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Support HRA

A Supportive Community

Alumni, parents, grandparents and friends of HRA have generously supported our school for over 60 years.  We invite you to join this remarkable tradition by making your own gift this year. Your gift to the Annual Fund is your vote of confidence in HRA's mission, leadership, and future.
As an independent school, HRA relies on this tradition of giving to help fulfill its mission and provide support to students and their families. Tuition alone covers only 90 percent of the cost to provide the complete HRA experience. The rest comes from charitable giving. Unlike tuition, contributions to the Annual Fund may be 100 percent tax-deductible and allow each family and friend to give at the level at which they are able.

Philanthropic gifts specifically support the people and programs that make HRA the great school that it is: talented teachers, small classes, enriching arts and athletics programs, library and instructional resources, technology and much more.
Every gift, no matter what size, is meaningful to HRA and its students.

Donors can give in the following ways:

List of 11 items.

  • Online

    with a credit card by filling out our secure gift form.
  • Phone or Mail

    Checks can be made payable to Hampton Roads Academy and mailed to Hampton Roads Academy, The Office of Advancement, 739 Academy Lane, Newport News, VA 23602. For phone giving, please call (757) 884-9149.
  • Honor / Memorial Gifts

    Many donors choose to pay tribute to faculty members, classmates, friends or family by making an Annual Fund gift in their honor or memory. Click here to make a gift with our secure form.
  • Matching Gifts

    Many employers offer a matching gifts program for contributions to Hampton Roads Academy. Matching gifts from your employer can double or triple the size of your gift. Contact your Human Resources department to see if your contribution qualifies for a matching gift. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Advancement at (757) 884-9149.
  • Securities

    Gifts of appreciated securities provide significant tax savings for the donor with regard to capital-gains taxes. Call the Office of Advancement at (757) 884-9149 for information about the stock transfer process. We are able to accept publicly traded securities as a contribution to any of the funds at Hampton Roads Academy.
  • Peter W. Mertz Fund

    An endowed fund established by the HRA Class of ’86 to support scholarships for the children of faculty and staff at HRA.

    For more information and to make a gift, click here.

    Peter W. Mertz
    Head of School 2011-2023
    In his twelve years at Hampton Roads Academy, Peter Mertz presided over the most significant transformation of the school’s campus.  Under his guidance, the school added more than 30 classrooms, five science labs, a new entrance with student commons and administrative offices, a dining hall and the HRA Hydroponics Lab.  He established the International Residency Program and the Athletic Hall of Fame, oversaw the establishment of the REACH program, and anchored a debt reduction campaign, leaving the school in a secure financial position.
    More than this, Peter Mertz will be remembered fondly for making it his priority to know his students, every one of them by name, and for putting their well-being first and foremost, encouraging them to be the best they can be.
    The Peter W. Mertz Fund has been established to honor his abiding legacy.
  • Mary P. Blalock Fund

    With Mary Blalock’s passing in April 2019, Hampton Roads Academy lost a beloved and special friend. Mary worked at HRA for 15 years, most recently as Director of Advancement, and her dedication to the school and its students was extraordinary and an inspiration to us all.

    In memory of Mary, and with the blessing of her husband Ward and her daughters Nora and Marnie, HRA has established a permanently endowed fund. This fund is unique, both in the way it operates and in the way it recognizes Mary’s dual passions for HRA and for the community at large. The Mary P. Blalock Philanthropy Fund will use investment proceeds to bestow grants not just for the needs of HRA, but for other area nonprofits as well. A student advisory committee will make funding recommendations.

    For more information, please click here
  • Planned Giving

    More than you may realize, your will or trust tells the story of your life and values. Understandably, you will leave assets to loved ones. But what else defines your life and the values you are hopefully imparting to your next generation? These values are often demonstrated by the organizations and causes you supported during your lifetime, such as Hampton Roads Academy.

    As you put in place those documents that will tell your life story as well as distribute your possessions, please consider a gift to HRA so that we can continue to have a positive impact on the next generations of those we serve.

    The HRA Heritage Society was established to honor generous alumni, parents, grandparents and friends who have created trusts, bequests or other planned gifts to benefit HRA. All who provide for the future financial security of HRA with planned gifts are eligible to become members of the Heritage Society. Funds generated from these gifts, large and small, help shape HRA’s academic programs, support outstanding teachers and enable talented, motivated students to attend the school.

    Click here for more information. 

    Please discuss your options with your financial adviser. For additional information, please contact HRA's Office of Advancement (757) 884-9149.
  • Faculty and Staff Giving

    Faculty and staff support the Annual Fund through payroll deduction. Contact HRA's Office of Advancement at 884-9149 with the amount of your gift and whether it is a one-time payroll deduction or an ongoing payment per pay-period.
  • Alumni Giving

    Alumni giving provides unrestricted resources to help cover the cost of running Hampton Roads Academy. Alumni have lived the HRA experience. They know firsthand the difference an HRA education makes and have experienced just what it means to benefit from the HRA curriculum development, financial aid, improved technology, athletic equipment, classroom enhancements, student activities, faculty development, and all the extra support and mentoring that continues to be a part of the HRA tradition. For additional information, please contact HRA's Office of Advancement at (757) 884-9135.
  • Parent Giving

    Every Navigator benefits from the Annual Fund. Tuition alone does not cover the robust programming available for our students – tuition only covers approximately 90 percent of our operating budget, charitable gifts are a necessary part of HRA's healthy financial profile. And, unlike tuition, contributions to the Annual Fund can be 100 percent tax-deductible and allow each family to give at the level at which they are able. For additional information, please contact HRA's Office of Advancement at (757) 884-9135.
Hampton Roads Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information about making a gift to HRA, please contact HRA's Office of Advancement at (757) 884-9149.

Hampton Roads Academy

HRA is accredited through the Virginia Association of Independent Schools, a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and is a National Blue Ribbon School.