The trust concentrates on local, place-based philanthropy in Rowan County and nearby areas, with a strong emphasis on land and farm preservation alongside support for community institutions. Major funding has gone to a regional land trust for conservation projects, while smaller but repeated gifts support the local Episcopal parish, agricultural extension programming, and a public high school—indicating interest in conserving rural landscapes and sustaining local civic and educational infrastructure.
Concentrated, locally focused giving: a majority of funds are directed to a single conservation partner via repeat grants, supplemented by targeted, modest awards to faith-based, agricultural extension, and public school beneficiaries.
Three Rivers Land Trust Inc received the trust’s largest recent grant, $82,803 in 2023, followed by $56,625 in 2024 and $47,000 in 2025 for general support. That repeated funding pattern points to a funder that backs a long-running land conservation partner rather than one-off projects. Richard Wainwright Barber Farm Preservation Trust Inc also supports a small set of local institutions beyond conservation, including Christ Episcopal Church and Rowan County Agriculture Extension. The grant list shows a clear preference for unrestricted support: every named recipient in the recent sample was funded for general support, and the trust’s giving stays local, with recipients in North Carolina only. The mix of conservation, parish support, agricultural education, and school funding suggests a place-based strategy centered on rural landscapes and the civic infrastructure around them. With annual grants of about $290,014 and assets of $4,175,732, the trust operates at a modest scale but directs its resources consistently toward organizations tied to Salisbury, Rowan County, and nearby communities.
Land and farm preservation is the clearest theme in the trust’s recent giving. Three Rivers Land Trust Inc, based in Salisbury, received $82,803 in 2023, $56,625 in 2024, and $47,000 in 2025, all for general support. That multi-year pattern makes conservation the most visible anchor in the portfolio. The trust also supports faith-based local institutions: Christ Episcopal Church in Cleveland, NC received $32,450 in 2024 and $31,136 in 2023, again through general support. Agricultural education appears as another priority, with $20,000 in 2025 to Rowan County Agriculture Extension in Salisbury for general support. The same amount went in 2025 to West Rowan High School in Mount Ulla for general support, showing that the trust also funds public education connected to the local community.
Typical gifts cluster in the low tens of thousands: the p25 is $25,568, the median is $32,450, and the p75 is $51,812. The recent list also shows repeat support across multiple years, especially for Three Rivers Land Trust Inc and Christ Episcopal Church, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards. The trust’s grants are flexible in form: the recent sample is entirely general support. Richard Wainwright Barber Farm Preservation Trust Inc does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments, so its giving is structured as organizational grant support rather than direct aid or PRI activity.
$290K
$4.2M
$222K
$132K
Most grants fall between $26K and $52K, with a median of $32K.
25th Percentile
$26K
Median
$32K
75th Percentile
$52K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in NC.
Jason A Walser
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Notable grantees: Three Rivers Land Trust Inc, Christ Episcopal Church, Rowan County Agriculture Extension, West Rowan High School
Grantmaking is highly concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 100% of the recent recipient sample. Salisbury appears repeatedly as the center of activity, through Three Rivers Land Trust Inc and Rowan County Agriculture Extension. Cleveland and Mount Ulla also show up in the recent grants list through Christ Episcopal Church and West Rowan High School. The geography matches a local giving pattern: support lands in Rowan County and nearby communities rather than spreading across multiple states or countries.
Recent grants show support for land conservation, church-related work, agricultural education, and a public high school. Named recipients include Three Rivers Land Trust Inc, Christ Episcopal Church, Rowan County Agriculture Extension, and West Rowan High School, all funded for general support.
The typical grant size data places the 25th percentile at $25,568, the median at $32,450, and the 75th percentile at $51,812. Recent awards in the sample range from $20,000 to $82,803.
Yes. Three Rivers Land Trust Inc appears in three consecutive years: $82,803 in 2023, $56,625 in 2024, and $47,000 in 2025. Christ Episcopal Church also received support in 2023 and 2024, showing multi-year relationships.
The recent grants sample is entirely in North Carolina, with 100% of grants going to recipients in the state. Recipient locations in the list include Salisbury, Cleveland, and Mount Ulla.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Rivers Land Trust Inc | Salisbury, NC | $47,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Rowan county Agriculture Extension | Salisbury, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | General support |
| West Rowan High School | Mount Ulla, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Three Rivers Land Trust Inc | Salisbury, NC | $56,625 | 2024 | General support |
| Christ Episcopal Church | Cleveland, NC | $32,450 | 2024 | General support |
| Three Rivers Land Trust Inc | Salisbury, NC | $82,803 | 2023 | General support |
| Christ Episcopal Church | Cleveland, NC | $31,136 | 2023 | General support |
Three Rivers Land Trust Inc
$47,000General Support
Rowan county Agriculture Extension
$20,000General support
West Rowan High School
$20,000General support
Three Rivers Land Trust Inc
$56,625General support
Christ Episcopal Church
$32,450General support
Three Rivers Land Trust Inc
$82,803General support
Christ Episcopal Church
$31,136General support