The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina 2022 Annual Report

People Everyday

My heart and my passion have always been to help others. Before working for Bounty & Soul (B&S), I did that in other ways. Now with B&S, I have more tools and more ways to help. That’s why I always say “I’m working at my dream job.”

B&S not only provides food to people, it creates community. When we arrive with our food truck, people come early to help us unload and set up. We do the work together. When an organization crosses the barrier of connection and trust, something beautiful happens. People open their hearts.

I was born in Mexico in a very poor family of six. My dad and mom worked so hard to give us the education they never had. They motivate me to want to help others. There are good people everywhere, and if we continue working together, we can make beautiful things happen for this country.

Francisco Chavez, LatinX Program Coordinator, Bounty & Soul

Photo by Michael Oppenheim

Photo by Michael Oppenheim; RAD mural by Gus Cutty

WE ARE ALL EVERYDAY PEOPLE

Everyday people work tirelessly to make things happen in communities across the region. These are the ones who see a need and work to address it. They are everyday people doing extraordinary things.

Several are represented in the pages of this report, and it is by no means comprehensive because they are everywhere. They are people like Marianne Martinez and her team at Vecinos in Cullowhee whose focus on bringing healthcare to farmworkers ballooned during the pandemic to a broader emphasis on serving their community. Francisco Chavez, Bounty & Soul’s LatinX Program Coordinator, reports that he has found his dream job at the Black Mountain-based nonprofit that works at the intersection of food, farms and health.

The partners in the Catawba Vale Collaborative in Old Fort are creating a new model for community development in the outdoor industry that is inclusive and comprehensive. Their way of working acknowledges the history and original inhabitants

of land used for recreation. The collaborative prioritizes people, living-wage jobs and affordable housing over gentrification.

Working Wheels is part of a network of agencies that helps to open doors to further education, employment opportunities and self-sufficiency by providing affordable and reliable transportation for WNC working families. Its Buncombe Countybased garage repairs and sells donated vehicles at a reduced rate and offers deeply discounted repairs to participants.

We are privileged to witness and support these everyday heroes and many more. We believe solutions based in trust and experience, that come from our friends and neighbors, have the strongest potential to transform communities. We can support this work in the region because of the generosity of our fundholders, donors and those who leave resources here for the benefit of future generations.

CFWNC is honored to carry forward the charitable wishes

of some of the region’s earliest philanthropists through our stewardship of the Janirve Legacy Fund. You can learn more about how these dollars have supported the growth of some of the nonprofits highlighted in this report. The funds have also enabled us to run the Janirve Sudden and Urgent Needs grant program for the past ten years, allowing us to be nimble and responsive to human service nonprofit emergencies.

We operate in a supportive ecosystem of funding partners, generous donors and everyday heroes. Together, we are more than the sum of our parts.

With a big nod to Sly & the Family Stone for inspiration, life is complex. We do have to live together. Cooperation, compassionate outreach, and attempts to find common ground and establish understanding are required to address today’s divisiveness and serious issues. We are all everyday people. We can all play a role.

Elizabeth Brazas President J. Chris Smith Board Chair

2022 GRANTS Focus Area

Mount Zion Community Development

Smart Start of Transylvania County

Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County

Co-investors

Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund, Biltmore Estate Charitable Fund, John and Janet Garrett Charitable Fund, Little Acorn Fund-W, Lipscomb Family Foundation, Oliver Family Fund, Peterson Endowment Fund, Dr. Robert J. and Kimberly S. Reynolds Fund, WNC Resolve Fund and an anonymous fund.

