Press release from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina:
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) recently approved grants totaling $195,363 to nonprofits across the region. The awards were made in CFWNC’s Early Childhood Development, Food and Farming, and Natural and Cultural Resources focus areas.
“CFWNC is pleased to support these effective nonprofits doing crucial work across the region addressing hunger, the needs of children and our local economies,” said CFWNC President Elizabeth Brazas. “As we continue the struggle against COVID-19 and work with other funders and nonprofits to address damage from the recent floods, we are continually reminded how fortunate we are to have strong nonprofit partners and collaborative community members who work together to meet immediate, crucial needs and to plan for our shared future.”
Early Childhood Development
$45,621 to Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s (ASAP) Growing Minds (GM) program that expands farm-to-preschool resources and programming in WNC. ASAP is targeting Head Start centers in rural counties where an increase in resources and support can positively affect the educational and development outcomes for children. Farm-to-preschool GM includes integrated educational resources, edible gardens, cooking and taste tests with local food, farmer visits and farm field trips, and serving locally grown food in meals or snacks.
The WNC Resolve Fund, Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund, Biltmore Estate Charitable Fund, Little Acorn Fund-W, Dr. Robert J and Kimberly S. Reynolds Fund and an anonymous fund provided co-investment for this grant.
$50,000 to Mount Zion Community Development, Inc. to provide case management, support and advocacy services to pregnant and postpartum African American women and their children in order to reduce minority infant mortality and improve the quality of early childhood experiences. The grant will support the hiring of a full-time outreach worker/resource connector.
The Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund, Dr. Robert J. and Kimberly S. Reynolds Fund and the Oliver Family Fund provided co-investment for this grant.
Food and Farming
$50,000 to MANNA FoodBank to cover program, operational, and food purchase costs of its mobile food programs. MANNA Community Markets and Community Engagement Markets are mobile pantry distributions designed to reach underserved, high-need communities with little or no access to traditional food pantries. They are organized in partnership with local community leaders and stakeholders who have direct connections to neighborhoods with high rates of food insecurity.
The Riverbend Fund, Biltmore Estate Charitable Fund, Dr. Robert J. and Kimberly S. Reynolds Fund and the Oliver Family Fund provided co-investment for this grant.
Natural and Cultural Resources
$49,742 to Local Cloth to develop the region’s fiber-arts economy by developing a supply network that links fiber farmers, processors, dyers, and weavers to produce Blue Ridge Blankets. Proceeds from sales of blankets will be reinvested in the project.
An anonymous fund partnered with CFWNC to fund this grant.
CFWNC works with families, businesses and nonprofits to strengthen communities through the creation of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking. A permanent charitable resource, the Foundation manages over 1,200 funds and facilitated $29 million in grants last year bringing total giving to more than $305 million since its founding in 1978. Learn more at www.cfwnc.org.
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