About North Carolina Community Foundation
To inspire North Carolinians to make lasting and meaningful contributions to their communities.
Focus Areas
Disaster relief and recoveryScholarshipsRural community developmentNonprofit support and capacity buildingHousingFood/nutritionHealth and mental healthEducationArtsYouth developmentEnvironment
Who They Fund
college and university students (including scholarship recipients)low-income individuals and families (food-insecure, housing-unstable)
About North Carolina Community Foundation
The North Carolina Community Foundation uses local affiliate funds, giving circles, donor-advised funds, and statewide scholarship programs to direct grants across a wide range of community needs. Its recent record shows a mix of large community investments and smaller local awards, with support flowing to education, health, housing, food and nutrition, arts, environment, youth development, and disaster recovery. One of the clearest examples is a $3,180,360 grant to Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy in Raleigh, followed by a $1,630,201 grant to the same organization in 2024, showing sustained support for a major public-benefit project. The foundation also made a $500,000 grant to North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics in Charlotte, linking its grantmaking to access to care. Alongside those larger awards, NCCF administers scholarship support statewide and channels local giving through 53 affiliate foundations and community-advised funds. Its grantmaking reaches organizations, schools, churches, local governments, and students, which fits its role as a statewide community foundation rather than a single-issue funder.
What North Carolina Community Foundation Funds
Education is a clear part of the foundation’s portfolio. It gave $751,110 to Campbell University for education and $320,000 to Cape Fear Community College Foundation for education, while also using donor-established scholarships to support postsecondary access statewide. Health and human services appear in both institutional and community-based grants. Examples include $500,000 to North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics for hospitals and clinics and $333,334 to North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition for public and societal benefit. Environmental giving is also present, with $414,050 to North Carolina Coastal Federation for environment and animals and $312,097 to Triangle Land Conservancy for environmental programs. Youth-oriented support includes $316,836 to Save the Children Federation Inc Appalachian Field Office for youth development and $313,251 to Region A Partnership for Children for youth development.
How North Carolina Community Foundation Gives
Typical awards are moderate in size, with a p25 of $8,730, a median of $15,000, and a p75 of $35,500. The recent list also includes very large grants, which shows that NCCF uses both smaller local awards and major program gifts. Recipients can appear in multiple years: Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy and Save the Children Federation Inc Appalachian Field Office each received grants in both 2023 and 2024, and Se Raleigh Promise Inc appears more than once as well. The foundation is a public charity and mixed community foundation, and its active programs include application-based affiliate grantmaking and a universal scholarships application. Several programs accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$30.6M
Total Assets
$569.1M
Total Revenue
$143.7M
Total Expenses
$45M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $9K and $36K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$9K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$36K
Geographic Reach
Local34 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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