News
The Unifour Foundation Inc. Endowment awards $228,500 in grants
June 12, 2025
The Unifour Foundation Inc. Endowment, a fund of the North Carolina Community Foundation, has awarded $228,500 in grants to 31 organizations…
The Unifour Foundation Inc. Endowment
The Unifour Foundation Inc. was created in 1996 with the proceeds from the sale of the Hickory Merchants Association’s credit reporting company to Equifax, and the Unifour Endowment was then established with the North Carolina Community Foundation in 1998. The Unifour Endowment promotes general welfare among citizens in the four counties that comprise the Unifour area: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba.
The Unifour Endowment will accept grant applications from February 27, 2026, to NOON on March 31, 2026. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted, including late submissions due to technology issues.
Funds are available for qualified charitable organizations serving Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba counties to meet area needs including education, human services, basic needs, arts, historic preservation, health, recreation, youth development and animal welfare with a preference for applications based on the endowment’s areas of focus:
- Grants that address priority areas of early childhood education, substance use disorders and mental health.
- Grants that address a strong community need such as housing insecurity, food insecurity, or educational needs.
Grants typically range from $5,000 to $10,000. In 2025, the Unifour Endowment awarded $228,500 in grants through this application-based process. Learn more about past grant recipients.
How to apply
The Unifour Endowment is a fund of NCCF. Organizations must apply for grants 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 registered, you can access more information about the application process.
A diverse advisory committee reviews applications and makes selections for grant funding. Members of the committee are nominated on the basis of their knowledge of the community and their areas of expertise, and they must reside within, work in, or own property in one of the four counties. Members understand the needs of the Unifour area and are familiar with outreach programs serving the population.
Suzan Anderson, Chair
Nancy Bledsoe
Nancy Fritz
Susan Gray
Amy Moore
Patty Schenk
Jamie Treadaway
Grants Awarded
The Unifour Endowment has awarded $228,500 in grants to 31 organizations supporting the local community:
- $25,000 to Patrick Beaver Learning Resource Center, Inc. for expanding the accessibility of structured literacy tutoring
- $25,000 to Catawba County Partnership for Children for Ready Reset Center
- $12,500 to United Way of Caldwell County for backpack program
- $12,000 to Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry for behavioral health program
- $10,000 to Hickory Soup Kitchen for 100% Healthy Choice Grocery
- $10,000 to Caldwell House for Road to Recovery
- $8,000 to New Beginnings Hickory for operating expenses to add resident recovery manager
- $8,000 to Good Samaritan Clinic for vision clinic
- $7,500 to Western Carolina University for Keeping TABS for Autism
- $7,500 to The Salvation Army of Hickory for Shelter of Hope – Restful Sleep
- $7,500 to The Corner Table for general operating support
- $7,500 to Catawba County Hispanic Ministry, Inc. (Centro Latino) for Raices Fuertes, Comunidades Unidas (Strong Roots, United Communities)
- $7,500 to 957 Mobile Café for general operating support
- $7,000 to Council on Adolescents of Catawba Valley, Inc. for Healthy Youth Education program
- $6,000 to Family Care Center for transporting families
- $6,000 to Ashure Ministry, Inc. for general operating support for crisis assistance programs
- $5,000 to Western Piedmont Symphony, Inc. for music education and enrichment for fourth- and fifth-grade students
- $5,000 to Shining Hope Farms for mental health counseling program utilizing Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
- $5,000 to Shepherds for Sheepdogs, Inc. for general operating support
- $5,000 to Hickory Museum of Art for Art for All
- $5,000 to Helping Hands Clinic of Caldwell County, Inc. for mental health program for the uninsured
- $5,000 to Girls on the Run Greater Piedmont for Breaking Down Barriers, Building Up Confidence
- $5,000 to Catawba Valley Behavioral Healthcare for primary care for uninsured adults with brain health conditions
- $5,000 to Catawba County Council on Aging for West Hickory Senior Center
- $5,000 to Burke United Christian Ministries for food pantry assistance
- $5,000 to Adult Life Programs, Inc. for adult day services operating support
- $4,000 to Caldwell Senior Center for general operating support
- $3,000 to Hickory Choral Society for education through music: children’s summer choral camp
- $2,000 to Catawba Valley Leadership Foundation for Strong Student Leadership program
- $1,500 to North Carolina Symphony for ensembles in the schools for students in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell or Catawba counties
- $1,000 to Hickory Landmarks Society for Heritage Days at Maple Grove
2024 Grants
The Unifour Foundation Endowment awarded $262,740 in grants to organizations supporting the local community.
