The Virginia Beach SPCA Receives $115K In Grant Funding from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation

We are very excited to announce that the Virginia Beach SPCA has received a substantial grant of $115,000 from the Alfred L. Nicholson Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. The majority of the grant funding will cover capital improvements with additional funding to aid in COVID-19 relief. The VBSPCA has been receiving grant funding from the HRCF since 2010, and their continued support has had a significant impact on our organization, ultimately improving our facility and our ability to provide compassionate care to both shelter and public animal populations. The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is southeastern Virginia’s largest grant and scholarship provider. Since its founding in 1950, the regional community foundation has provided more than $300 million in grants and scholarships to improve life in our local communities. 

The funds awarded to the Virginia Beach SPCA in 2021 will be used to make necessary improvements throughout the shelter and clinic, including a major upgrade to our server and clinic software as well as new lighting in our parking lot to improve safety on our property. Most importantly, the funds will help decrease the stress levels for our animals through the installation of sound absorbent acoustical tiles in our kennel and lobby and the addition of a divider wall in our kennel. Improvements will also be made to our doors to minimize the sound that travels from the kennel to the cattery, decreasing the stress levels in our feline residents. We are part way through the completion of these projects and look forward to full completion later this summer. 

Alfred L. Nicholson served on the boards of area animal shelters and owned the Canine Country Club in Virginia Beach. Nicholson, who was nicknamed Captain Nick, died in 1997 at age 93. His bequest created a field-of-interest fund at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation that will forever help animals in need. “The Alfred L. Nicholson Fund provides the VBSPCA the opportunity to care for animals until they find their forever homes,” said Linda Rice, Vice President for Grantmaking. “The community foundation applauds area shelters that show compassion for the welfare of the region’s vulnerable animals.”