A $50,000 grant to Mount Zion Community Development was awarded for the Nurturing Asheville and Area Families (NAF) program that provides case management, support and advocacy services to pregnant and postpartum African American women and their children. The goal of the program is to reduce minority infant mortality and improve the quality of early childhood experiences. mtzionasheville.org

Project NAF family;

photo by Michael Oppenheim

FOOD & FARMING

Grants - $215,000

Co-investment - $115,036 (54%)

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

Bounty & Soul

MANNA FoodBank Organic Growers School

Toe River Aggregation Center Training Organization Regional (TRACTOR)

The Utopian Seed Project Co-investors

Bahnson-Armitage Fund, Biltmore Estate Charitable Fund, Crutchfield Charitable Fund, Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund, Ero Fund, John and Janet Garrett Charitable Fund, Terrence Lee One Love Fund, Dr. Robert J. and Kimberly S. Reynolds Fund, Riverbend Fund, Oliver Family Fund and an anonymous fund.

Bounty & Soul received $25,000 to support Produce to the People™ and its Farmers Alliance - programs that address food, farms and health through a lens of equity and inclusion. Produce to the People™ is a cornerstone program that distributes fresh, nourishing foods to people experiencing food insecurity. The Farmers Alliance program includes 46 local farmers, growers and businesses that donate or sell products for distribution. Bounty & Soul serves Buncombe, McDowell, Rutherford, Transylvania and Henderson counties.

bountyandsoul.org

Bounty & Soul staff; photo by Michael Oppenheim

NATURAL & CULTURAL RESOURCES

Grants - $147,042

Co-investment - $51,000 (35%)

Camp Grier Green Built Alliance Local Cloth Mountain BizWorks

Co-investors

Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund, The Ecology Wildlife Foundation Fund, Oliver Family Fund and an anonymous fund.

FocusA

Camp Grier, as fiscal sponsor for the Catawba Vale Collaborative, received a $52,500 Natural and Cultural Resources grant to design and construct a series of monuments that combine stone architecture with archaeologicallygenerated stories along the first six miles of a new 42-mile trail expansion on US Forest Service land surrounding the Town of Old Fort. The Collaborative includes Camp Grier, the G5 Trail Collective, Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation, UNC-Chapel Hill and Texas Tech University and seeks to redefine rural economic development in Appalachian communities.

CFWNC awarded a FY 2023 grant of $225,000 over three years to Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation for project coordination for the Collaborative.

catawbavalecollaborative.org

Lisa Jennings, US Forest Service

Grandfather Ranger District; Lavita Logan, People on the Move of Old Fort; Stephanie Swepson-Twitty, Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation; Jason McDougald, G5 Trail Collective & Camp Grier. Photo by Michael Oppenheim; Albert Joyner, Sr. mural by Don Rimx

HUMAN SERVICES

Grants - $1,941,931* Co-investment - $904,358 (46%)

Competitive Grants

Sixty-eight Human Services grants totaling $1,298,830 were awarded last November to nonprofits serving economically-disadvantaged populations across the Foundation’s 18-county service area.

Co-investors: Biltmore Estate Charitable Fund, Charles F. Hamrick and Marguerite D. Hamrick Charitable Fund, Connestee Falls Endowment Fund, Consuelo’s Fund, Craig Family Foundation Fund, Delphinium Fund, Dianne and David Worley Charitable Fund, Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund, Dr. Robert J. and Kimberly S. Reynolds Fund, The Ecology Wildlife Foundation Fund, Fidel Duke Fund, Henri Landwirth Family Endowed Fund, John and Janet Garrett Charitable Fund, Moran Family Fund, Oliver Family Fund, Perez Family Fund, Peterson Endowment Fund, Reichman Family Charitable Fund, Rick and Bridget Eckerd Charitable Fund, Minigowin Fund, Riverbend Fund, Samuel and William Elmore Fund for Mental Wellness, Terrence Lee One Love Fund, Travis and Jenny Boyer Fund, Walnut Fund, Wasson - Stowe Charitable Fund, Yeager-Cole Fund and five anonymous funds.

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Private foundation co-investors: Glass Foundation, Klunk Family Foundation, Lipscomb Family Foundation and Sutherland Foundation.

Janirve Sudden and Urgent Needs Grants

CFWNC awarded 31 grants totaling $235,341.