- $10,000 to 957 Mobile Café for general operating support
- $2,940 to Adult Life Programs, Inc. for adult day services operating support
- $13,000 to Alexander County Partnership for Children for building trauma resilience in Alexander County
- $7,500 to Ashure Ministry, Inc. for rent and mortgage assistance
- $5,000 to The Bridge Community for summer meal program
- $7,500 to Caldwell County Yokefellow, Inc. food pantry dairy and produce purchases
- $10,000 to Caldwell House for nourishing recovery
- $2,000 to Caldwell Senior Center for general operating support
- $2,500 to Catawba County Council on Aging for West Hickory Senior Center
- $15,000 to Catawba County Partnership for Children for Parents as Teachers
- $7,800 to Children’s Advocacy Center of Catawba County for Darkness to Light’s® Stewards of Children
- $12,000 to The Corner Table for general operating support
- $15,000 to County of Catawba for SRO Trauma Resilient Communities training
- $10,000 to Early Childhood Support Team (Dept. of Social Services) for clinicians
- $5,000 to Family Care Center of Catawba Valley, Inc. for transporting families
- $7,500 to Family Guidance Center, Inc. for 2024 individual and family counseling
- $15,000 to Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry for the Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry dental clinic
- $8,000 to Habitat for Humanity – Caldwell County, Inc. for building affordable homes in Caldwell County
- $8,000 to Habitat for Humanity – Catawba Valley, Inc. for Phase III – The Cottages at Ridgeview
- $5,000 to Helping Hands Clinic for Caldwell County, Inc. for mental health program for the uninsured
- $4,000 to Hickory Community Theatre for The Penguin Project – providing theatre opportunities for children with special needs
- $10,000 to Hickory Soup Kitchen for healthy choice grocery store
- $6,000 to Lenoir-Rhyne University for summer literacy camp
- $15,000 to Open Hearts Place for general operating support
- $5,000 to Patrick Beaver Learning Resource Center, Inc. for empowering struggling readers and equipping their teachers
- $8,000 to PBS North Carolina for Rootle Ambassadors serving Caldwell and Catawba counties
- $10,000 to Safe Harbor of NC, Inc. for help for those experiencing homelessness
- $10,000 to Salvation Army of Hickory for Shelter of Hope: safe and restful sleep
- $5,000 to Shepherds for Sheepdogs, Inc. for general operating support
- $5,000 to Shining Hope Farms for mental health counseling program using Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
- $8,000 to South Caldwell Christian Ministries for 2024 helping families stay housed
- $5,000 to Wig Bank of Caldwell County for gas and grocery cards
- $3,000 to YMCA of Catawba Valley for Bright Beginnings – shopping for children who would not have
2023 Grants
The Unifour Foundation Endowment awarded $216,400 in grants to organizations supporting the local community:
- $12,000 to The Corner Table for general operating support
- $10,400 to the Alexander County Partnership for Children to address mental health needs
- $10,000 to 957 Mobile Café for general operating support
- $10,000 to the Family Guidance Center, Inc., for individual and family counseling
- $10,000 to the Hickory Soup Kitchen for general operating support
- $10,000 to Mission Ministries Alliance for Burke Street outreach
- $10,000 to Safe Harbor of N.C., Inc. for residential and community programs
- $10,000 to the Salvation Army of Hickory, NC, for the Shelter of Hope food project
- $10,000 to South Caldwell Christian Ministries for family housing programs
- $10,000 to the YMCA of Catawba Valley for the Bright Beginnings 2023 shopping event
- $7,500 to the Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry, Inc., for rent and mortgage assistance
- $7,500 to Habitat for Humanity of Caldwell County for construction materials
- $7,500 to Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley, Inc., for Ridgeview/Kenworth neighborhood revitalization
