(April 2023) – The McDowell Endowment awarded fourteen grants totaling $54,260 to local nonprofit organizations in its recent grant cycle. The McDowell Endowment, in partnership with CFWNC, has awarded grants totaling $1,294,716.
“Through the support of friends and neighbors, we are able to fund worthwhile projects and nonprofits doing good work across McDowell County,” said Advisory Board Vice-Chair Ryan Kelley. “Permanent charitable resources devoted to our community mean that the Fund can be responsive as needs change over time. We are grateful to everyone who has pooled their gifts with those of their neighbors. It really is generosity multiplied.”
The 2023 grants are:
$2,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina to recruit volunteer mentors for a program that serves children.
$1,000 to Brackett Town Farms to provide animal-assisted activities to local residents.
$5,000 to Casting for Hope to help meet basic needs of low-income women with gynecological cancers.
$5,000 to Centro Unido Latino-Americano for rent and utility assistance for primarily Latinx low-income people.
$4,977 to Children's Cancer Partners of the Carolinas to support medical access and other related needs for families of children with cancer.
$3,350 to East Marion Pentecostal Holiness Church/Tabernacle Community Garden to provide produce to low-income people.
$4,000 to Foothills Health District to purchase medical equipment to improve care for at-risk populations.
$750 to Jason's Getaway for events that benefit children with developmental challenges.
$5,000 to McDowell LFAC to purchase produce for youth from local farmers.
$5,000 to McDowell Technical Community College - College & Career Readiness for a support program that helps low-income students remain enrolled.
$4,183 to Mercy Fund Animal Rescue to provide veterinary services to low-income families' pets.
$3,500 to New HOPE of McDowell to provide shelter to domestic violence victims and their pets.
$5,000 to St. John's Episcopal Church/Food Pantry to purchase food for its weekly pantry.
$5,000 to YMCA of Western North Carolina for financial assistance to low-income families for pre-K and enrichment programs.
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. To make a tax-deductible contribution, donate online or by mail c/o CFWNC, 4 Vanderbilt Park Drive, Suite 300, Asheville NC 28803. Make checks payable to CFWNC, noting “The McDowell Endowment” in the memo line. Contributions of any size are welcome.
The local, volunteer Advisory Board includes: Marion H. Baker (Chair), Jim Burgin, Vicki Burton, Nakia Carson, Marsh Dark, Kimberly Effler (Secretary), Steve Gaito, Steve Jones, Ryan Kelley (Vice Chair), Michael Lavender, Patt Medders, Sharon Parker, Arthur Parks, Sandra Precoma 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.
For more information about The McDowell Endowment, contact Vice Chair Ryan Kelley at ryankeithkelley@gmail.com or 828-460-9239.