Expand access to quality oral care in North Carolina by supporting dentists, communities & stakeholders.
The largest recent grants all went to UNC Adams School of Dentistry, including $3,191,309 in 2025 after $3,470,039 in 2024, both earmarked to support the students, faculty, staff, programs, and facilities of the UNC School of Dentistry. That pattern is paired with a second strand of direct patient access work through Local Start Dental Inc. in Durham, which received $160,000 to support clinic programs involving UNC School faculty, staff, and students while helping Local Start clients cover customary and reasonable expenses for dental services. Together, these grants show a funder built around North Carolina oral health, with one set of investments aimed at the state’s dental education pipeline and another at clinical service delivery. The foundation’s stated focus areas include oral health, dental workforce development, scholarships, free clinical dental care, preventive services, access to care, community grants, and disaster relief. Its program list also includes scholarships for dental hygienist and dental assistant students, oral health outreach grants for North Carolina dental schools, and a relief fund administered for emergency needs. The overall picture is a North Carolina dental funder that supports both institutional capacity and service access within the same state.
Dental education is a core theme. The foundation runs scholarships for Dental Hygienist and Dental Assistant students at North Carolina community colleges, including Cape Fear Community College and Central Piedmont Community College, and also supports Dental Assistant and Dental Hygiene programs in Western North Carolina through the Dental Auxiliary Program Initiative. Workforce development is another clear lane, with need-based Dental Workforce Development Scholarships covering expenses such as board exams and internship fees for students in allied dental training. Patient access appears through the Oral Health Outreach Program Grants, which support programs run by North Carolina dental schools for marginalized and underserved populations through clinics, volunteer efforts, education, and oral health programming. Public oral health recognition also shows up in the Dental Public Health Award, a $1,500 award for improved oral health outcomes, access to dental services, or preventive oral health education.
$4.3M
$125M
$2.7M
$4.5M
Most grants fall between $2.2M and $3.3M, with a median of $3M.
25th Percentile
$2.2M
Median
$3M
75th Percentile
$3.3M
SARAH BRENDEL HUPPERT
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Typical grants are large: the 25th percentile is $2,214,441, the median is $3,045,282, and the 75th percentile is $3,260,992. The recent record shows recurring support to UNC Adams School of Dentistry across 2023, 2024, and 2025, indicating multi-year institutional funding rather than isolated awards. The foundation funds as a local North Carolina grantmaker, and all recorded recipient grants in the supplied data went to organizations in the United States. It also operates some open programs, including scholarship and relief offerings that accept unsolicited applications, alongside award-style or administered grant opportunities.
Grantmaking is concentrated entirely in North Carolina: 100% of recorded recipient grants in the supplied data went to recipients in the HQ state, and North Carolina is also the top state by grant count. The recent grants list points to Chapel Hill and Durham as recipient cities, with UNC Adams School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill receiving the largest awards and Local Start Dental Inc. in Durham receiving a service-support grant. Program descriptions also reference Western North Carolina as a region served through the Dental Auxiliary Program Initiative.
Its stated focus areas include oral health, dental workforce development, scholarships, free clinical dental care, preventive services, access to care, community grants, and disaster relief. Recent programs also include oral health outreach grants, scholarships for dental hygienist and dental assistant students, and a relief fund for emergency needs.
UNC Adams School of Dentistry received the top three recorded grants: $3,470,039 in 2024, $3,191,309 in 2025, and $2,899,255 in 2023. A separate $160,000 grant went to Local Start Dental Inc. in Durham for clinic programs and patient expenses.
Yes. It offers scholarships for Dental Hygienist and Dental Assistant students at North Carolina community colleges, including Cape Fear Community College and Central Piedmont Community College. It also supports Dental Assistant and Dental Hygiene programs through the Dental Auxiliary Program Initiative in Western North Carolina.
Yes. The data shows several programs that accept unsolicited applications, including the NCDSF Relief Fund, Oral Health Outreach Program Grants, multiple scholarship programs for dental hygienist and dental assistant students, and Dental Workforce Development Scholarships.
Its giving is local and entirely in North Carolina in the provided record. North Carolina is the top state by grant count, and 100% of recorded recipient grants went to organizations in that state.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Dental Foundation of North Carolina that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicants seeking to establish school-based dental programs, particularly at Title 1 schools in North Carolina; application form available online.
Deadline: Not specified in the scraped content.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC ADAMS SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $4,252,685 | 2026 | TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES OF THE UNC SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY. |
| UNC ADAMS SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $3,191,309 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES OF THE UNC SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY. |
| UNC ADAMS SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $3,470,039 | 2024 | TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES OF THE UNC SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY. |
| UNC ADAMS SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $2,899,255 | 2023 | TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES OF THE UNC SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY. |
| LOCAL START DENTAL INC | DURHAM, NC | $160,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT LOCAL START'S CLINIC PROGRAMS INVOLVING UNC SCHOOL FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS, AND ASSISTING LOCAL START CLIENTS WITH CUSTOMARY AND REASONABLE EXPENSES TO RECEIVE DENTAL SERVICES. |
UNC ADAMS SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
$4,252,685TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES OF THE UNC SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY.
UNC ADAMS SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
$3,191,309TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES OF THE UNC SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY.
UNC ADAMS SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
$3,470,039TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES OF THE UNC SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY.
UNC ADAMS SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
$2,899,255TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES OF THE UNC SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY.
TO SUPPORT LOCAL START'S CLINIC PROGRAMS INVOLVING UNC SCHOOL FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS, AND ASSISTING LOCAL START CLIENTS WITH CUSTOMARY AND REASONABLE EXPENSES TO RECEIVE DENTAL SERVICES.
