The Nancy A Wright Foundation funds mid‑sized, local nonprofits in the Raleigh/Triangle area with an emphasis on direct social services, women‑focused programs, reentry and recovery services, and some local health research. Most grants are unrestricted/general operating support to mission‑driven organizations serving vulnerable populations (women, families, people with substance use or justice‑involvement). The foundation appears place‑based and pragmatic, favoring organizations that provide hands‑on care and stability rather than large national advocacy campaigns.
Nancy a Wright Foundation Inc’s largest recent grant went to UNC Health Foundation for an ophthalmological research project, signaling that the foundation backs both local services and targeted medical research. Across the recent grant list, it combines support for women’s services, reentry and recovery programs, family stability organizations, and community-based health work. The pattern is strongly place-based: every listed grant goes to a North Carolina recipient, with a clear concentration in the Raleigh and Triangle area. General operating support appears often, including grants to Family Promise, Triangle Family Services, and Healing Transitions. The foundation also supports organizations tied to women’s safety and stability, such as Urban Ministries of Wake County’s Helen G. Wright Center for Women and Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women. Its giving is not limited to human services; the recent record also includes a grant to The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center and recurring support to Springmoor Endowment Fund. The foundation’s annual grants total and asset base point to a small private foundation making focused local awards rather than broad national grantmaking.
Women’s services are a clear thread in the foundation’s giving. Urban Ministries of Wake County received $25,000 in 2023 and $15,000 in 2025 for the Helen G. Wright Center for Women, showing continued support for that program. Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women also received $15,000 for general operations in 2023. Reentry and recovery support is another area of emphasis. The foundation gave TROSA $15,000 in 2023 and $10,000 in 2025 for general operations, and Healing Transitions received $15,000 in 2025 for general operating support. Family stability and direct social services appear in grants to Family Promise and Triangle Family Services, each of which received support for general operations. The funding also extends to community health and research through UNC Health Foundation’s ophthalmological research project and to local advocacy through CASA’s general operations support.
Recent grants are tightly clustered at one amount: the typical grant size is $15,000, with p25, median, and p75 all at $15,000. The record shows repeated support to the same organizations across years, including Urban Ministries of Wake County, TROSA, Family Promise, Triangle Family Services, Springmoor Endowment Fund, and The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center. That repeat pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The foundation appears to use a straightforward private-foundation model, and the grant descriptions show a mix of general operating support, general donations, and occasional project-specific funding.
$168K
$1.3M
$69K
$179K
Most grants fall between $15K and $15K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$15K
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Concentrated, place‑based giving of mostly mid‑level grants ($15k typical) with a few larger gifts; majority of awards are unrestricted/general operating support to local service providers, with occasional repeat funding (Urban Ministries) and one larger institutional grant for medical research.
Notable grantees: UNC Health Foundation, Urban Ministries of Wake County, TROSA, Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women, CASA (Wake County)
Grantmaking is entirely in the United States, and every listed recipient is in North Carolina. Raleigh is the most common city in the recent grants list, with additional awards in Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, and Surf City. The strongest geographic pattern is local: 100% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, North Carolina. The presence of both Raleigh-area human services and Triangle-region medical and community organizations reinforces a concentrated in-state giving footprint.
The foundation supports local nonprofits working in women’s services, reentry and recovery, family stability, child advocacy, and some medical research. Recent grants include support for the Helen G. Wright Center for Women, TROSA, Healing Transitions, CASA, and UNC Health Foundation’s ophthalmological research project.
Its recent grants show a strong tilt toward ongoing support. Many awards are labeled general operations, general operating, or general donation, including grants to Family Promise, Triangle Family Services, Healing Transitions, and Springmoor Endowment Fund. One notable exception is the UNC Health Foundation grant for an ophthalmological research project.
The typical grant size is $15,000. The listed p25, median, and p75 are all $15,000, which shows a very tight distribution around that amount.
Giving is concentrated in North Carolina. Every listed recent grant goes to a North Carolina recipient, with Raleigh appearing most often, along with Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, and Surf City.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC HEALTH FOUNDATION | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $75,000 | 2025 | OPHTHALMOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT OF |
| ARISE COLLECTIVE | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| HEALING TRANSITIONS | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| URBAN MINISTRIES OF WAKE COUNTY | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | HELEN G. WRIGHT CENTER FOR WOMEN |
| TROSA | DURHAM, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| CASA | RALEIGH, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| FAMILY PROMISE | RALEIGH, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| TRIANGLE FAMILY SERVICES | RALEIGH, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| SPRINGMOOR ENDOWMENT FUND | RALEIGH, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL DONATION |
| THE KAREN BEASLEY SEA TURTLE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTER | SURF CITY, NC | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL DONATION |
| HEALING TRANSITIONS | RALEIGH, NC | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| INTERFAITH PRISON MINISTRY FOR WOME | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| HAVEN HOUSE SERVICES | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| TRIANGLE FAMILY SERVICES | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| URBAN MINISTRIES OF WAKE COUNTY | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | HELEN G. WRIGHT CENTER FOR WOMEN |
| TROSA | DURHAM, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| CORRAL RIDING ACADEMY | CARY, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CASA | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| FAMILY PROMISE | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| SPRINGMOOR ENDOWMENT FUND | RALEIGH, NC | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL DONATION |
| THE KAREN BEASLEY SEA TURTLE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTER | SURF CITY, NC | $3,000 | 2024 | GENERAL DONATION |
| URBAN MINISTRIES OF WAKE COUNTY | RALEIGH, NC | $25,000 | 2023 | HELEN G. WRIGHT CENTER FOR WOMEN |
| FAMILY PROMISE | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| CASA | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| CORRAL RIDING ACADEMY | CARY, NC | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| INTERFAITH PRISON MINISTRY FOR WOME | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| TRIANGLE FAMILY SERVICES | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| TROSA | DURHAM, NC | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| SPRINGMOOR ENDOWMENT FUND | RALEIGH, NC | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL DONATION |
| THE KAREN BEASLEY SEA TURTLE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTER | SURF CITY, NC | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL DONATION |
GENERAL OPERATIONS
FAMILY PROMISE
$10,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
SPRINGMOOR ENDOWMENT FUND
$5,000GENERAL DONATION
THE KAREN BEASLEY SEA TURTLE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTER
$3,000GENERAL DONATION
INTERFAITH PRISON MINISTRY FOR WOME
$15,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
FAMILY PROMISE
$15,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
SPRINGMOOR ENDOWMENT FUND
$5,000GENERAL DONATION
THE KAREN BEASLEY SEA TURTLE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTER
$3,000GENERAL DONATION
FAMILY PROMISE
$15,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
INTERFAITH PRISON MINISTRY FOR WOME
$15,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
SPRINGMOOR ENDOWMENT FUND
$5,000GENERAL DONATION
THE KAREN BEASLEY SEA TURTLE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTER
$3,000GENERAL DONATION