(April 2025) Philip Belcher has served as Vice President of Programs since August 2012. When he came to CFWNC, annual grantmaking was $8 million; it now regularly exceeds $20 million.
In 2011, shortly before Philp’s arrival, CFWNC streamlined discretionary grantmaking by adopting focus areas. Philip led the Early Childhood Development focus area grantmaking for thirteen years, served on the Buncombe County Early Childhood Development Task Force, and built strong and fruitful partnerships across the sector. He worked with leadership and staff to refine grantmaking as the region’s philanthropic landscape changed.
Reflecting on his tenure, Philip points to projects such as the reconciliation process and subsequent support for the Nikwasi Initiative in the far west and the funding of unique grassroots initiatives that have demonstrated staying power, such as the Utopian Seed Project, as particularly rewarding.
Philip has served in a variety of leadership positions, including the Board of Directors of The North Carolina Network of Grantmakers, Nurse-Family Partnership State Advisory Council, and Steering Committee for WNC Nonprofit Pathways.
Tara Scholtz, currently a Senior Program Officer, will step into the role of Vice President, Programs. Tara has been part of CFWNC’s staff since 2002 and has experience and knowledge across the Foundation. She has deep roots in WNC, having grown up in Cherokee County, and has managed several grant programs, including four affiliate funds, the Pigeon River Fund, Asheville Merchants Fund, Women for Women’s grantmaking and the Food and Farming, Natural Resources and Cultural Resources focus areas. Since Hurricane Helene, Tara has led CFWNC’s Emergency and Disaster Response Fund grantmaking, which has exceeded $30 million.
“Tara has extensive experience with our grant programs and processes and has developed trusted relationships with staff, regional nonprofit partners, individual donors, and grant program advisory boards. She understands the relationship between our work, which can seem incremental, and larger regional issues that can only be addressed collaboratively by philanthropy and the public sector. She is ideally suited for the position; the Program Department will be in good hands,” said Belcher.
“It’s an honor to work with my colleagues as CFWNC continues to evolve and to partner with organizations addressing critical issues and protecting natural and cultural treasures,” said Scholtz. “I’m hopeful about the region’s potential and desire to create a stronger, more equitable, and more resilient place for all who call it home.”