Z Smith Reynolds Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Z Smith Reynolds Foundation
We partner with the extraordinary people of North Carolina to create positive and sustained change. We support people and organizations working to improve the quality of life for all North Carolinians.
Focus Areas
DemocracyEnvironmentPublic EducationSocial and Economic JusticeInclusive Public ArtCommunity development / local progress
Who They Fund
North Carolina residentsNC middle-income undergraduate studentsuniversity faculty membersTribal / Native communities in North Carolinayouth (including civic/youth engagement programs)communities affected by disasters (WNC)
About Z Smith Reynolds Foundation
Z Smith Reynolds Foundation Inc. shows a long-running pattern of funding Wake Forest University under a 1990 contract, with repeated annual payments tied to general support, faculty development, and scholarships. That institutional relationship sits alongside broader grantmaking for North Carolina organizations working on democracy, public education, environment, social and economic justice, and community progress. The foundation’s recent awards also show support for civic and community infrastructure. In Raleigh, it gave $800,000 to NC Justice Center for general operating support, and it made a $500,000 grant to Sit-in Movement Inc. for world heritage expansion and property acquisition and protection. Other large grants support legal aid, public education-related work, and local civic engagement efforts across the state. Its program list adds another layer to that pattern: short-term community grants in rural North Carolina, paid sabbaticals for nonprofit leaders, and an inclusive public art initiative focused on under-told stories of North Carolinians. The result is a funder that combines recurring institutional support with project grants, operating support, and capacity-building awards for organizations and people serving North Carolina communities.
What Z Smith Reynolds Foundation Funds
Public education appears through both institutional and nonprofit support. Wake Forest University received repeated grants for scholarships, faculty development, and special undergraduate needs, while the Public School Forum of NC was funded for the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity project and the Public Schools Matter campaign. Democracy and civic engagement are another clear thread. Democracy NC received general operating support and separate project funding for the Carolina Youth Partnership, a youth engagement project, and a rapid response nonpartisan voter guide proposal. Southern Vision Alliance was funded for Durham Beyond Policing and for work connected to North Carolina’s Latinx communities. Legal and disaster-related support also show up in the portfolio. Legal Aid of NC received operating support and Home Defense Project funding, including work tied to WNC disaster relief. The foundation also funded NC Center for Nonprofit Organizations for capacity building grants and general operating support.
How Z Smith Reynolds Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$21.7M
Total Assets
$23.6M
Total Revenue
$25.3M
Total Expenses
$26.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $20K and $70K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$70K
Geographic Reach
Local17 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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