(September 2024) The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) awarded three WNC Community Enhancement grants totaling $26,500 to support charitable organizations and eligible public agencies engaged in projects in downtowns or commercial corridors that enhance appearance, infrastructure, or the pedestrian experience.
The grants are:
$10,000 to Art League of Henderson County to serve as the primary sponsor for the 2025 ArtScape Banner public art project in downtown Hendersonville.
$6,500 to Mitchell Giving Gardens to install a timber-frame kiosk at the entrance to the organization's public garden at Riverside Park. The kiosk will serve as a welcome center for guests, provide education and orientation information to the site, and include a community bulletin board that promotes events in the downtown Spruce Pine business corridor.
$10,000 to RiverLink to design, fabricate and install artful educational signage promoting the theme and purpose of a new public green space to be known as Gateway Park, located along Riverside Drive at Pearson Bridge in Asheville.
CFWNC and Dogwood Health Trust partnered to make WNC Community Enhancement grants available through a one-year pilot. The grants support rural economic development and can help build, rebuild or refresh community spaces that foster connections and economic development.