Co-investors: Dogwood Health Trust and Deerfield Retirement Community Advised Fund. Proactive Grants

CFWNC awarded a $78,600 Human Services grant and two $10,000 Sudden and Urgent Needs grants to Pisgah Legal Services to provide critical legal assistance to Afghan asylum-seekers and their families in the region. Asylum is the only path to lawful permanent status for many Afghan evacuees, and they must apply within one year of arriving in the U.S.

Co-investors: Minigowin Fund, Fidel Duke Fund and Rick and Bridget Eckerd Charitable Fund.

Emergency and Disaster Response Fund

CFWNC awarded 15 grants totaling $292,660 to frontline nonprofit organizations providing emergency relief to victims of flooding from Tropical Depression Fred and human services organizations whose ability to provide their services was directly affected by flooding.

Funding partners: Candace Andersson, Chip and Susie Bell, James Brown, Gary K. Conkol, Thomas L. and Phyllis Day Davis Fund, Darilyn Dealy Fund, Dogwood Health Trust, East Tennessee Foundation, Edward and Vicki Jenest Charitable Fund, Mission Health, Dr. Robert J. and Kimberly S. Reynolds Fund, Kay Nash Rogus, Joan Ruskamp, Schwab Charitable North Carolina Division Office, Serviceberry Fund, Sigmon Fund, Lauren Steiner, Andrea L. Stolz, Wicked Weed Brewing, Hal Winkler Fund, WNC Bridge Foundation and two anonymous funds.

*Includes Capacity Grants totaling $36,500

CO-INVESTMENT

“We began offering donors the opportunity to co-invest in grants starting in 1993 when Julian Price opened the Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund. More fundholders joined in quick succession. The goal was to engage people directly in the work of nonprofits, build grantmaking and expand unrestricted dollars. There are now 55 active participants in the co-investment program contributing a significant amount each year. Collaborative grantmaking is one of the many ways CFWNC supports fundholders in achieving their philanthropic goals. Over time, several private foundations have also chosen to co-invest. We are very grateful for all of the support and partnership.”

Butler, Senior Donor Relations Officer

7/1/21 – 6/30/22 Co-Investment

Donors Discretionary Total Donor %

Early Childhood Development $96,000 $108,121 $204,121 47% Food and Farming $115,036 $99,964 $215,000 54% Natural and Cultural Resources* $51,000 $96,042 $147,042 35% Human Services** $658,832 $755,098 $1,413,930 47%

Janirve Sudden and Urgent Needs $52,866 $181,475 $235,341 23% Emergency and Disaster Response Fund*** $192,660 $100,000 $292,660 66% $1,166,394 $1,340,700 $2,508,094 46% *includes Capacity grants / ** includes Capacity grants and Proactive grants / *** Flood Relief

Spencer

Photo by Michael Oppenheim; mural by Indigenous Walls Project

Belinda K. Grant, Mount Zion Community Development

“I express a grateful heart to CFWNC for the opportunity to serve moms and their children. CFWNC enabled Project NAF to continue to serve African American pregnant and postpartum women and their families, retain staff, and improve the quality of early childhood experiences.”

Photo by Michael Oppenheim

The Pigeon River Fund awarded grants totaling $560,589 to environmental groups working to improve surface water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitats, expand public use and access to waterways and increase water quality awareness in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties. Since 1996, the Pigeon River Fund has distributed more than $8.7 million in grants.

There is a rich history of textile excellence in the Blue Ridge Fibershed. A Natural & Cultural Resources Focus Area grant is supporting Local Cloth’s Blue Ridge Blankets project that provides a local market for the region’s fiber farmers and fair compensation to weavers and dyers who produce a beautiful locallysourced product. The project aims to reboot the WNC fiber industry by identifying and developing materials, methods and networks to build future for-profit endeavors for fiber artists, farmers and companies. Blankets are available for purchase at localcloth.org.

