificate programs
• Replace the Fiber Optic program that was recently retired at the ATC
• Partner with the energy employers focused on solar and wind technologies in our region
• Frame guidelines from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners®

“This is a great day for innovation and sustainability here in Virginia Beach City Public Schools. We are thrilled that our students are some of the first beneficiaries of the ACT Grant,” said Dr. Aaron Spence, Superintendent of VBCPS.

“With the help of these funds, we will launch a new ATC program that will positively impact our community for years to come. Thank you to BayPort and Newport News Shipbuilding for helping us to ensure our students are future-ready!”

For additional information on the ACT Grant, please visit actgrant.org.

B-roll of VBCPS program facility and check presentation is available upon request.

From left to right: Students at VBCPS; Kevin Hill, President of Virginia Beach Education Foundation; Jim Mears, President/CEO of BayPort Credit Union; Dr. Aaron Spence, Superintendent of VBCPS; Dr. Latitia McCane, Director of Education for The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding; Ray Bagley, Vice Chairman of BayPort Foundation; Gary Artybridge, Jr., Manager of Corporate Citizenship & Education Outreach, Newport News Shipbuilding; and Nancy Porter, Executive Director of BayPort Foundation.

Download press release (PDF)

Update: WAVY-TV HRS Interview with inaugural year’s winner, VBCPS

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About HII
HII is a global, all-domain defense partner, building and delivering the world’s most powerful, survivable naval ships and technologies that safeguard our seas, sky, land, space and cyber. As America’s largest shipbuilder and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national defense, we are united by our mission in service of the heroes who protect our freedom. HII’s diverse workforce includes skilled tradespeople; artificial intelligence, machine learning (AI/ML) experts; engineers; technologists; scientists; logistics experts; and business professionals. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 43,000 strong. For more information, visit HII.com.

About BayPort Foundation

BayPort Foundation is the charitable arm of BayPort Credit Union, headquartered in Newport News, Virginia and was established to extend the credit union’s philosophy of “people helping people.” The Foundation is an extension of the credit union’s charitable giving. BayPort Credit Union commits more than half a million dollars in annual corporate donations and pays all the Foundation’s overhead to ensure that 100% of the Foundation donations support its mission. For more information, visit bayportfoundation.com.