News about grants, gifts

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources allocated 43 grants totaling more than $2 million in 2019-2020 Library Services and Technology Act grants for local N.C. libraries to strengthen capacity, expand access, and engage communities.

More than $700,000 in Hurricane Florence recovery grants to meet unmet needs and support long-term recovery in local communities across eastern North Carolina were provided by The North Carolina Community Foundation‘s Disaster Relief Fund.

United Way of Central Carolinas distributed grants totaling $26.4 million in communities across the Charlotte region to support more than 100 programs and initiatives that are strengthening neighborhoods, boosting economic mobility, and providing a safety net for people in need.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation awarded Inclusive Public Art grants totaling $450,000 to ten communities across North Carolina.

The Happy Hill neighborhood, recent recipient of an Our Town grant.The National Endowment for the Arts presented a $50,000 Our Town grant to support an artist-led cultural restoration project in the Happy Hill neighborhood. The grant was presented to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in partnership with the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts and the Winston-Salem Department of Community Development.

Hannah Flanagan’s Irish Pub and Horizon Heating & Air Conditioning awarded their second quarter, donor-advised grants to Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County ($2,000), Camp GLOW ($500), Camplify ($1,000); Girl Scouts 2019 Our Chalet Travel Patrol ($500), and St. Gerard House ($2,000).

The NC Early Education Coalition selected eight North Carolina communities for their Think Babies NC Community Partner Mini-Grants to support community advocacy efforts focused on infants, toddlers, their families, and their educators.

The Chowan Community Funds Foundation awarded more than $19,000 in grants to 15 local organizations including the North Carolina Symphony Society for the Music Discovery for Chowan County Preschoolers program, the Albemarle Commission Senior Nutrition Program for Meals on Wheels, and others.

Foundation For The Carolinas (FFTC) received a combined $13 million in commitments from Atrium Health and Fifth Third Bank for Charlotte Housing Opportunity Investment Fund for the FFTC fundraising campaign, reaching $44 million toward its $50 million goal.

News about people, groups

The Triangle Business Journal‘s 2019 Corporate Philanthropy Awards recognized 20 companies and individuals from across the Triangle for their charitable goods and services. Individual awards went to WakeMed Foundation board chair Brenda Gibson and BASF Agricultural Solutions global head of seed supply Octavio Soares. Corporate winners include Chiesi USA, Empire Eats, and Rocky Top Hospitality. Campbell University School of Law, First Tee of the Triangle, and the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina were the nonprofit winners.

The new Kay Yow Cancer Fund brand ambassadors.

The Kay Yow Cancer Fund partnered with the “Young Moms Against Cancer” to appoint new national brand ambassadors. The ambassadors are a group of five women who were diagnosed with breast cancer within a year of each other: Allison Eckstein, Claren Englebreth, Jen Hoverstad, Brittany Moye, and Britni Prybol.

Three new officers were elected to the Orange County Arts Commission advisory board: Fred Joiner, Chair of the board; Tinka Jordy, Vice-Chair; and Delia Keefe, Secretary.

Arts Together hired Cherrelyn Napue as the organization’s new executive director. Napue replaces Meg Revelle, who retired on May 31^st after nine years as Arts Together executive director.

SHIFT NC (Sexual Health Initiatives For Teens) will host several training events this summer, including a reproductive health care boot camp for educators on July 17th-18th, human trafficking 101 on July 31st, and program sustainability training on August 8th.

Foundation For The Carolinas reached their $6.2 million fundraising goal for private sector support of Mecklenburg County’s MECK Pre-K initiative, a universal pre-kindergarten education program for all 4-year-olds in Mecklenburg County.

News about opportunities, initiatives

The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities is seeking nominees from across the state for its 2019 Advocacy and Leadership Awards. For more information on the nomination process click here.

The Trialblaze Challenge is a 28.3 mile, one day hike.

Make-A-Wish Central & Western North Carolina is seeking participants for its 28.3-mile Trailblaze Challenge Foothills Trial for their 2019 fall hike. The process starts with information meetings in Asheville, Charlotte, and the Triangle.

As part of Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness month, the Alzheimer’s Association – Western Carolina Chapter is hosting “The Longest Day” events leading up to and culminating on June 21st, the summer solstice. Click here for more information on events taking place throughout 49 counties of the Western Carolina Chapter.

Registration is now open for Activate Good’s 2019 Teens Change the World summer program. The Raleigh program will run two weeks, June 17th-21st and July 15th-19th. Additionally, there are more than 10 full scholarship opportunities available for this program.

Manbites Dog Theater Company’s Theater Fund is seeking theater artists and organization grant applications for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Grant applicants must be in the Triangle region (Durham, Wake, Orange, and Chatham Counties) and the projects must take place between September 1st, 2019 and June 30th, 2020.

A #WearOrange event and supporter.Five Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action groups from across the Triangle recognized National Gun Violence Awareness with an event on Saturday, June 8th recommending supporters wear orange clothes and make social posts with the tag #WearOrange.

The Johnston County Community Foundation is accepting nominations for their Frances Finch Hobart Award for Volunteer Community Service, an award which includes a $1,500 grant for a local nonprofit of the recipient’s choice. Click here for more information about the nomination process.

If you are interested in having your organization’s news announced in the next News Bits, please send announcements or press releases to [email protected].

The original article ran on NC State University News on June 10, 2019