Unrestricted funds enable the Foundation to respond to changing community needs and emergencies, to create innovative responses to community problems and to enhance the quality of life. Donors place no restrictions on how these funds are to be used, leaving those decisions to the discretion of the Foundation's board of directors. Each quarter the board reviews proposals from area nonprofits and awards grants from unrestricted and field of interest funds. Click here to download the Unrestricted Funds sample form.

Example: John Stanley Gregory Memorial Fund

During his lifetime John S. "Jack" Gregory made two lasting contributions that improved life in Hampton Roads. One was an engineering marvel - the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel completed in 1964 by the firm Gregory co-founded. The other is a trust fund Gregory established with The Norfolk Foundation that assists nonprofit organizations striving to build their own bridges to the community.

Although Jack Gregory and his wife, Phyllis, weren't native Virginians they developed an attachment to the history and culture of Southeastern Virginia. "They lived most of their lives in Norfolk and sought to express their fondness for the community in a tangible way," says nephew David E. Pogue of Englewood, Fla.

The John Stanley Gregory Memorial fund is a discretionary fund whose use is determined by the Foundation's board of directors. Although Jack Gregory provided for the trust in his will before he died in 1978 at age 84, it was not created until 1994 - a year after his wife's death. Since then the Gregory fund has provided grant funding to numerous nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving life in southeastern Virginia.