The Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation has announced a $50 million bequest from its late founder Julian Robertson, Jr. in support of community improvement efforts in Salisbury, North Carolina, the Salisbury Post reports.

According to foundation board chair Susan Kluttz, the funds will be earmarked for initiatives that support the foundation’s mission of honoring the things that Blanche and Julian Robertson Sr. valued most. The bequest also included a donation of Robertson’s art collection of works from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries to the Waterworks Visual Art Center in downtown Salisbury.

Robertson established the foundation in 1997 with a gift of $16 million to honor his parents, who were residents of Salisbury, where he was raised. Robertson, who died in 2022, was among the first signatories of the Giving Pledge in 2010.

“This is a truly remarkable and humbling gift to the citizens of Salisbury and Rowan County,” said Kluttz. “Julian never forgot where he came from, and he was a cheerleader for us from afar his entire life. With this gift to the foundation, Julian wanted to help us continue to make this special community the best it can possibly be.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/J. Michael Jones)