(April 2025) – The Black Mountain-Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund awarded 16 grants totaling $124,130 to nonprofits serving the community in its recent grant cycle. The Endowment, in partnership with The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC), has awarded grants totaling $1,662,730.
In addition to the Endowment, the Buckner Family Endowment Fund, Forbes Fund for Black Mountain-Swannanoa Valley, Helen S. and Jerry M. Newbold, Jr. Endowment Fund, and Standaert Family Endowment Fund provided funding for these grants.
“Supporting local nonprofits is more important than ever following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” said Advisory Board Chair Kannah L. Begley Walker. “The entire region was affected, and nonprofits joined other first responders on the front lines. As recovery progresses, these critical organizations continue to meet their missions and increased demand. Contributions from our friends and neighbors, both recently and over the years invested for long-term support, helped make this year’s grants possible.”
The 2025 grants are:
$10,000 to Asheville Creative Arts as fiscal sponsor for Swannanoa Communities Together to help families secure and retain housing.
$2,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina to recruit, screen, train, and place mentoring volunteers with youth.
$10,000 to Black Mountain Counseling Center to provide individual and group counseling and other mental health services.
$8,450 to Black Mountain Volunteer Firefighters Association for a disaster training program for citizen volunteers.
$5,000 to Blue Ridge Public Radio to replace an aging transmitter and improve a transmission tower.
$9,500 to Charles D. Owen Middle School for iPads and microscopes.
$10,000 to Christmount Christian Assembly to restore critical infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene.
$10,000 to Hammer and Heart to provide home repairs for low-income homeowners.
$9,180 to Hand in Hand of the Swannanoa Valley to provide basic needs and educational resources to students from low-income families.
$10,000 to Helping at Risk Kids to address the urgent needs of homeless and foster children whose families are recovering from Hurricane Helene.
$5,000 to Literacy Together to expand youth and adult literacy programming in the Swannanoa Valley.
$10,000 to Meals on Wheels of Asheville and Buncombe County to purchase wholesale food for meal preparation for homebound seniors.
$3,500 to RiverLink to bring high-quality freshwater science lessons to schools.
$10,000 to Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry to support the development of a health clinic that will include a mobile unit.
$5,000 to Waypoint Adventure to provide adventure education programming for public school students with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities.
$6,000 to White Horse Black Mountain to provide daytime music programs for senior citizens until a new center can be rebuilt.
In 1999, local residents established the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Valley Endowment 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 serving Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley. To make a tax-deductible contribution, donate online or by mail to the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund, c/o CFWNC, 4 Vanderbilt Park Drive, Suite 300, Asheville, NC 28803, memo line: Black Mountain-Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund. Contributions of any size are welcome.
The local Advisory Board includes: Sylvia Bassett, Kannah L. Begley Walker (Chair), Jose L. Bello, Mary Anna Belz (Secretary), Amy Berry, Jon D. Brooks (Vice Chair), Margaret Fuller Hurt, Rodney L. Lytle, Bradley McMahan, Cory Partlow, Julie Rasku, Sheila H. Showers, and Betsy Warren.
For additional information about the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund, contact Kannah Begley Walker at (828) 772-4251 or kannah@blackmountainsavings.com.