Photo courtesy of Asheville GreenWorks

Photo by Caroline Williford

Review

GRANTS BY PROGRAM AREA

CFWNC awarded scholarships totaling $516,250 to 90 WNC students in 57 schools in 21 counties. More than 60 volunteers from the region worked to review applications and select recipients. The Reichman Scholarship Fund supports students of Andrews High School in Cherokee County in attending a school in the University of North Carolina System or the North Carolina Community College System with plans to transfer to an eligible four-year institution.

Lezette Parks, Reichman Scholarship committee members Anna Reichman and Jennifer Drust, and Elizabeth Brazas; photo courtesy of CFWNC

YEAR IN REVIEW

In May 2018, Women for Women awarded its largest grant to date: $450,000 over three years to Buncombe Partners in Prevention, a collaborative involving Helpmate, Mountain Child Advocacy Center, Our VOICE and Pisgah Legal Services. The goal was to promote healthy relationships where people live, learn, work, play and worship, ultimately reducing the perpetration of sexual violence, domestic violence and child abuse in Buncombe County. The grant period concluded in 2022, but the work continues.

The project provided education to more than 53,000 people about healthy relationships, peaceful conflict resolution and respecting boundaries. It affected systems, schools and workplaces. The multigenerational impact of prevention programming can take years or decades to measure, but the partners developed and implemented a reliable structure to track progress over the long term.

“We have been grateful for the support and the collaboration of the Giving Circle,” said Helpmate’s April Burgess-Johnson. “Rather than acting only as a funding body, Women for Women was a true partner in our work. Members volunteered, personally contributed, advocated for policy change, and supported education efforts. Our community is fortunate to have such committed and engaged leadership.”

The Asheville Merchants Fund awarded $350,000 in grants to support youth success and economic growth.

$50,000 over two years was awarded to:

• Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)

• Asheville Museum of Science

• Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry

• My Daddy Taught Me That

• Mountain BizWorks

• United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County

• Working Wheels

Photo courtesy of ...

Photo courtesy of ASAP

Women for Women members Jacqui Friedrich and Pam Lane with April Burgess-Johnson (center); photo by Michael Oppenheim

SOURCES OF GRANTMAKING FUNDS

Between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, in partnership with fundholders, donors and affiliates, CFWNC facilitated $23.5 million in grants and scholarships.

CFWNC awarded 61 Learning Links grants totaling $87,715 to schools in counties across the region. The grants provide teachers with funding for activities designed to make required coursework engaging and relevant for their students. A grant to teacher Shannon Duffek at Ranger Elementary in Murphy supported its first Ranger School Reading/Book Fair for 4th and 5th grade students and purchased books for classrooms. Learning Links grants are made possible by the Ben W. and Dixie Glenn Farthing Charitable Endowment, Cherokee County Schools Foundation Endowment Fund, Leon C. and Grace E. Luther Charitable Fund and CFWNC’s Fund for Education.

CFWNC staff and board continued Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work during FY 2022 and are embedding lessons in conversations and activities in the office and region. Staff participated in a session about micro aggressions, a workshop with Deborah Miles and Sarah Nuñez regarding implicit bias and expanding comfort zones, a discussion about pronouns & gender identification, and an opportunity to learn about the City of Asheville’s equity work from Equity and Inclusion Director Brenda Mills, pictured left with Elizabeth Brazas and Spencer Butler.

Photo courtesy of CFWNC

Photo courtesy of Ranger Elementary

Photo by Michael Oppenheim

Susan Jenkins started and led the Cherokee Preservation Foundation for twelve years. Its mission is to preserve native culture, protect natural environments and create economic opportunities for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and its neighbors in WNC. During her tenure, the Cherokee Preservation Foundation made more than 700 grants valued at over $60 million, with an impact of over $150 million to the Qualla Boundary and WNC. She also developed deep partnerships, including one with CFWNC that continues today.

