The New Hanover Community Endowment is a highly-local, Wilmington-focused funder that makes relatively large, often unrestricted grants to strengthen basic needs, housing, health access, and education/workforce systems in New Hanover and surrounding Southeastern North Carolina. They favor organizations that provide shelter and housing solutions, community health clinics, youth development and school supports, and capacity for community-serving intermediaries, and they commonly support both government entities and faith-based partners. Many awards are sizable investments aimed at organizational sustainability and system-level change rather than narrow project pilots.
New Hanover Community Endowment Inc has made large general-support awards across Wilmington’s education, housing, health, and safety infrastructure. In 2025, its biggest recent grants went to Cape Fear Community College Foundation Incorporated for programs and operations, New Hanover County Schools for general support, and the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina for general support. That pattern points to a funder that backs core institutional capacity rather than narrow project-only activity. The foundation’s recent giving also reaches shelter, community health, and neighborhood stability work. Shelter America Group, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity, MedNorth Health Center, and New Hanover County - Administration all received sizable awards in 2025, alongside support for United Way of Cape Fear and The Salvation Army of Cape Fear. The mix includes schools, colleges, county government, health providers, and nonprofits serving people with housing instability, youth needs, and basic-needs gaps. Across the grant list, the foundation appears to favor unrestricted or broadly usable support for organizations already embedded in the county. The result is a grantmaking profile centered on strengthening local systems that deliver education, housing, health access, and community services in New Hanover County.
Education and workforce organizations are a major part of the portfolio. New Hanover County Schools received $5,434,051 in 2025 for general support, and Cape Fear Community College Foundation Incorporated received $5,609,774 for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes. The foundation also backed the University of North Carolina at Wilmington - College of Health & Human Serv with $2,525,000. Housing and homelessness response is another clear area. Shelter America Group was awarded $4,700,000 in 2025, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity received $3,500,000, Warm NC received $1,600,000, and Good Shepherd Center received $555,000. These grants align with shelter, rapid rehousing, and housing stability work. Health access appears in awards to MedNorth Health Center for $2,000,000 and St Mary Health Center for $755,000. Youth supports are also visible through Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina, Communities in Schools of Cape Fear, and GLOW Academy.
$60.7M
$1.5B
$111.7M
$73.8M
Most grants fall between $25K and $133K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$133K
Dan Winslow
President
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Concentrated, large-dollar local grants with substantial general/operating support; frequent repeat investments in core community partners and intermediaries rather than many small, one-off awards.
Notable grantees: Cape Fear Community College Foundation, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity, MedNorth Health Center, New Hanover County Schools, Cape Fear Collective
Typical awards are relatively large: p25 is $24,750, the median is $75,000, and p75 is $132,788. The recent list is dominated by 2025 grants, with a smaller number of 2023 awards, which suggests sustained support over multiple years rather than one-off activity only. Grants are presented as general support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes, indicating broad operating flexibility. New Hanover Community Endowment Inc is a public charity, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments.
Giving is highly concentrated in North Carolina: 100% of grants in the dataset went to recipients in the HQ state, and the top state by grant count is NC. Most recipients are in Wilmington, with additional awards in Castle Hayne and Wrightsville Beach. The geography fits a local endowment model focused on New Hanover County and nearby Southeastern North Carolina rather than multi-state or international giving.
The grants list shows support for schools, community colleges, health clinics, housing and shelter providers, youth-serving nonprofits, and local public entities. Examples include New Hanover County Schools, Cape Fear Community College Foundation Incorporated, MedNorth Health Center, Shelter America Group, and Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity.
The middle of the distribution is fairly substantial: p25 is $24,750, median grant size is $75,000, and p75 is $132,788. The recent awards also include several multimillion-dollar grants, showing that the foundation sometimes makes much larger operating or general-support commitments.
No. In the provided dataset, 100% of grants went to recipients in NC, and the top state by grant count is NC. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
The recent grants are mostly labeled general support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes. That pattern appears across schools, colleges, housing groups, health providers, and county partners, which suggests a preference for flexible operating support.
