Make North Carolina First is a North Carolina-focused philanthropic vehicle that primarily funds progressive civic engagement, public-education, and issue-advocacy organizations working to influence policy and elections in the state. Its giving prioritizes large, repeat grants to state-level voter mobilization, policy advocacy, and community-organizing groups that serve Black, Latino, rural, and working-class constituencies. The foundation leans toward pragmatic electoral and policy impact—supporting coalitions, rapid-response groups, and targeted public-education campaigns rather than traditional service delivery.
A defining feature of Make North Carolina First is the size and repetition of its support for North Carolina-based civic and public-education groups. The foundation’s largest recent grant was $5,290,000 to North Carolina Families First in 2025, and the same grantee also received $1,075,769 in 2024 and $1,000,000 in 2023. That pattern points to a funder that concentrates on sustained issue-advocacy work rather than isolated project grants. Its recent giving is centered on organizations that educate the public on social issues, mobilize voters, and build state-level policy campaigns. Raleigh appears repeatedly among recipient locations, including Rally NC, Progress North Carolina Action, Fair Future NC, NC A Philip Randolph Educational Fund Inc, and NCAAT In Action. The foundation also backs groups working with specific communities and regions, such as Down Home NC in Greensboro, Siembra NC in Greensboro, and New Rural Project in Charlotte. Across the recent-grants list, the recurring pattern is clear: multi-year support, large award sizes, and a strong preference for organizations operating within North Carolina.
Make North Carolina First supports public-education and issue-advocacy work across several overlapping themes. In broad social-issues education, it gave $5,290,000 to North Carolina Families First in 2025 and $781,500 to Progress North Carolina Action in 2025 for education of the public on various social issues. For voter mobilization and turnout-oriented organizing, the foundation funded $1,728,000 to Rally NC in 2025 and $520,000 to Majority Rising NC in 2023. It also made a $350,000 grant to NCAAT In Action in 2025, showing support for advocacy groups tied to civic participation. Community organizing with a focus on rural and working-class constituencies appears through $400,000 to Down Home NC in 2025 and $100,000 to New Rural Project in 2025. The foundation also funded $375,000 to Siembra NC in 2025, indicating continued support for Latino community organizing in the state.
Typical grant size is substantial: the p25 is $100,000, the median is $268,000, and the p75 is $452,500. The recent list also shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, including North Carolina Families First, Progress North Carolina Action, Majority Rising NC, Lead NC, and NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools. That suggests a recurring grantmaking pattern rather than one-off support. The foundation gives locally, focuses on organizations in North Carolina, and the leadership listed is Michael Weisel. It does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$4.6M
$1.5M
$6.1M
$5.4M
Most grants fall between $100K and $453K, with a median of $268K.
25th Percentile
$100K
Median
$268K
75th Percentile
$453K
Michael Weisel
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Concentrated and strategic: a small number of large, often repeat grants to state-level advocacy and civic-engagement groups. Funding is geographically focused on North Carolina, prioritizes organizations with electoral or policy influence, and includes both multi-year commitments and cycle-driven disbursements tied to advocacy/turnout work.
Notable grantees: North Carolina Families First, Rally NC, Progress North Carolina Action, Majority Rising NC, Lead NC
Grantmaking is concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 97% of grants to recipients in the HQ state. Raleigh is the most common recipient city in the recent list, followed by Cary, Greensboro, Charlotte, and Durham. A small number of grants go outside the state, including one to America Votes in Washington, DC. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the provided data.
It supports organizations doing education of the public on social issues, voter mobilization and turnout, state-level public-education campaigns, and community organizing. Recent grants include North Carolina Families First, Rally NC, Progress North Carolina Action, Lead NC, and New Rural Project.
The grant-size distribution is relatively large: p25 is $100,000, the median is $268,000, and p75 is $452,500. Several recent awards are well above that range, including a $5,290,000 grant and multiple seven-figure grants.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeated support for North Carolina Families First across 2023, 2024, and 2025, and for Progress North Carolina Action, Majority Rising NC, Lead NC, and NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools across more than one year.
