(March 2021) – The McDowell Endowment awarded eleven grants totaling $23,540 to local nonprofit organizations in its recent grant cycle. The McDowell Endowment, in partnership with CFWNC, has awarded grants totaling $1,189,176.
“These awards are possible because people who care about this community built a fund over time,” said Advisory Board Chair Sim Cross. “Nonprofits have faced so many challenges over the past year. We are pleased to award these grants to help important community organizations address the needs of those continuing to suffer from the pandemic and to aid in our community’s recovery.”
The 2021 grants are:
$2,500 to Babies Need Bottoms to provide diapers and baby hygiene items to low-income families.
$2,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina to recruit and train mentoring volunteers.
$2,000 to Brackett Town Farms for a walkway to improve access to its facilities.
$1,000 to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue to subsidize spay and neuter surgeries for low-income families who have pets.
$2,540 to CareReach to provide dental and medical assistance to low-income people.
$2,500 to Centro Unido Latino-Americano to provide essential basic services to primarily low-income Latinx people.
$2,500 to Foothills Health District to purchase a bariatric exam table.
$2,500 to McDowell County Government/North Carolina Cooperative Extension to provide local farmers with marketing support to improve sales of their produce and products.
$2,500 to McDowell Local Food Advisory Council (LFAC) to support staff and purchase food.
$1,000 to Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte to provide residential support to McDowell families whose children are undergoing medical treatment in the Charlotte area.
$2,500 to YMCA of Western North Carolina to support an academic recovery program.
In 1995, local residents established the Endowment as a permanent charitable fund to meet local needs. Gifts added to the Endowment’s principal are preserved and invested, while grants from the Endowment support nonprofits in McDowell County.
The local, volunteer Advisory Board includes: Marion Baker, Jim Burgin, Vicki Burton, Simeon R. Cross (Chair), Marsh Dark, Juanita Doggett, Kimberly Effler, Steve Gaito, Ryan Kelley, Michael Lavender, Ray McKesson, Rob Noyes, Sharon Parker, Nancy Spencer and Bobbie Young.
In addition to the Endowment, the following CFWNC funds support grantmaking in McDowell County: Margaret Westmoreland Gibson Memorial Fund, Greenlee Family Fund, A.C. Hogan Family Fund and Daniel I. and Joy Q. Shuford Fund.