(April 2023) – The Yancey Fund awarded twenty grants totaling $154,340 to nonprofits serving Yancey County in its recent grant cycle. CFWNC’s Bailey-Hilliard Fund also provided funding for these grants. The Yancey Fund, CFWNC, has awarded grants totaling $1,522,623 since 1998.
“Through the support of friends and neighbors, we are able to fund worthwhile projects and nonprofits doing good work across Yancey County,” said Advisory Board Chair Gregory Stella. “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:
$10,000 to Annabelle’s Haven to prepare a site for construction of a domestic violence shelter.
$10,000 to Appalachian Therapeutic Riding Center for a summer program for children with special needs.
$7,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina for a youth mentoring program.
$3,700 to CareReach to help cover healthcare costs incurred by people with low incomes.
$3,500 to Carolina Mountains Literary Festival to support a youth literacy event, including author presentations and books.
$10,000 to Dig In! Yancey Community Garden to support garden programs that provide fresh produce to people with low incomes.
$10,000 to Feed-A-Child WNC to complete renovations of a building that will be used to store and pack food for children.
$6,380 to Full STEAM Ahead Carolina for a robotics and arts program for youth.
$8,300 to High Country Area Agency on Aging to support dementia caregivers through meetings and other resources.
$6,380 to High Country Caregiver Foundation for a business incubator where teens learn marketable skills and financial literacy and are introduced to higher education opportunities.
$5,000 to M.Y. Life Center to paint a building where it provides services to people in need.
$10,000 to Mitchell-Yancey Habitat for Humanity to renovate a house that will be sold to a low-income family.
$4,700 to Parkway Playhouse of Burnsville to purchase software to improve operations.
$5,000 to Partners Aligned Toward Health (PATH) for physical activity programs for youth and adults.
$10,000 to Pisgah Legal Services to provide free civil legal assistance to and to advocate for residents with low incomes.
$10,000 to Southern Reconciliation Ministries to purchase food for its pantry.
$10,000 to Toe River Aggregation Center Training Organization Regional (TRACTOR) to provide fresh, local produce for people with low incomes.
$10,000 to WAMY Community Action to provide home repairs to people with low incomes.
$8,000 to Yancey County Schools to purchase physical education supplies and books for four elementary schools.
$6,380 to Yancey History Association to restore the cedar shake roof of the historic McElroy House.
In 1998, local residents established The Yancey Fund as a permanent charitable endowment to meet local needs. Gifts added to the Fund’s principal are preserved and invested, while grants from the Fund support nonprofits in Yancey County. To make a tax-deductible contribution, donate online or by mail to The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, 4 Vanderbilt Park Drive, Suite 300, Asheville, NC 28803, memo line: The Yancey Fund. Contributions of any size are welcome.
The local volunteer Advisory Board includes: Jim Ashton, Jill Austin, Gretchen Banks, Amber Westall Briggs, Olivier Calas, Dr. Monica Carpenter, Frances Coletta Young, Deb d’Aquin, Jim Gentry Jr., Jayne Ellen Hunt (Secretary), Calvin Rash, Julia Silvers (Vice Chair) and Gregory Stella (Chair).
For more information about The Yancey Fund, email Advisory Board Chair Gregory Stella.