Yes. The grant list includes awards in both 2023 and 2025 to organizations such as Cape Fear Community College Foundation Incorporated and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, indicating that the foundation has supported some recipients more than once across years.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Fear Community College Foundation Incorporated | Wilmington, NC | $5,609,774 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| New Hanover County Schools | Wilmington, NC | $5,434,051 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina | Wilmington, NC | $5,275,458 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Shelter America Group | Wilmington, NC | $4,700,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Cape Fear Collective | Wilmington, NC | $4,137,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity | Wilmington, NC | $3,500,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| New HOPE CDC | Castle Hayne, NC | $2,660,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| University of North Carolina at Wilmington - College of Health & Human Serv | Wilmington, NC | $2,525,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| New Hanover County - Administration | Wilmington, NC | $2,039,364 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| MedNorth Health Center | Wilmington, NC | $2,000,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina | Wilmington, NC | $1,653,200 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| WARM NC | Wilmington, NC | $1,600,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| New Hanover County District Attorney's Office | Wilmington, NC | $1,429,472 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Communities in Schools of Cape Fear | Wilmington, NC | $1,396,381 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| A Safe Place | Wrightsville Beach, NC | $1,200,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| YWCA Lower Cape Fear | Wilmington, NC | $1,134,937 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| GLOW Academy | Wilmington, NC | $1,101,667 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| United Way of Cape Fear | Wilmington, NC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| The Salvation Army of Cape Fear | Wilmington, NC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| American Red Cross - Cape Fear Chapter | Wilmington, NC | $979,087 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| St Mary Health Center | Wilmington, NC | $755,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Wilmington REALTORS Foundation | Wilmington, NC | $740,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| NourishNC | Wilmington, NC | $713,390 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Leading Into New Communities Inc (LINC) | Wilmington, NC | $580,534 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Blue Ribbon Commission on the Prevention of Youth Violence (DBA Voyage) | Wilmington, NC | $561,915 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Good Shepherd Center | Wilmington, NC | $555,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Jo Ann Carter Harrelson Center Inc | Wilmington, NC | $526,277 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Union Missionary Baptist Church | Wilmington, NC | $450,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Cape Fear Clinic Inc | Wilmington, NC | $400,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| DREAMS Center for Arts Education | Wilmington, NC | $397,887 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Wesley CDC | Wilmington, NC | $382,447 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Feast Down East Inc | Wilmington, NC | $361,760 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Coastal Horizons Center | Wilmington, NC | $300,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| SmartStart of New Hanover County | Wilmington, NC | $219,532 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| El Cuerpo | Wilmington, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Genesis Block Foundation | Wilmington, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| First Fruit Ministries | Wilmington, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| The Carousel Center | Wilmington, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| The Arts Council of WilmingtonNHC | Wilmington, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Welcome Home Angel | Wilmington, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Living Hope ILM | Wilmington, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Domestic Violence Shelter and Services Inc | Wilmington, NC | $194,619 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Hadden Hall I & II Apartments | Wilmington, NC | $180,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Eden Village | Wilmington, NC | $155,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Greater Wilmington Chamber Foundation | Wilmington, NC | $150,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Better Is Possible | Wilmington, NC | $150,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Pine Forest Education & Learning Center | Wilmington, NC | $131,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Cape Fear Community Land Trust | Wilmington, NC | $125,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Kids Making It | Wilmington, NC | $103,420 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
| Financial Protection Law Center | Wilmington, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes |
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
New Hanover County Schools
$5,434,051General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina
$5,275,458General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Shelter America Group
$4,700,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Cape Fear Collective
$4,137,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity
$3,500,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
New HOPE CDC
$2,660,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
University of North Carolina at Wilmington - College of Health & Human Serv
$2,525,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
New Hanover County - Administration
$2,039,364General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
MedNorth Health Center
$2,000,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
New Hanover County District Attorney's Office
$1,429,472General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Communities in Schools of Cape Fear
$1,396,381General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
GLOW Academy
$1,101,667General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
The Salvation Army of Cape Fear
$1,000,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
St Mary Health Center
$755,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Wilmington REALTORS Foundation
$740,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Jo Ann Carter Harrelson Center Inc
$526,277General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Union Missionary Baptist Church
$450,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
DREAMS Center for Arts Education
$397,887General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Wesley CDC
$382,447General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
SmartStart of New Hanover County
$219,532General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
El Cuerpo
$200,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Genesis Block Foundation
$200,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Hadden Hall I & II Apartments
$180,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Greater Wilmington Chamber Foundation
$150,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Better Is Possible
$150,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Pine Forest Education & Learning Center
$131,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Cape Fear Community Land Trust
$125,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Kids Making It
$103,420General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes
Financial Protection Law Center
$100,000General support for programs, operations, and other charitable purposes