About Gaston Community Foundation
To inspire generosity, uplift nonprofits, and connect donors with community needs.
Focus Areas
Education / ScholarshipsLocal community grants (Gaston County)Nonprofit capacity buildingField-of-interest (e.g., arts, health)Donor-advised fund support
Funding Style
general operating supportunrestricted supportflexible/core funding
Topics
general/non-program-specific supportorganizational capacity maintenance
About Gaston Community Foundation
A student-led grantmaking board is one of the clearest signals of how Gaston Community Foundation works: Teens Changing Gaston County directs endowment dollars toward projects that partner with local nonprofits and expand access for Gaston County residents. That youth-centered structure sits alongside a broader community foundation model that also administers scholarships, donor-established funds, and competitive local grants. The foundation’s recent grant record shows a mix of unrestricted support for long-standing community institutions and targeted awards tied to education, health, the arts, and local service. General support is a common thread in the recent grants list, including major gifts to Gaston Co Family YMCA and Caromont Health Foundation. The foundation also appears in scholarship administration through donor-created awards for students in Gaston County and neighboring local communities, with criteria that can tie support to school, character, mentoring, or financial need. Across programs, the pattern is local and place-based: grants are designed to serve Gaston County residents, strengthen nonprofits, and connect donor intent with community priorities.
What Gaston Community Foundation Funds
Education is a major line of work for Gaston Community Foundation, especially through scholarships. One example is the Alaina N. Abernathy Scholarship, a $1,000 annual award for a graduate of Cherryville High School. Another is the Paul F. Fuller Scholarship, which supports a graduating senior from a Gaston County high school who took part in the Chamber/Gaston County Schools Student Mentoring Program. The foundation also backs youth and community development through small, local grantmaking. Teens Changing Gaston County awards up to $1,000 for student-led projects that partner with local nonprofits, while the Next Generation Giving Circle pools gifts from young professionals to fund local organizations and causes in Gaston County. In its broader community grantmaking, the foundation uses unrestricted and field-of-interest funds for Gaston County nonprofits, with an emphasis on community needs, collaboration, and measurable impact.
How Gaston Community Foundation Gives
Typical grant size is modest relative to the foundation’s larger discretionary awards: the 25th percentile is $9,992, the median is $15,000, and the 75th percentile is $34,170. The recent grants list also shows repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. Most grants are unrestricted or general support, with board-directed funding and donor-advised or field-of-interest allocations appearing in the active programs. Unsolicited applications are accepted for some programs, including the Community Grants Cycle and several scholarship opportunities, while others such as Next Gen and certain named awards are not open to unsolicited requests.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$10.3M
Total Assets
$145.4M
Total Revenue
$12.1M
Total Expenses
$11.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $34K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$34K
Geographic Reach
Local23 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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