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Foundations that fund nonprofits in North Carolina
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 11,261 grantmakers listed 90,379 grants totaling $5.5 billion to 28,869 organizations in North Carolina. 10,434 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 827 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 1,396 are based in North Carolina; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a North Carolina organization was $9,000. Wake County received the most grants (10,567, from 2,361 funders), followed by Mecklenburg County (9,559) and Durham County (5,992). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (12,125 grants), children & youth (6,835 grants) and health & mental health (6,280 grants).
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Inc (Asheville, NC) funded the most different North Carolina organizations: 820, through 1,100 grants with a typical size of $25,000.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most North Carolina organizations
Ranked by the number of different North Carolina organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to NC organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Inc Asheville, NC · EIN 56-1223384 | 1,100 | 820 | $25,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 2 | Food Bank of Central & Eastern Nc Inc Raleigh, NC · EIN 56-1283426 | 783 | 777 | $104,201 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 3 | North Carolina Community Foundation Raleigh, NC · EIN 58-1661700 | 640 | 636 | $15,255 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 4 | The Leon Levine Foundation Charlotte, NC · EIN 58-1427515 | 1,012 | 612 | $60,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | Triangle Community Foundation Inc Durham, NC · EIN 56-1380796 | 816 | 533 | $21,985 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 6 | Dogwood Health Trust Asheville, NC · EIN 83-0590696 | 1,369 | 525 | $50,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 7 | The Cannon Foundation Inc Concord, NC · EIN 56-6042532 | 570 | 476 | $50,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 8 | Nchsaa Foundation Inc Chapel Hill, NC · EIN 92-3899307 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 482 | 468 | $1,856 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 9 | Nc Idea Durham, NC · EIN 01-0702442 | 515 | 414 | $7,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | Z Smith Reynolds Foundation Inc Winstonsalem, NC · EIN 58-6038145 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 550 | 333 | $50,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Enterprise Holdings Foundation Saint Louis, MO · EIN 43-1262762 | 490 | 305 | $3,000 | 2023 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | Publix Super Markets Charities Inc Lakeland, FL · EIN 59-6194119 | 513 | 285 | $4,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Nc Inc Winston Salem, NC · EIN 58-1457912 | 511 | 279 | $113,580 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 14 | Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation Inc Greenville, NC · EIN 56-1844198 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 461 | 254 | $7,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | State Employees Credit Union Foundation Raleigh, NC · EIN 56-2255292 | 356 | 235 | $25,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | 10,567 | 2,361 | $568.1 million | Top 5 funders |
| Mecklenburg County | 9,559 | 2,023 | $813.1 million | Top 5 funders |
| Durham County | 5,992 | 1,798 | $826.0 million | Top 5 funders |
| Buncombe County | 5,051 | 1,442 | $269.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Watauga County | 4,625 | 2,434 | $147.6 million | Top 5 funders |
| Guilford County | 4,403 | 824 | $256.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Forsyth County | 3,419 | 905 | $315.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Orange County | 3,365 | 1,087 | $280.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| New Hanover County | 2,150 | 432 | $113.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Jackson County | 1,137 | 321 | $32.7 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 12,125 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 6,835 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 6,280 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 4,327 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 4,227 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 3,178 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 2,517 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 1,998 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 1,972 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 783 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 571 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 516 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 102 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for North Carolina ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.