The Community Investments Foundation acts primarily as a grantmaker and philanthropic conduit in the Charlotte region, channeling very large gifts to community foundations and Jewish community endowments while making occasional smaller gifts to cultural/historical institutions and higher-education centers. Its giving is oriented toward building permanent philanthropic capacity and sustaining local community infrastructure rather than direct program delivery.
Highly concentrated, large-dollar grants primarily to a few grantmaking intermediaries and donor-advised vehicles; repeat multi-grant support to the same foundations with occasional modest gifts to universities and cultural organizations.
Community Investments Foundation’s recent giving is dominated by very large grants to a small set of Charlotte-based philanthropic intermediaries, especially Foundation for the Carolinas and Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community. Those gifts point to a funder that channels capital through community grantmaking infrastructure and Jewish endowments rather than through direct service grants. In the latest grants list, the largest award was $17,997,255 to Foundation for the Carolinas in 2025, following similarly large grants of $17,535,485 in 2023 and $15,141,325 in 2024 to the same recipient. The foundation also made a $8,871,030 grant to Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community in 2024 and a $5,722,008 grant in 2025, showing repeated support for that institution. Alongside those large-scale commitments, the foundation makes smaller charitable gifts to cultural and historical organizations such as Tryon Palace Foundation Inc and to donor-advised or charitable endowment vehicles like Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program. The pattern is institutional, endowment-oriented, and built around sustaining local philanthropic capacity.
A major part of the foundation’s work is support for community grantmaking infrastructure. It gave $17,997,255 to Foundation for the Carolinas in 2025 for grantmaking, after similar grants of $17,535,485 in 2023 and $15,141,325 in 2024. It also supports Jewish philanthropy in Charlotte, including a $8,871,030 grant in 2024 and a $5,722,008 grant in 2025 to Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community, both for grantmaking. Beyond those institutional commitments, the foundation makes smaller gifts to charitable and cultural organizations, including $40,000 to Tryon Palace Foundation Inc in 2025 as a charitable gift. Its portfolio also includes donor-advised or passthrough vehicles such as Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, which received grants in 2024 and 2025.
The reported grant-size distribution is highly skewed: p25 is $9,202, the median is $4,444,545, and p75 is $13,573,751. That spread fits a pattern of a few very large institutional grants alongside much smaller charitable gifts. Recipients also appear across multiple years, including repeat grants to the same Charlotte-based foundations in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation is a public charity, not a private family foundation, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$23.8M
$68.8M
$16.5M
$25.3M
Most grants fall between $9K and $13.6M, with a median of $4.4M.
25th Percentile
$9K
Median
$4.4M
75th Percentile
$13.6M
About 83% of grants go to recipients in RI.
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Notable grantees: Foundation for the Carolinas, Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community, Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, Tryon Palace Foundation, UNC Charlotte Foundation
Giving is strongly local and concentrated in North Carolina: 83% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state. Charlotte is the main recipient city, with multiple grants to organizations there, while New Bern appears in smaller cultural gifts. Outside North Carolina, the only recipient location in the recent list is Warwick, Rhode Island, through Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 11 grants in the United States.
It most often supports philanthropic intermediaries and endowments, especially community grantmaking infrastructure and Jewish philanthropy in Charlotte. The recent grants list also shows smaller gifts to a historical/cultural institution and to donor-advised or passthrough charitable vehicles.
Yes. The same recipients appear in multiple years, including Foundation for the Carolinas in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community in 2024 and 2025. Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program also received grants in 2024 and 2025.
The grant-size distribution is uneven: p25 is $9,202, the median is $4,444,545, and p75 is $13,573,751. That indicates a mix of very large institutional awards and much smaller charitable gifts.
Most grants go to North Carolina recipients, with 83% of grants in the foundation’s headquarters state. Charlotte is the main recipient city in the recent list, with additional grants to New Bern and one grant to Warwick, Rhode Island.
No. The profile states that Community Investments Foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS | CHARLOTTE, NC | $17,997,255 | 2025 | GRANTMAKING |
| FOUNDATION FOR THE CHARLOTTE JEWISH COMMUNITY | CHARLOTTE, NC | $5,722,008 | 2025 | GRANTMAKING |
| BRADHAMS LEGACY | NEW BERN, NC | $51,813 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| TRYON PALACE FOUNDATION INC | NEW BERN, NC | $40,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM | WARWICK, RI | $31,905 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| FOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS | CHARLOTTE, NC | $15,141,325 | 2024 | GRANTMAKING |
| FOUNDATION FOR THE CHARLOTTE JEWISH COMMUNITY | CHARLOTTE, NC | $8,871,030 | 2024 | GRANTMAKING |
| VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM | WARWICK, RI | $18,060 | 2024 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| FOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS | CHARLOTTE, NC | $17,535,485 | 2023 | GRANTMAKING |
| UNC CHARLOTTE FOUNDATION | CHARLOTTE, NC | $6,249 | 2023 | CHILDRESS KLEIN CENTER FOR REAL ESTATE ENDOWMENT |
| UNC - CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $6,249 | 2023 | KENAN-FLAGLER BUSINESS SCHOOL LEONARD WOOD CENTER |
FOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS
$17,997,255GRANTMAKING
FOUNDATION FOR THE CHARLOTTE JEWISH COMMUNITY
$5,722,008GRANTMAKING
BRADHAMS LEGACY
$51,813CHARITABLE GIFT
TRYON PALACE FOUNDATION INC
$40,000CHARITABLE GIFT
VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM
$31,905CHARITABLE GIFT
FOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS
$15,141,325GRANTMAKING
FOUNDATION FOR THE CHARLOTTE JEWISH COMMUNITY
$8,871,030GRANTMAKING
VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM
$18,060CHARITABLE GIFT
FOUNDATION FOR THE CAROLINAS
$17,535,485GRANTMAKING
UNC CHARLOTTE FOUNDATION
$6,249CHILDRESS KLEIN CENTER FOR REAL ESTATE ENDOWMENT
UNC - CHAPEL HILL
$6,249KENAN-FLAGLER BUSINESS SCHOOL LEONARD WOOD CENTER