Women’s Giving Network of Wake County

WGN of Wake County awards annual grants to local charitable organizations in a purposeful way that is aligned with their mission of leveraging the power of collective giving to support Wake County charitable organizations serving women and families with a vision of changing the trajectory of women’s and families’ lives in Wake County.

WGN of Wake County connects community-focused women with nonprofit grant recipients and their clients through insightful and inspiring education events. WGN offers members an opportunity to meet other women through networking and social gatherings. WGN’s goal is to expand their impact by growing its membership.

To join WGN of Wake County for the 2026 season, please make your membership gift by June 1, 2026. Membership is a gift of $1,200 and any additional donation you make is appreciated and allows WGN to make an even bigger impact.

Membership includes:

• $1,050 for the annual grantmaking pool
• $100 for fund administration
• $50 for NCCF’s Women’s Fund of North Carolina

A junior membership is available for women age 40 and under. Junior members contribute $600 annually. 

Giving options

Annual contributions are tax-deductible and may be paid via credit card, check, stock transfer, distribution from IRA (if applicable), grant from donor advised fund or private foundation, or other method. Learn more about these payment options. WGN also welcomes donations through sponsorships, and members may make a higher annual donation.

Join via credit card payment

Other payment methods

Please submit the online membership form

Why join WGN?

Participation in collective giving through the Women’s Giving Network of Wake County is a powerful and rewarding way to positively impact our community! Whether you want to actively volunteer or prefer to limit your role to financial participation, WGN welcomes you! Benefits of joining:

• Gain insight into community needs
• Make an impact by maximizing charitable donations 
• Contribute to an organization that has a thorough grants process to identify impactful opportunities with vetted charitable organizations
• Connect with community-focused women through educational events, networking opportunities, and social gatherings

How we operate

WGN of Wake County is a fund of the North Carolina Community Foundation. WGN is managed by its members through its leadership committee, with assistance from NCCF.

The Women’s Giving Network of Wake County provides a range of opportunities to engage as much or as little as you like. One opportunity for engagement is through volunteering on a committee or joining the leadership committee.  

Leadership

The leadership committee is comprised of the chair of each committee. Together, the leadership committee develops and implements plans for WGN of Wake County, guided by feedback from all members. They make decisions regarding policies and procedures, and seek out opportunities to engage members. Below is the 2025 Leadership Committee. Please reach out to any of them with questions.

Carolyn Fendelman, President
Laura Brooks, Grants Chair
Willa Allen, Finance Chair
Jenny Eury, Recording Secretary
Rebecca Anderson, Marketing and Communications Chair
Cynthia Rowe, Immediate Past President, At-Large Member
Sarah Senter Décarpentrie, Immediate Past Grants Chair, At-Large Member
Kristen Kiernan, Immediate Past Marketing and Communications Chair, At-Large Member

Committee descriptions

Interested in learning more or perhaps getting involved, even for a small project? Please reach out to the committee chairperson(s). It is a great way to connect.

Grants Committee

Chair: Laura Brooks

The Grants Committee is responsible for reviewing grant applications, performing due diligence on the applicants, and nominating outstanding projects and organizations for WGN funding. The committee creates a ballot that is presented to the full membership for voting each fall.

The committee consists of about 10 members who serve staggered three-year terms, ensuring that the grantmaking process is interactive and inclusive. Participation in the committee is open to all WGN members as seats become available, and the Grants Chair keeps a list of prospective new committee members. The majority of the work of the Grants Committee is done between May and October each year.

Marketing & Communications Committee

Chair: Rebecca Anderson

The Marketing & Communication Committee is responsible for amplifying our mission and impact to members and a broader audience across channels. We work with other WGN committees to create, obtain and distribute information. Our goal is to make it easy for everyone to raise awareness about WGN’s impact within our community to grow membership. More members mean bigger impact!

If you have an interest, expertise or want to gain some experience, please reach out to Kristen. Projects include newsletters, invitations, and social media support, as well as promotional tools to elevate WGN brand. Another area of focus is strengthening our current strategic relationships like WALTER Magazine and Bank of America.

Grantee Spotlight Information Sessions

The Grantee Spotlights showcase the direct impact that collective giving has in the community. Our primary goal is to provide insight into the needs of the community and how The Women’s Giving Network helps support solutions. Our secondary goal is to inspire members to share the good word about The Women’s Giving Network in the community. By providing insight on the needs of our community and how individuals can make a difference, we hope to grow our membership which then increases our pool of funds to grant in the community. The greater the pool of funds, the greater the impact we can make!

WGN hosts one event per grantee to share the impact of the prior year’s grant funding. In addition to the primary education events, the committee coordinates volunteer days with prior grantees (from the prior year or beyond), to provide members an opportunity to get directly involved in the community.

The Women’s Giving Network of Wake County (WGN) will accept grant applications from June 26, 2026, to NOON eastern time on July 28, 2026. Applications received after this deadline will not be accepted. Funds are available for qualified charitable organizations serving women and/or children in Wake County. 

Grants typically range from $25,000 to $50,000 but are not limited to this range. The minimum amount awarded is $10,000. In 2025, WGN awarded $120,000 through this application-based process. Learn more about past grant recipients.

How to apply

The Women’s Giving Network of Wake County is a giving circle of the North Carolina Community Foundation. Organizations must apply using NCCF’s Grant Application Portal.

• Read the guidelines before you apply. Applications that do not adhere to guidelines will be ineligible for funding.
• If this is your first time applying, follow the instructions in Training Module I to create a profile. If your organization already has an account use your information to log in. 
• New and existing users should follow the instructions in Training Module II to add a grant application. Once logged in, you can access more information about the application process.

WGN of Wake County awards grants to

• Organizations serving women and/or children in Wake County that address an emerging community issue and/or a critical community need.
• Projects that are measurable with a high probability of successful continuation beyond the grant period.
• Areas that are generally not funded include: capital campaigns; endowment campaigns; fraternal organizations; individuals; projects that promote religious or political views; funds for re-granting; travel and conferences.

Eligibility 

To be eligible for consideration, an organization must meet the following criteria:

• Must provide services to women and/or children in Wake County.
• Must be qualified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code or be classified as a unit of government.
• Must not discriminate on the basis of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief nor be a religious organization that serves exclusively sectarian purposes.
• Organizations can reapply for funding from WGN each year. However, if a program has been funded by WGN previously, the organization must wait three years before re-applying. For example, if you are applying again in 2026, you must have won your grant award in 2023 or prior. 

More information

• In most cases, grant decisions are announced about two months after the close of the application cycle.
• One tool members uses to guide grant decisions is an annual Community Needs Assessment.
• For questions specific to the grant cycle or how to apply please contact Katie Crumpler and read the community grantmaking guidelines.

Please check back for updates.