Its giving is highly concentrated in North Carolina. The data shows 97% of grants went to recipients in the HQ state, and the top state by grant count is NC.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rally NC | Raleigh, NC | $915,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| NC Democratic Party Legal Defense Fund | Raleigh, NC | $800,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| North Carolina Families First | Raleigh, NC | $600,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Progress North Carolina Action | Raleigh, NC | $525,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| The Justice Project Action | Foxboro, MA | $371,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Justice for NC | Raleigh, NC | $365,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Down Home North Carolina | Greensboro, NC | $277,500 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Mi Familia Vota | PHOENIX, AZ | $175,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| NC A Philip Randolph Educational Fund Inc | Raleigh, NC | $175,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| NCAAT In Action | Raleigh, NC | $90,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| New North Carolina Project Action First | Concord, NC | $75,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Planned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic | Raleigh, NC | $60,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Red Wine & Blue | Cleveland, OH | $50,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Carolina Federation | Durham, NC | $32,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| FLIP NC | Durham, NC | $30,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Siembra IE PAC | Los Angeles, CA | $27,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Working Families Party PAC | Brooklyn, NY | $20,000 | 2026 | Education of public on various social issues |
| North Carolina Families First | Raleigh, NC | $5,290,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Rally NC | Raleigh, NC | $1,728,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Fair Future NC | Raleigh, NC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Progress North Carolina Action | Raleigh, NC | $781,500 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| NC A Philip Randolph Educational Fund Inc | Raleigh, NC | $730,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Down Home NC | Greensboro, NC | $400,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Siembra NC | Greensboro, NC | $375,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| NCAAT In Action | Raleigh, NC | $350,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Majority Rising NC | Cary, NC | $250,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Advance North Carolina | Raleigh, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools | Raleigh, NC | $153,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Carolina Federation | Durham, NC | $150,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Lead NC | Raleigh, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| New Rural Project | Charlotte, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| America Votes | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Put North Carolina First LLC | Raleigh, NC | $40,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| New North Carolina Project Action First | Concord, NC | $25,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Real Facts NC | Raleigh, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | Education of public on various social issues |
| North Carolina Families First | Raleigh, NC | $1,075,769 | 2024 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Progress North Carolina Action | Raleigh, NC | $430,000 | 2024 | Education of public on various social issues |
| NC A Philip Randolph Educational Fund Inc | Raleigh, NC | $320,000 | 2024 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Lead NC | Raleigh, NC | $286,000 | 2024 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Majority Rising NC | Cary, NC | $200,000 | 2024 | Education of public on various social issues |
| NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools | Raleigh, NC | $105,000 | 2024 | Education of public on various social issues |
| New Rural Project | Charlotte, NC | $59,000 | 2024 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Down Home North Carolina | Greensboro, NC | $59,000 | 2024 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Planned Parenthood South Atlantic Action | Raleigh, NC | $50,000 | 2024 | Education of public on various social issues |
| North Carolina Families First | Raleigh, NC | $1,000,000 | 2023 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Majority Rising NC | Cary, NC | $520,000 | 2023 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Progress North Carolina Action | Raleigh, NC | $365,000 | 2023 | Education of public on various social issues |
| Lead NC | Raleigh, NC | $325,000 | 2023 | Education of public on various social issues |
| NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools | Raleigh, NC | $169,000 | 2023 | Education of public on various social issues |
Rally NC
$915,000Education of public on various social issues
NC Democratic Party Legal Defense Fund
$800,000Education of public on various social issues
North Carolina Families First
$600,000Education of public on various social issues
The Justice Project Action
$371,000Education of public on various social issues
Justice for NC
$365,000Education of public on various social issues
Education of public on various social issues
New North Carolina Project Action First
$75,000Education of public on various social issues
Education of public on various social issues
FLIP NC
$30,000Education of public on various social issues
Siembra IE PAC
$27,000Education of public on various social issues
Working Families Party PAC
$20,000Education of public on various social issues
North Carolina Families First
$5,290,000Education of public on various social issues
Rally NC
$1,728,000Education of public on various social issues
Fair Future NC
$1,000,000Education of public on various social issues
Education of public on various social issues
NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools
$153,000Education of public on various social issues
New Rural Project
$100,000Education of public on various social issues
Put North Carolina First LLC
$40,000Education of public on various social issues
New North Carolina Project Action First
$25,000Education of public on various social issues
Real Facts NC
$10,000Education of public on various social issues
North Carolina Families First
$1,075,769Education of public on various social issues
Education of public on various social issues
NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools
$105,000Education of public on various social issues
New Rural Project
$59,000Education of public on various social issues
Education of public on various social issues
North Carolina Families First
$1,000,000Education of public on various social issues
Lead NC
$325,000Education of public on various social issues
NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools
$169,000Education of public on various social issues