She was instrumental in the creation of a funding collaborative to support capacity building for nonprofits that developed into WNC Nonprofit Pathways. In a dynamic that continues, she says, “The funding partners and the grantees learned from each other.”

Susan is putting her extensive experience in the far western counties and her nonprofit experience to work as a CFWNC board member. She serves on the Distribution Committee, where her unique perspectives, rooted in her experience and based on listening and collaboration, are deeply valued.

“I am a member of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, and it has influenced my life and the way I work with people. I try to listen to understand rather than to respond,” she explained. “I think that funders today are transitioning from transactional grantmaking toward more balanced relationships that consider the culture of the nonprofit and devote the time and deep listening necessary to bring about understanding and successful outcomes.”

In 2019, Susan opened an expectancy fund with CFWNC. “During estate planning, my attorney suggested that I consider opening an expectancy fund. After years of collaboration, I felt completely comfortable working with CFWNC to plan my charitable legacy. The staff listens and helps donors design plans around their charitable goals, and this matters to me.”

JANIRVE LEGACY OF GIVING CONTINUES

Janirve

The Asheville-based Janirve Foundation, created by Jeannette and Irving Reuter (hence the name), closed its doors in 2012 after a quarter century of support for WNC nonprofits. It made a $10 million farewell gift to the region when it created the Janirve Legacy Fund (JLEG).

By 2014 and with JLEG support, CFWNC was awarding more than $1 million through the Human Services competitive grant cycle. Between 2012 and 2022, human service nonprofits received nearly $6 million from JLEG. CFWNC is now in year 11 of making grants with the Janirve Legacy Fund.

Grants supported the growth of dozens of nonprofits, including Vecinos, Bounty & Soul, and Working Wheels. Vecinos was a small organization when it requested its first grant in 2017. Now, it provides medical services to thousands of Latinx people in eight far west rural counties with the help of two mobile clinics. In 2012, efforts to get local produce to low-income families was a relatively new endeavor. JLEG provided seed funds for several organizations, including Bounty & Soul. In 2014, it was an all-volunteer group with a $17,000 annual budget. Today, it is a $900,000 organization providing fresh food and wellness programs to more than 1,700 people weekly. Its programs have been replicated throughout WNC.

Human Services

Competitive Grants 64%

Janirve Sudden and Urgent Needs 17%

Matched Savings Program 8%

Proactive Human Services 6%

Capacity Grants 5%

Emergency and Disaster Response Fund 1%

JLEG funds were also used to create the Janirve Sudden and Urgent Needs (SUN) grant program that has awarded 160 grants totaling $1.2 million. Until very recently, SUN grants were entirely funded by JLEG. During the pandemic, Dogwood Health Trust added $100,000 to address vaccine efforts, and Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community contributed another $100,000 to get funds to nonprofits quickly

through the streamlined SUN grant process. There is an ongoing need for a quick, responsive program to enable human service nonprofits to operate in the face of unexpected emergencies and crises.

JLEG also provided resources for proactive and other emergency grants. With $572,000 from JLEG, CFWNC has invested a total of $753,000 in SECURE, a program at OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling to help low-income people build emergency savings and gain financial literacy. During COVID, grants supported youth mental health and basic needs for LatinX communities. Recently, JLEG funded Pisgah Legal Services’ assistance to Afghan refugees in WNC.

The Janirve Foundation quietly distributed more than $100 million to regional nonprofits before it closed. Placing funds at CFWNC was part of a thoughtful transition that prioritized continued support and the best interests of the people of WNC.

The JLEG Fund balance today is just shy of $9.5 million. After the good work mentioned here and in spite of volatile markets over the last two years, JLEG remains the farewell gift that keeps giving.

Working Wheels received a start-up grant in 2015 to provide reliable used cars to low-income families. It has expanded its program to include car repair and serves about 80 families annually. Working Wheels participants report increased income, better access to healthcare and housing, and improved quality of life.

