By Tim Gardner
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) and Dogwood Health Trust are partnering to launch the WNC Community Enhancement Program that will award grants to charitable organizations and eligible public agencies to fund projects in downtowns or commercial corridors that enhance appearance, infrastructure, and/or the pedestrian experience.
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina will administer the program and will award grants up to $10,000 for projects not exceeding a total cost of $50,000. Dogwood Health Trust provided the funding for the one-year pilot program. Grants will be reviewed and announced quarterly.
Eligibility requirements include that organizations must be tax-exempt and located in the Qualla Boundary. The Qualla Boundary or The Qualla is territory held as a land trust by the United States government for the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who reside in Western North Carolina. The area is part of the large historic Cherokee territory in the Southeast, which extended into eastern Tennessee, western South Carolina, northern Georgia, and Alabama.
As a result of the latter mandate, Avery County is one of eighteen counties in Western North Carolina located in the Qualla Boundary that meets eligibility. The other eligible counties are: Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey.
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina officials said that priority will be given to projects located in rural or other under-resourced areas.
“WNC Community Enhancement grants can help build, rebuild or refresh community spaces that foster connections and economic development,” commented CFWNC Scholarship and Program Officer Lezette Parks, who will manage the program. “In general, funded projects will be stand-alone, rather than part of a larger project, and we anticipate that most will address beautification or infrastructure improvements.”
Sarah Thompson, Dogwood Health Trust Vice President for Economic Opportunity added: “Dogwood Health Trust is glad to have partners in the region that we can work with to try new approaches to rural economic development. Enhancements to rural downtowns and commercial districts can spur economic growth and revitalization and support small businesses.”
Those interested in applying can learn more by logging online to the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s website (cfwnc.org).
Headquartered in Asheville, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina works with families, businesses and nonprofits to strengthen communities through the creation of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking. A permanent charitable resource, the foundation manages more than 1,200 funds. The organization facilitated $34 million in grants last year (2022), bringing the total of giving to more than $362 million since its founding forty-five years ago in 1978.
Grants alone don’t reflect the breadth and depth of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s help to, and benefits for, Avery County.
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina has awarded $860,000 in grants to Avery County, which includes donor advised, designated, Human Services, Learning Links, and other assistance. The CFWNC also awards scholarships to Avery County students. And Avery County has also benefitted from numerous grants to nonprofit organizations that serve the region broadly or a narrower subset of counties which include Avery.
Dogwood Health Trust is a regional grantmaker that supports dramatically improving the health and well-being of all people and communities in the 18 counties and Qualla Boundary of Western North Carolina. In total, Dogwood made more than $81 million in total community investments last year, according to its annual report.
That included a total of $1,477,451.00 for Avery County.
The $1.4 million given to Avery County includes grants to its based nonprofits as well as other organizations that serve the county, but are based elsewhere.
Dogwood Health Trust provided grants totaling $726,760.00 to four organizations based in Avery County. Those organizations and the total grant amounts received were:
- The Crossnore School & Childrens Home – $468,600.00
- YMCA of Avery County – $160,000.00
- Feeding Avery Families – $10,000.00
- OASIS – $88,160.00
There are additional organizations outside of Avery County, but operate across several counties and can use a percentage of the funds to support work in Avery County.
Like the CFWNC, Dogwood Health Trust is also based in Asheville. It invested $73 million in traditional grant awards, nearly $800,000 in grant-writing and capacity building support, and $5.4 million in impact investments, in 2022. Dogwood Health Trust also adopted a new grantmaking approach that consists of two grant cycles for its four strategic priority areas — housing, education, economic opportunity, and health and wellness — and rolling applications for other opportunities. The new process helps clarify timelines so partners can better plan and prepare applications.
Also, the North Carolina Rural Center (NCRC) has received $1 million from the Dogwood Health Trust to expand its Collaborative Broadband Initiative to 18 counties in Western North Carolina, including Avery.
To learn more about Dogwood Health Trust, log onto its web site: dogwoodhealthtrust.org.
“All our citizens and businesses, other county officials, and myself are appreciative past any way of measurement for the grants, funds, and all other assistance Avery has received and will qualify for in the future from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and Dogwood Trust. We could never thank them enough. And have helped our county in most mighty and most lasting ways,” said Martha Hicks, Chairwoman of the Avery County Board of Commissioners.
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