(September 2026) CFWNC recently approved two Natural Resources focus area grants totaling $394,811.
UNC Asheville Foundation was awarded $296,811 over three years to continue the Community Lumber Project (CLP) through the UNC-A STEAM Studio. The project was launched in the wake of Hurricane Helene to remove and repurpose blown-down trees, providing lumber for rebuilding efforts and for use by STEAM Studio students, and to clear debris and mitigate wildfire risk. (You can watch A Full Circle Moment video to learn more.) Operating on a nonprofit basis, it can take salvaged lumber in small quantities that other sawmills would reject because the procurement is not cost-effective.
The Trillium Fund, Fenton Family WNC Fund, Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund, Walnut Fund, Terrence Lee One Love Fund, Oliver Family Fund, and two anonymous funds provided co-investment for this grant.
“CFWNC supported this program last year with Emergency and Disaster Response funding, and more than 100 storm-felled trees were milled for rebuilding efforts, serving six community organizations and 30 individuals,” said Vice President for Programs Tara Scholtz. “Over the next 3 years, the CLP expects to transition into a self-sustaining social enterprise developing a replicable framework to responsibly utilize urban and storm-felled trees. The project also supports workforce development at UNCA in sustainable forestry and lumber industries through student engagement in the operational, financial, product development, and ecological management of lumber production.”
Wildlands Network – as fiscal sponsor for the Safe Passage Coalition received $98,000 to support its advocacy work, communications, technical assistance, and partnership-building that improves wildlife connectivity, advances transportation safety, and leverages public investments. The NC Department of Transportation has a need for science-based guidance to ensure investments are strategically located and designed to maximize both conservation value and public safety benefits. Roads remain one of the greatest barriers to wildlife movement, fragmenting habitat, isolating wildlife populations, and contributing to thousands of wildlife-vehicle collisions across the state each year.
Safe Passage achieved a landmark policy victory when the NC General Assembly included a historic $10.2 million recurring appropriation to support wildlife crossings statewide in the newly passed budget. This investment builds upon NC's first-ever $2 million wildlife crossing appropriation in 2023—also secured through Safe Passage's advocacy. As of July 2026, NC leads the nation in recurring funding dedicated to wildlife crossings.
The Gretchen Batra Fund, Nicholas R. Henderson Charitable Fund, Trillium Fund, Minigowin Fund, and Rachel Helen Silver Sunshine Fund provided co-investment for this grant.
CFWNC works with families, businesses and nonprofits to strengthen communities through the creation of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking. CFWNC awards discretionary funding in Education, Cultural Resources, Human Services, and Natural Resources. A permanent charitable resource, the Foundation manages over 1,300 funds and facilitated $37.7 million in grants last year bringing total distributions to more than $494 million since its founding in 1978.