"...totally committed to the goal of improving the quality of life Salisbury and its surrounding area."



          The quotation above has been a part of The Blanche & Julian Robertson Family Foundation's credo from its beginning in 1997, when discussions were held about the creation of the foundation and what its mission and direction would be. In funding and setting up the Foundation, Julian H. Robertson, Jr., son of Blanche and Julian Robertson, said he wanted to "do something for my hometown in memory of my parents," who lived in Salisbury virtually all of their adult lives. Therefore, the emphasis of the Foundation's charitable giving will be programs and projects which have their impact in Salisbury and its surrounding area.

           The Foundation has set forth a broad range of subjects that reflect its overall interests. While the following listing is not inclusive, it does suggest the general direction of the Foundation's grant making:

  • Programs which address social problems and nurture positive social relationships


  • Efforts aimed at enriching lives through exposure to the cultural arts


  • Programs that improve opportunities for youth at risk and families in crisis, such as:

    •           - Innovative, under-funded school programs
              - Preschool programs
              - Programs providing youth activities, especially those designed for after
                school, on weekends, and during the summer
              - Family and parental counseling
              - Teen pregnancy programs
              - Programs aimed at drug and crime reduction

  • Neighborhood revitalization programs, especially when such programs
    encourage development of transitional housing and enable first-time
    homeowners to purchase homes


  • Efforts to improve broad-based educational, recreational, and athletic
    opportunities


  • Efforts which address health matters and the environment


    •           The Foundation is also interested in programs that utilize leverage--where a grant attracts matching gifts or other funding--as well as the attributes of innovation, thoroughness, and commitment.