The Retail Consumer Alliance Foundation focuses its giving on hunger relief in the Carolinas and on higher-education scholarships at state and regional public universities. Grants are geographically concentrated in North Carolina (with some support in South Carolina) and split between a handful of large food-bank awards and numerous scholarship awards to public universities, often within the UNC system. The foundation appears to prioritize operational support for emergency food providers and student financial aid at regional campuses. Repeat grants to the same institutions suggest ongoing relationships with core grantees.
Concentrated geography (NC/SC) with a dual strategy: several large, one-time or repeat unrestricted operating grants to major food banks, plus many smaller, repeat scholarship awards to public universities. Mix of a few high-dollar recipients and multiple mid-to-small education grants.
Retail Consumer Alliance Foundation’s recent giving splits between emergency food assistance and student scholarships, with the largest individual awards going to food banks. In 2025, it gave $50,000 to Manna Food Bank in Mills River and $50,000 to Feeding the Carolinas in Clemmons, both for food-bank support. Those grants sit alongside a second track of recurring scholarship funding for public universities in North Carolina and nearby states. The pattern points to a funder that backs immediate hunger relief while also underwriting campus-based student aid. Scholarship grants reach a mix of UNC-system campuses and other regional public universities. North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Chapel Hill, Appalachian State University, and Western Carolina University all appear in the recent grants list, along with the University of South Carolina and Clemson University. Several institutions received more than one award across the years shown, including North Carolina State University, UNC Greensboro, UNC Chapel Hill, and Appalachian State University. The foundation’s giving is local in scope and concentrated in North Carolina, with some grants extending into South Carolina.
Emergency food relief is one of the foundation’s clearest priorities. It gave $50,000 to Manna Food Bank in Mills River and another $50,000 to Feeding the Carolinas in Clemmons in 2025, both labeled food-bank grants. A similar $50,000 award went to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina in Charlotte in 2023, showing repeated support for regional anti-hunger providers. Its education funding centers on scholarships at public universities. North Carolina State University received $20,000 in 2023, $17,500 in 2025, and another $16,250 in 2025 for scholarships. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte received $15,000 in 2025, while UNC Greensboro appears with $10,000 grants in both 2023 and 2025. Outside North Carolina, the foundation supported the University of South Carolina with $12,500 and Clemson University with $10,000, both for scholarships.
Typical grants are in the low five figures: the 25th percentile is $9,375, the median is $11,250, and the 75th percentile is $18,125. That distribution sits below the foundation’s $50,000 food-bank awards, which are clear outliers at the top of the recent list. The grant pattern also shows repeat support to the same institutions across multiple years, including North Carolina State University, UNC Greensboro, UNC Chapel Hill, and Appalachian State University. The foundation makes direct grants rather than program-related investments and does not fund individuals.
$261K
$303K
$316K
$306K
Most grants fall between $9K and $18K, with a median of $11K.
25th Percentile
$9K
Median
$11K
75th Percentile
$18K
ANN EDMONDSON
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Notable grantees: Feeding the Carolinas, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Manna Food Bank, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Grantmaking is concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 83% of grants and is the top state by grant count. Recipient cities in the recent list include Raleigh, Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Boone, Cullowhee, Mills River, and Clemmons. South Carolina appears as a secondary location through grants to Columbia and Clemson. All recent grants in the data went to U.S.-based recipients.
Its recent grants center on two areas: hunger relief through food banks and scholarships for public universities. The largest awards in the list went to Manna Food Bank and Feeding the Carolinas, while many smaller grants supported campuses such as North Carolina State University, UNC Greensboro, and UNC Chapel Hill.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is fairly compact. The 25th percentile is $9,375, the median is $11,250, and the 75th percentile is $18,125. Most awards fall in that range, though the recent list also includes several $50,000 food-bank grants.
Yes. North Carolina State University appears with grants in 2023 and 2025, UNC Greensboro appears in both years, UNC Chapel Hill appears in both years, and Appalachian State University appears more than once. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships with core scholarship recipients.
Its giving is local and concentrated in North Carolina. The data shows 83% of grants go to recipients in NC, and the top state by grant count is also NC. Recent recipient cities include Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Boone, and Chapel Hill.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MANNA FOOD BANK | MILLS RIVER, NC | $50,000 | 2025 | FOOD BANK |
| FEEDING THE CAROLINAS | CLEMMONS, NC | $50,000 | 2025 | FOOD BANK |
| FEEDING THE CAROLINAS | CLEMMONS, NC | $50,000 | 2025 | FOOD BANK |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $17,500 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $16,250 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| UNIVERSITY OF NC AT CHARLOTTE | CHARLOTTE, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| UNIVERSITY OF SC | COLUMBIA, SC | $12,500 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| UNC GREENSBORO | GREENSBORO, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| CLEMSON UNIVERSITY | CLEMSON, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA WILLMINGTON | WILLMINGTON, NC | $7,500 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $7,500 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY | CULLOWHEE, NC | $7,500 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY | BOONE, NC | $7,500 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| SECOND HARVES FOOD BANK OF METROLIN | CHAROLOTTE, NC | $50,000 | 2023 | FOOD BANK |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $20,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $15,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| UNC GREENSBORO | GREENSBORO, NC | $10,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY | BOONE, NC | $7,500 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
UNIVERSITY OF NC AT CHARLOTTE
$15,000SCHOLARSHIPS
UNIVERSITY OF SC
$12,500SCHOLARSHIPS
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
$10,000SCHOLARSHIPS
UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA WILLMINGTON
$7,500SCHOLARSHIPS
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
$7,500SCHOLARSHIPS
APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY
$7,500SCHOLARSHIPS