Charitable organizations serving Ashe County children have additional opportunities for grants from the Ashe County Community Foundation through the Melinda Hamrick Children’s Fund Endowment.

Thanks to a planned gift from the estate of Melinda Hamrick, an additional $8,240 will be available this year to organizations supporting programs that benefit children in Ashe County. Grant decisions from the fund, established in 2015, are made by the board of the Ashe County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the North Carolina Community Foundation.

In addition to awarding grants from the Melinda Hamrick Children’s Fund, ACCF will award grants to charitable organizations through its community grantmaking fund, the Daniel Lee “Dan” Eldreth Memorial Endowment and the Virginia S. Hunt Fund for the Care of Animals.

Grants from ACCF have typically ranged from $500 to $2,000, and there is a total of $22,980 available from the funds. Applications open to charitable organizations on Feb. 28 and close at noon on April 1. Organizations must apply for grants using NCCF’s online application system.

“We’re honored to continue stewarding the funds set aside by Ms. Hamrick to benefit the children of Ashe County, and we are excited to be able to increase in our support this year” said Linda Slade, ACCF advisory board president. “We encourage all eligible organizations to apply for grants this spring.”

In 2024, ACCF awarded $11,620 in grants through this application-based process. Learn more about past grant recipients.

Hamrick, who established the Melinda Hamrick Children’s Fund in 2015, spent her entire career in social services, serving children and families in need at the local and state levels. After her retirement from the North Carolina Division of Social Services where she served as assistant director, Hamrick moved to West Jefferson in Ashe County where she continued serving children as a volunteer guardian ad litem. Hamrick remained involved in the Ashe County community until her death in 2020.

For more information about applying for grants from ACCF, visit our website or contact Shari Williamson, NCCF’s western region program officer at swilliamson@nccommunityfoundation.org.

About the Ashe County Community Foundation
The Ashe County Community Foundation is led by a local volunteer advisory board that helps build community assets through the creation of permanent endowments, makes grants and leverages leadership – all for the benefit of Ashe County.

In addition to Slade, board members include Marc Payne (Vice President), Alex Anderson (Secretary), April Blevins, Josette Glover, Heidi Henderson, Shawn Horton, Laura McPherson and Jason Sutherland.

About the North Carolina Community Foundation
The North Carolina Community Foundation brings together generous people and connects them to causes and organizations they care about, with a focus on inspiring lasting and meaningful philanthropy in the state’s rural communities.

With $460 million in assets, NCCF sustains nearly 1,300 endowments and partners with donors and a network of affiliates in 60 counties to strengthen our state. By stewarding and growing donors’ gifts, NCCF makes a powerful impact through a robust grants and scholarships program, awarding over $300 million since 1988. For more information, visit nccommunityfoundation.org.