Advance a high quality, comprehensive, accountable early childhood system that benefits each child in North Carolina beginning with a healthy birth.
North Carolina Partnership for Children Inc channels most of its grantmaking through local early-childhood partnerships across the state, with repeated awards to groups like Wake County Smart Start in Raleigh and Mecklenburg Partnership for Children in Charlotte. The foundation’s stated aim is to advance a high quality, comprehensive, accountable early childhood system that benefits each child in North Carolina beginning with a healthy birth. That system-level focus shows up in large operating-style grants to county and regional partners that serve young children and families. In the recent grants list, several recipients appear in consecutive years, suggesting ongoing support rather than isolated awards. The pattern includes major funding for Smart Start organizations, county partnerships, and statewide literacy work through The Dollywood Foundation. Grant purposes in the data point to early childhood education, family support, child health and development, family engagement, and early literacy. The foundation also backs community-based initiatives and public awareness work tied to parent and caregiver support, with all recorded grants landing in the United States and almost all in North Carolina.
In early childhood education and system-building, the foundation gave $7,113,751 to Mecklenburg Partnership for Children for NC Young Children, and $5,901,979 to Durham's Partnership for Children for the same purpose. Those awards fit a statewide model built around local partnerships rather than direct service to individuals. Early literacy is another clear strand: The Dollywood Foundation received $7,388,868 for Early Literacy, alongside continued support in the prior year. Family-facing work also appears in grants to county partners that are used for NC Young Children, including $5,463,939 to Onslow County Partnership for Children Inc and $4,912,135 to Partnership for Children of Cumberland County Inc. Across the list, the purposes point to early intervention, caregiver supports, and birth-to-five programming rather than later childhood services.
Typical grant sizes are large: the p25 is $477,073, the median is $941,586, and the p75 is $1,530,062. The recent record shows repeat awards to the same organizations across 2023 and 2024, including multiple county partnerships and statewide literacy funding, which points to recurring support rather than one-time gifts. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not make program-related investments or grants to individuals. Grants are structured around direct service and program support in a statewide North Carolina system.
$126.5M
$11.7M
$134M
$133.6M
Most grants fall between $477K and $1.5M, with a median of $942K.
25th Percentile
$477K
Median
$942K
75th Percentile
$1.5M
AMY CUBBAGE
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Grant dollars are overwhelmingly local: 99% of grants in the data go to recipients in North Carolina. The biggest concentrations are in Raleigh, Charlotte, Durham, Jacksonville, Fayetteville, and Winston-Salem, with additional awards in Greensboro, Lexington, Rocky Mount, Dallas, Morganton, Elizabeth City, Hickory, Selma, and Kannapolis. Outside North Carolina, one named recipient appears in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee through early-literacy funding. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
It funds local Smart Start and county partnership organizations, along with organizations tied to early literacy. Recent awards include county-level partnerships in Raleigh, Charlotte, Durham, Jacksonville, Fayetteville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Lexington, Rocky Mount, Dallas, Morganton, Elizabeth City, Hickory, Selma, and Kannapolis, plus The Dollywood Foundation for Early Literacy.
The grant purposes point to NC Young Children, Early Literacy, and related early-childhood work. The foundation’s listed focus areas also include birth-to-five early childhood programs, teacher compensation, home visiting, family engagement and leadership, child health and development, local partnerships, and public awareness and parent/caregiver supports.
The typical grant size is substantial. The p25 is $477,073, the median grant is $941,586, and the p75 is $1,530,062. That distribution fits a funder that makes major operating and program-support awards to local early-childhood partners.
Yes. Several recipients appear in both 2023 and 2024, including Wake County Smartstart, Mecklenburg Partnership for Children, Durham's Partnership for Children, Onslow County Partnership for Children Inc, and Partnership for Children of Cumberland County Inc. That pattern indicates repeat support across years.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EARLY YEARS INC | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $11,322,926 | 2026 | CHILD CARE WAGE$ |
| WAKE COUNTY SMARTSTART | RALEIGH, NC | $8,837,980 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| THE DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION | PIGEON FORGE, TN | $7,703,625 | 2026 | EARLY LITERACY |
| MECKLENBURG PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | CHARLOTTE, NC | $7,110,629 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| DURHAM'S PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | DURHAM, NC | $5,723,842 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| ONSLOW COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC | JACKSONVILLE, NC | $5,140,444 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| SMART START OF FORSYTH COUNTY | WINSTONSALEM, NC | $4,614,777 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY INC | FAYETTEVILLE, NC | $3,757,008 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| GUILFORD COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC | GREENSBORO, NC | $3,543,641 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| BUNCOMBE COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC | ASHEVILLE, NC | $3,055,117 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| SMART START OF DAVIDSON COUNTY INC | LEXINGTON, NC | $2,768,834 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| DOWN EAST PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | ROCKY MOUNT, NC | $2,468,322 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| BURKE COUNTY SMART START INC | MORGANTON, NC | $2,454,901 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN OF LINCOLNGASTON COUNTIES INC | DALLAS, NC | $2,098,418 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| ALBEMARLE ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES INC | ELIZABETH CITY, NC | $1,873,500 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| SMART START OF HENDERSON COUNTY INC | HENDERSONVILLE, NC | $1,802,935 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN OF JOHNSTON COUNTY INC | SELMA, NC | $1,783,316 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| CATAWBA COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | HICKORY, NC | $1,618,099 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| MARTINPITT PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC | GREENVILLE, NC | $1,614,472 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| LENOIRGREENE COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | KINSTON, NC | $1,603,711 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| CLEVELAND COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC | KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC | $1,500,764 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| ORANGE COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNG CHILDREN | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $1,493,566 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| SMART START ROWAN INC | SALISBURY, NC | $1,472,103 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN (AKA UNION SMART START) | MONROE, NC | $1,440,675 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| CABARRUS COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | KANNAPOLIS, NC | $1,391,465 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| CALDWELL COUNTY SMART START A PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNG CHILDREN | HUDSON, NC | $1,384,949 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| WILSON COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | WILSON, NC | $1,353,287 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| FRANKLIN GRANVILLE VANCE SMART START INC | HENDERSON, NC | $1,352,458 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| SMART START OF NEW HANOVER COUNTY | WILMINGTON, NC | $1,338,595 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| ROBESON COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | LUMBERTON, NC | $1,318,301 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| IREDELL COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNG CHILDREN INC | STATESVILLE, NC | $1,294,423 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| RUTHERFORDPOLK SMART START PARTNERSHIP | FOREST CITY, NC | $1,292,448 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| REGION A PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN (HAYWOOD JACKSON SWAIN GRAHAM MACON | SYLVA, NC | $1,291,495 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| HARNETT COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC | LILLINGTON, NC | $1,263,112 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| DUPLIN COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | KENANSVILLE, NC | $1,135,697 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| CRAVEN SMART START INC | NEW BERN, NC | $1,096,122 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| RANDOLPH COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | ASHEBORO, NC | $1,078,788 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| SAMPSON COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | CLINTON, NC | $1,075,936 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| THE PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN OF WAYNE COUNTY INC | GOLDSBORO, NC | $1,018,253 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| LEE COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES | SANFORD, NC | $1,014,026 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| WILKES COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | NORTH WILKESBORO, NC | $983,626 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| ALAMANCE PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | BURLINGTON, NC | $928,980 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| CHILDREN'S COUNCIL OF WATAUGA COUNTY INC | BOONE, NC | $903,895 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| HOKE COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES | RAEFORD, NC | $893,524 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| PARTNERS FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES INC (MOORE COUNTY) | CARTHAGE, NC | $871,637 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| BLUE RIDGE PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN (AVERY MITCHELL-YANCEY ) | BURNSVILLE, NC | $869,389 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| STANLY COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | ALBEMARLE, NC | $796,221 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| ROCKINGHAM COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC | WENTWORTH, NC | $762,122 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| SURRY COUNTY EARLY CHILDHOOD PARTNERSHIP | MT AIRY, NC | $729,297 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
| CHATHAM COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN | PITTSBORO, NC | $708,257 | 2026 | NC YOUNG CHILDREN |
EARLY YEARS INC
$11,322,926CHILD CARE WAGE$
WAKE COUNTY SMARTSTART
$8,837,980NC YOUNG CHILDREN
DURHAM'S PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$5,723,842NC YOUNG CHILDREN
ONSLOW COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC
$5,140,444NC YOUNG CHILDREN
GUILFORD COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC
$3,543,641NC YOUNG CHILDREN
SMART START OF DAVIDSON COUNTY INC
$2,768,834NC YOUNG CHILDREN
BURKE COUNTY SMART START INC
$2,454,901NC YOUNG CHILDREN
PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN OF LINCOLNGASTON COUNTIES INC
$2,098,418NC YOUNG CHILDREN
ALBEMARLE ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES INC
$1,873,500NC YOUNG CHILDREN
SMART START OF HENDERSON COUNTY INC
$1,802,935NC YOUNG CHILDREN
PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN OF JOHNSTON COUNTY INC
$1,783,316NC YOUNG CHILDREN
MARTINPITT PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC
$1,614,472NC YOUNG CHILDREN
LENOIRGREENE COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$1,603,711NC YOUNG CHILDREN
CLEVELAND COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC
$1,500,764NC YOUNG CHILDREN
ORANGE COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
$1,493,566NC YOUNG CHILDREN
SMART START ROWAN INC
$1,472,103NC YOUNG CHILDREN
ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN (AKA UNION SMART START)
$1,440,675NC YOUNG CHILDREN
CABARRUS COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$1,391,465NC YOUNG CHILDREN
CALDWELL COUNTY SMART START A PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
$1,384,949NC YOUNG CHILDREN
WILSON COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$1,353,287NC YOUNG CHILDREN
FRANKLIN GRANVILLE VANCE SMART START INC
$1,352,458NC YOUNG CHILDREN
ROBESON COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$1,318,301NC YOUNG CHILDREN
IREDELL COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNG CHILDREN INC
$1,294,423NC YOUNG CHILDREN
RUTHERFORDPOLK SMART START PARTNERSHIP
$1,292,448NC YOUNG CHILDREN
NC YOUNG CHILDREN
HARNETT COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC
$1,263,112NC YOUNG CHILDREN
DUPLIN COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$1,135,697NC YOUNG CHILDREN
CRAVEN SMART START INC
$1,096,122NC YOUNG CHILDREN
SAMPSON COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$1,075,936NC YOUNG CHILDREN
THE PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN OF WAYNE COUNTY INC
$1,018,253NC YOUNG CHILDREN
ALAMANCE PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$928,980NC YOUNG CHILDREN
HOKE COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
$893,524NC YOUNG CHILDREN
PARTNERS FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES INC (MOORE COUNTY)
$871,637NC YOUNG CHILDREN
NC YOUNG CHILDREN
STANLY COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$796,221NC YOUNG CHILDREN
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN INC
$762,122NC YOUNG CHILDREN
SURRY COUNTY EARLY CHILDHOOD PARTNERSHIP
$729,297NC YOUNG CHILDREN
CHATHAM COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
$708,257NC YOUNG CHILDREN