2025 Impact Report
On the cover: A collection of North Carolina landmarks, moments and celebrated pastimes that have had an indelible impact on the state. How many have you experienced? View the full list.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
In 2025, the North Carolina Community Foundation’s philanthropic network awarded a record $38 million in grants and scholarships. These investments included programs that expand access to education, improve health and wellness, provide safe housing and food for families in need, and enrich the arts and our environment.
Your generosity is making a lasting impact and providing homegrown support for people and communities across our state and beyond.
One extraordinary example of giving generously comes from the late Wayland L. Jenkins Jr., who gifted $23 million from his estate for an endowment to support Bertie and Hertford counties in eastern North Carolina. We began the work this year to steward his legacy for generations.
Our Disaster Relief Fund also played a critical role in 2025, supporting communities in western North Carolina still recovering from Hurricane Helene.
These are just two of the examples you’ll find in our 2025 Impact Report that show how together we are turning generosity into impact.
As we reflect on the past year, we also mark a bittersweet moment. Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, our President & CEO for the past 20 years, will be stepping down at the end of 2026. Her leadership fueled remarkable growth and has positioned us strongly for the future.
We are excited to continue our work with you to make a lasting impact today and address challenges as they emerge in our communities. Thank you for your ongoing trust and partnership.
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| John W. Willingham Chair, 2025 Board of Directors | Jennifer Tolle Whiteside President & CEO |
Leaving a Legacy
An Extraordinary Gift for Bertie and Hertford Counties
Wayland L. Jenkins Jr., a lifelong Bertie County resident, had a grand vision. When he passed away in 2024, he gifted nearly $23 million from his estate to an endowment he created at NCCF to support Bertie and Hertford counties forever.
His gift created one of the largest community-based grantmaking programs at NCCF. Grants will be guided by the Bertie-Hertford Community Foundation, an NCCF affiliate that Jenkins helped establish. After the announcement of the gift in June 2025, NCCF and the Bertie-Hertford affiliate hosted listening sessions and focus groups to better understand local priorities. Grantmaking will begin in 2026.
“It was a dream realized that he could partner with the North Carolina Community Foundation to leave his legacy here.”
John Tayloe, a longtime friend of Jenkins and a former Bertie-Hertford Community Foundation board member
Generosity in Action
WATCH: See how the Dearonne and Pamela Bethea Foundation Gift Fund, NCCF and community partners came together to support hundreds of Enfield families.
The Power of the NCCF Network
WATCH: How NCCF grants helped Made4Me bring free adaptive equipment for families with special needs.
Scholarships
2025 Scholar Spotlights
NCCF partners with donors to administer scholarship funds for students across the state. All of our scholarship opportunities are established through specific funds created at NCCF with criteria determined by the donor. More than 500 students received scholarships in 2025.
A Legacy of Learning and Leadership
As an educator, school administrator and community leader, Dr. Carolyn Grantham Ennis guided Johnston County schools through integration and served on numerous local boards, including the Johnston County Community Foundation, an NCCF affiliate.
Her love of learning led her to create the Carolyn Grantham Ennis Scholarship Endowment with NCCF, which has awarded nearly $40,000 in scholarships to Johnston County students planning to attend Shaw University.
Scholarships in 2025
NCCF Disaster Relief Fund
More than a year after Hurricane Helene, western North Carolina is still on the long road to recovery. The NCCF Disaster Relief Fund is helping communities navigate that journey, providing critical, long-term support to charitable organizations to help restore homes, businesses and essential services while building resilience for the future.
After the storm and throughout 2025, the generosity of people shone through with donations to the NCCF Disaster Relief Fund topping $33 million, about half of which came from the governor’s fund that supported Helene relief and recovery.
In 2025, NCCF began awarding grants from the Disaster Relief Fund to charitable organizations supporting Helene recovery and provided scholarships to students whose ability to pay for college was adversely impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Grantmaking and scholarship awards will continue into 2026.
Restoring a Regional Lifeline
WATCH: Learn more about how NCCF and CFWNC teamed up to grant MANNA FoodBank $7 million to complete construction on its new facility after Hurricane Helene.
Helping Western NC Heal and Rebuild
Disaster Relief Fund
Our Mission and Values
Our mission is to inspire North Carolinians to make lasting and meaningful contributions to their communities. Our values of Community, Partnership and Stewardship are grounded in our founding vision of supporting rural philanthropy.
Community
We strive to uplift the well-being of all North Carolinians. Througout our work, we value varying viewpoints.
We believe diverse voices, engagement and participation are essential in building and sustaining thriving communities.
Partnership
We believe in the transformative power of collaboration to meet shared objectives. We focus on rural North Carolina and bring an understanding of North Carolina’s rural communities to donors.
We encourage and celebrate teamwork, leverage expertise and resources, and communicate openly. Through trust and evolving partnerships, we achieve collective impact that is otherwise not possible.
Stewardship
We help our donors and fundholders reach their goals and build philanthropic legacies that will support communities and causes now and in the future.
We exercise honesty, integrity and responsible care in the management of the funds entrusted to us.
We are honored by your trust and look forward to working together to create stronger communities for generations to come.
Read NCCF’s 2025 Impact Report