- $7,500 to the House of Refuge Ministries, Inc. for the men’s shelter
- $6,500 to the Caldwell Council on Adolescent Health, Inc., for teen pregnancy and STD prevention
- $6,000 to the Catawba County Hispanic Ministry, Inc., (Centro Latino) for Spanish and English classes and resources
- $6,000 to the Council on Adolescents of Catawba County, Inc., for youth health education
- $6,000 to the Family Care Center of Catawba Valley, Inc., for transportation for families
- $5,000 to Catawba Valley Behavioral Healthcare for strategic planning to improve services
- $5,000 to Helping Hands Clinic of Caldwell County, Inc., for mental health programs for uninsured individuals
- $5,000 to Lenoir-Rhyne University for books for The Little Read Visiting Writers Series
- $5,000 to New Dimensions Charter School for student mental health kits
- $5,000 to the Patrick Beaver Learning Resource Center, Inc., for literacy programs
- $5,000 to PBS North Carolina to support Rootle Ambassadors serving Alexander and Burke Counties
- $5,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC to support rural food delivery in Alexander and Caldwell counties
- $5,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina for Backpacks for Burke County Schools
- $5,000 for Shining Hope Farms for mental health counseling program using Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
- $5,000 to Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc., (TROSA) for residential substance use disorder recovery services in the Unifour region
- $5,000 to the Wig Bank of Caldwell County for gas and grocery cards
- $2,500 to the Catawba County Council on Aging for the West Hickory Senior Center
- $2,000 to Morning Star’s Youth Mission for the Joseph Hill Reachback Tutorial Program
2022 Grants
The board of the Unifour Foundation Endowment has awarded $253,690 in community grants.
The board awarded five grants totaling $50,000 that address food insecurity and scarcity to the following organizations:
- 957 Mobile Café, $10,000
- C2Life Foundation, $5,000
- The Corner Table, $15,000
- Hickory Soup Kitchen, $10,000
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, $10,000
The board awarded five grants totaling $50,580 for improving early childhood education to the following organizations:
- Alexander County Partnership, $5,000
- Catawba County Partnership, $25,000
- Centro Latino, $10,000
- Communities In Schools of Caldwell County, $8,080
- Made4Me, Inc., $2,500
The board awarded eight grants totaling $89,135 to address substance use and mental health to the following organizations:
- Burke Council on Alcoholism & Chemical Dependency, Inc., $7,000
- Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care, $6,000
- Caldwell House, $2,500
- Catawba Alliance for Recovery, $40,000
- Catawba Valley Behavioral Healthcare, $5,000
- Exodus Homes, $7,735
- Safe Harbor of NC, Inc., $10,900
- TROSA (Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc.), $10,000
The board awarded nine grants totaling $38,975 to address community needs and human services to the following organizations:
- Autism Society of North Carolina, $2,500
- Caldwell Friends, Inc., $2,500
- Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas, $5,000
- Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry, Inc., $5,000
- Family Care Center of Catawba Valley, Inc., $6,000
- Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry, $5,000
- Habitat for Humanity – Caldwell County, $7,500
- The Industrial Commons, $2,475
- Prevent Blindness North Carolina, $3,000
The board awarded five grants totaling $25,000 in support of the arts to the following organizations:
- The Burke Arts Council, $5,000
- Hickory Community Theatre, $10,000
- Hickory Music Factory Inc., $5,000
- James C. Harper School of Performing Arts, $3,000
- North Carolina Symphony, $2,000
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