The North Carolina Community Foundation has completed its 2022 round of grantmaking from its COVID-19 relief fund, with another $1.25 million distributed to assist nonprofit organizations that were impacted by revenue loss and increased demand for services because of the pandemic.

Thirty-three grants were issued to nonprofits recently through the North Carolina Healing Communities Fund in a final round of grantmaking. This adds to the $4.25 million in grants awarded in 2021, bringing the final total of grants made by the fund to nearly $5.5 million.

Grants were awarded to organizations in Anson, Ashe, Beaufort, Bertie, Buncombe, Catawba, Columbus, Durham, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Henderson, Hertford, Hyde, Jackson, Jones, Madison, Martin, McDowell, Montgomery, Nash, Pender, Robeson, Rockingham, Sampson, Scotland, Surry and Wilson counties. (The full list of NC Healing Communities Fund grant recipients across the state can be found here.)

Launched by NCCF in July 2020, the NC Healing Communities Fund supports long-term, unmet needs for organizations embedded in or serving marginalized communities in North Carolina that were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. This includes communities of color, communities of lower wealth, communities in mostly rural areas, and communities where English is not the primary language.

A total of 149 grants, ranging from $25,000 to $55,000, were made from the NC Healing Communities Fund across the state by an advisory committee beginning in January 2021. The committee was comprised of representatives from the nonprofit, health, and human services sectors, rural and faith communities, and other partners. The average grant amount was $37,000.

Ripple Effects, an organization in Rocky Mount that connects people in need of housing and jobs to community support, would not have made it through the pandemic without the grants received through the NC Healing Communities Fund, said Keisha B. Spivey, the founder and executive director.

“With this funding, we have been able to serve over 146 homeless people, hire staff after initially having to become completely volunteer based, and keep boots on the ground during a time where we needed it the most,” she said.

Jones County Community Hope, Inc., which connects people in underserved communities to the resources they need, found itself in a similar situation.

“The funding helped us to deliver food to people in need that couldn’t come to receive food due to various barriers,” said Rodney Parker, the board chair of Jones County Community Hope, Inc. “We are 100 percent volunteer based and the funding helped us to serve over 3,000 people in need of resources.”

In addition, 20 grant recipients are also receiving capacity building support from Rural Forward NC, a program of MDC, to support the long-term sustainability of these organizations in their communities.

Funding for the NC Healing Communities Fund was provided through the collective contributions of corporations and foundations, including the State Employees' Credit Union Foundation, The Duke Endowment, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, First Citizens Bank, Anonymous Trust, Jonas Foundation, Barnhill Family Foundation, Novartis Foundation, Fidelity Bank and the North Carolina Community Foundation.

“We are grateful to our partners who saw a need to support North Carolina nonprofits in underserved areas that were hit hard by the pandemic,” said Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, NCCF CEO & president. “We have heard from the organizations that received grants that this funding was truly a lifeline for their communities, and we are honored to have helped support them.”

About the North Carolina Community Foundation

The North Carolina Community Foundation (NCCF) is the only statewide community foundation serving North Carolina and has administered over $243 million in grants since 1988. With more than $440 million in assets, NCCF sustains over 1,200 endowments and partners with a network of affiliates to award grants and scholarships in communities across the state.

An important component of NCCF’s mission is to ensure rural philanthropy has a voice at the local, regional and national levels. For more information, visit nccommunityfoundation.org.