Salt Water Fund concentrates its giving on the Cape Fear / Wilmington, NC region, prioritizing general operating support for organizations that serve children, families, and community stability. The foundation favors education and youth development organizations, community rebuilding and service providers, and cross-sector collective impact efforts, often making multi-year or repeat large grants. Its support is local and program-agnostic (general contributions), signaling trust in grantee leadership and organizational capacity.
Concentrated, large grants with repeated funding to a small set of regional organizations; primarily unrestricted/general operating support rather than project-specific funding.
Salt Water Fund’s largest recent grants go to Wilmington-based organizations working in education, youth services, and community stability. In 2023, the fund gave $2,975,000 to Glow NC, followed by $2,885,894 to Beacon Education in 2024, showing repeated large commitments to local organizations rather than one-off awards. The same pattern continues in 2025 with $1,050,000 to Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina and $1,000,000 to Cape Fear Collective, both in Wilmington. The fund’s recent giving is built around general contributions, with multiple grants to the same organizations across years. Beacon Education appears several times in the grant list, and Glow NC also received more than one large award. Alongside school-focused grants, Salt Water Fund supports organizations tied to family services, housing repair, and collective impact work in the Cape Fear area. Its grant list also includes smaller awards to groups in Lincoln County and other North Carolina communities, but Wilmington remains the center of the fund’s activity.
Education is a major theme in Salt Water Fund’s recent grants. Beacon Education received $2,885,894 in 2024, plus additional awards of $875,609 and $189,179 the same year, all as general contributions. Cape Fear Academy also received $250,000 in 2023. Youth development is another clear area of support. The fund gave $1,050,000 to Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina in 2025 and $230,000 to Crossnore Communities for Children in 2024, with another $10,000 to Crossnore in 2025. The foundation also backs community support and rebuilding work. Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry received $400,000 in 2023, while Good Shepherd Center Wilmington received $100,000 in 2024. Collective Impact in New Hanover County Inc received $200,000 in 2023 and $200,000 in 2024, pointing to sustained support for local coordination efforts.
Typical grant size is $40,000 at the 25th percentile, $200,000 at the median, and $350,000 at the 75th percentile, which indicates a tilt toward mid-sized to large awards. The recent record shows repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, including Beacon Education, Glow NC, Crossnore Communities for Children, and Williams YMCA of Avery County. Grants are listed as general contributions, suggesting flexible support rather than project-specific funding. Salt Water Fund is a private foundation, and the grant history reflects direct discretionary grantmaking rather than an open application process.
$2.3M
$8.7M
$1.1M
$2.6M
Most grants fall between $40K and $350K, with a median of $200K.
25th Percentile
$40K
Median
$200K
75th Percentile
$350K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in NC.
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Notable grantees: Beacon Education, GLOW NC, Cape Fear Collective, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina, Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry
Salt Water Fund gives overwhelmingly within North Carolina, with Wilmington appearing most often in the recent grants list and serving as the main hub for recipients such as Glow NC, Beacon Education, and Cape Fear Collective. Other North Carolina locations also appear, including Newland, Linville, and Raleigh. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 27 grants in the United States and no non-U.S. recipient countries in the recent list.
The recent grants point to organizations in education, youth development, family services, community rebuilding, and collective impact work. Examples include Beacon Education for schooling, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina for youth development, Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry for repair and rebuilding, and Collective Impact in New Hanover County Inc for coordination work.
Yes. Every recent grant in the list is labeled as a general contribution, including large awards to Glow NC, Beacon Education, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina, and Cape Fear Collective. That pattern suggests flexible support rather than project-by-project funding.
The grant-size distribution centers on larger awards: the 25th percentile is $40,000, the median is $200,000, and the 75th percentile is $350,000. Recent awards range from $2,000 to $2,975,000, with several six- and seven-figure grants.
Yes. Beacon Education appears multiple times, as do Glow NC, Crossnore Communities for Children, Williams YMCA of Avery County, and Collective Impact in New Hanover County Inc. The repeated awards show that the fund often returns to organizations it already supports.
North Carolina is the top state by grant count, and Wilmington is the most common recipient city in the recent grants list. The grant history also includes Newland, Linville, and Raleigh, but the center of activity is the Cape Fear/Wilmington area.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA | WILMINGTON, NC | $1,050,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| CAPE FEAR COLLECTIVE | WILMINGTON, NC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| CAPE FEAR COLLECTIVE | WILMINGTON, NC | $125,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| WILLIAMS YMCA OF AVERY COUNTY | LINVILLE, NC | $60,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| BEACON EDUCATION | WILMINGTON, NC | $53,645 | 2025 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION | ALPHARETTA, GA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN | LINVILLE, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| CROSSNORE COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN | NEWLAND, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| BEACON EDUCATION | WILMINGTON, NC | $2,885,894 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| GLOW NC | WILMINGTON, NC | $902,510 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| BEACON EDUCATION | WILMINGTON, NC | $875,609 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| CROSSNORE COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN | NEWLAND, NC | $230,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| COLLECTIVE IMPACT IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY INC | WILMINGTON, NC | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| BEACON EDUCATION | WILMINGTON, NC | $189,179 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| GOOD SHEPHERD CENTER WILMINGTON | WILMINGTON, NC | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| YMCA OF THE TRIANGLE AREA INC | RALEIGH, NC | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| WILLIAMS YMCA OF AVERY COUNTY | LINVILLE, NC | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| BURGWIN WRIGHT HOUSE & GARDENS | WILMINGTON, NC | $3,500 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MISSION TEAM INC | WILMINGTON, CT | $2,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| GLOW NC | WILMINGTON, NC | $2,975,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| WILMINGTON AREA REBUILDING MINISTRY | WILMINGTON, NC | $400,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| THE CAROUSEL CENTER | WILMINGTON, NC | $300,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| CAPE FEAR ACADEMY | WILMINGTON, NC | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| COLLECTIVE IMPACT IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY INC | WILMINGTON, NC | $200,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| STEP UP WILMINGTON | WILMINGTON, NC | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
| CAMP SCHREIBER | WILMINGTON, NC | $30,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CONTRIBUTION |
CAPE FEAR COLLECTIVE
$1,000,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
CAPE FEAR COLLECTIVE
$125,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION
GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN
$15,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
GLOW NC
$902,510GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
COLLECTIVE IMPACT IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY INC
$200,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
GOOD SHEPHERD CENTER WILMINGTON
$100,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
BURGWIN WRIGHT HOUSE & GARDENS
$3,500GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MISSION TEAM INC
$2,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
GLOW NC
$2,975,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
CAPE FEAR ACADEMY
$250,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
COLLECTIVE IMPACT IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY INC
$200,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
STEP UP WILMINGTON
$50,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION
CAMP SCHREIBER
$30,000GENERAL CONTRIBUTION