May Family Foundation Contributes $1M to Northern Virginia Science Center
The Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation announced today that the May Family Foundation will be the title partner of the Innovation Center, a learning and collaboration hub within the future Northern Virginia Science Center.
According to the announcement, the foundation’s $1 million gift will support the creation of flexible, high-impact learning environments designed to spark curiosity, inspire innovation and strengthen the region’s STEM ecosystem. The May Innovation Center will be a dynamic hub for hands-on learning and STEM exploration, offering flexible spaces for programs, community engagement, and collaboration across all ages. It will host school field trips, workforce initiatives, and hands-on demonstrations while showcasing local industry, emerging technologies, and the full spectrum of STEM career pathways.
“The May Family Foundation is honored to support the Northern Virginia Science Center and the May Innovation Center,” Elaine Attridge, of the May Family Foundation, said. “Innovation begins with curiosity, and creating engaging STEM learning environments allows people of all ages and backgrounds to learn about, experiment and imagine what they can become. We are proud to support a project that brings our community together to expand opportunities and inspire the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.”
The partnership builds on the May Family Foundation’s longstanding commitment to enriching the lives of under-resourced youth by supporting organizations that connect young people in our community with educational opportunities and on the values of Joe T. May, a Loudoun County engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, who has championed technology advancement and STEM access throughout his career.
“We are thankful for the extraordinary partnership with the May Family Foundation. Their investment is more than financial support. It’s a commitment to vastly increasing opportunities and access for students and families to high-quality, awe-inspiring STEM experiences,” said Nene Spivy, CEO of the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation. “We appreciate the May family’s deep commitment to developing and inspiring the next generation of innovators, which Joe May has been doing for many years in so many ways.”
The May Innovation Center will also be home to the Youth Development Initiative, offering mentorship, project-based learning, and leadership opportunities for high school and college-aged students, strengthening the region’s talent pipeline and preparing the next generation for success.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t know what engineering was, let alone that it could be a career,” May said. “If a place like the Northern Virginia Science Center had existed then, and I had access to it, I would have been thrilled. I believe giving young people the opportunity to discover and explore science can change the direction of life. It certainly did for me.”
The Northern Virginia Science Center is under construction in the Kincora development off Rt. 28 in Sterling with an anticipated opening of mid-2027. This world-class science center will join the Science Museum of Virginia and the Danville Science Center in a statewide network of science centers.
Learn more at novasci.org.
