Bob and Anna Lou Schaberg have always shared an interest in the community. They met in 1983 at the Richmond First Club, a civic group that supports better metropolitan government. Bob was president of AMURCON of Virginia, a developer of low and moderate income housing, and Anna Lou was Coordinator of Programs for Gifted with Richmond Public Schools. They married in 1986.
In the early ’90s, Bob founded the Virginia Nonprofit Housing Coalition, a 501(c) 3 corporation with a charitable purpose. When Anna Lou retired in 2000, she became Executive Director. She organized the grant and gift programs while Bob managed the corporation assets and oversaw finances. In 2019 the nonprofit became the Bob and Anna Lou Schaberg Foundation. While the initial work of the foundation was quite modest, it has grown to encompass a broad range of funding.
The mission of the Schaberg Foundation is to enable vulnerable populations to thrive. Funding priorities include affordable housing, stabilization and workforce development, and services that enable children to become successful learners. The Foundation works with a systematic view. Recipients can include organizations providing direct services, collaborations between nonprofits, and nonprofits providing education and policy advocacy.
Over time the Foundation has become a thought partner in the nonprofit community and has encouraged collaborations around critical issues. It has established initiatives in affordable housing, workforce development, refugee services, and elderly services. It provided relief funding during the Covid pandemic. In 2021, it awarded gifts, grants, and capacity building support to over seventy-five area nonprofits.