Working Wheels staff; photo by Michael Openheim

Evan Gilreath; photo by Michael Oppenheim

PARTNERSHIP WITH PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS

“I have great confidence that CFWNC will help my clients find the right solutions. Over the last few years, I have referred clients with significant charitable intent to the Foundation. Each wanted to create a fund for legacy giving after their deaths. To meet their charitable goals, CFWNC created tailored donor advised funds. In each case, my clients have decided to begin giving significant amounts to their fund during their lifetimes, allowing them to see the benefits in the community now from their generosity. Significant additional assets will flow to their charitable funds through their estate planning documents, creating a permanent source of support for organizations doing valuable work in WNC.”

Evan Gilreath, Gilreath Shealy Law PLLC

When your clients’ needs involve charitable giving, CFWNC can help you integrate your clients’ business, personal and financial decisions and tax-planning needs with a customized charitable plan that reflects their giving priorities.

CFWNC serves as a trusted philanthropic advisor, connecting clients with effective nonprofits, strategic giving opportunities and others who share their interests.

CFWNC is a resource when clients want to give now or define a legacy for future giving. We provide expertise and guide the charitable conversation, confidentially and without a fee.

Regional advisors are CFWNC’s most frequent source of referrals. CFWNC is grateful for the partnership and trust.

Stay informed and connected: subscribe to enews or email development@cfwnc.org.

Professional Advisory Committee:

L. Daniel Akers, Jr., Beacon Pointe Advisors James W. Baley, Baley Law Firm PLLC Mike Begley, Begley Law Firm, P.A. Vincent D. Childress, Jr., Roberts & Stevens P.A. R. Walton Davis, R. Walton Davis, III, P.A. Evan Gilreath, Gilreath Shealy Law PLLC Matthew L. Groome, Colton Groome & Company BJ Kilgore, The Van Winkle Law Firm

Harris Livingstain, McGuire, Wood & Bissette Law Firm Candace A. Mance, McGuire, Wood & Bissette Law Firm

Shon Norris, Gould Killian CPA Group, P.A. Harli L. Palme, Parsec Financial Management, Inc. Townsend Tanner, Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, CFP® Carter Webb, The Van Winkle Law Firm, Chair

In 2022, the Professional Advisory Committee awarded grants from its fund to Blue Ridge Community Health Services and OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling.

Bountiful Cities supports the development, maintenance, or expansion of local community gardens, conducts community-placed, youth-based agriculture education programs, transforms hundreds of private yards into edible agriculture spaces, and incubates start-up food and agriculture businesses owned and operated by people of color.

Bountiful Cities staff; photo by Michael Oppenheim

WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY

Women for Women (WFW) is a giving circle that improves the lives of women and girls through the power of collective giving. It has distributed more than $4.7 million to WNC nonprofits since 2006.

2022 Grants

$20,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC to transition their Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion specialist to full-time employment to expand services to BIPOC girls in WNC.

$40,000 over two years to Bountiful Cities Project to support apprentices of color and those with low generational wealth.

$100,000 over two years to Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital for the Women’s Clinic with the Cherokee County Health Department that provides lowincome or under-insured women with comprehensive medical evaluations.

$50,000 over two years to Horizons Summer Program at Carolina Day School to support economically disadvantaged girls’ attendance at a six-week summer academic program that provides an all-day STEMcentered curriculum.

$50,000 over two years to OpenDoors of Asheville toward the salaries of two women of color employed, at a living wage with benefits, as Transportation Associates.

$34,513 to WNC Superheroes to create, with partner agencies, a Fund for Survivors to make one-time, flexible small grants to survivors of sexual or domestic violence for housing, transportation, employment or legal assistance needs.

Get Involved

Join the Giving Circle

Members make a tax-deductible contribution each year, are eligible to vote on annual grant award nominations, and can volunteer to further support grantmaking and administrative activities. Membership currently exceeds 230 women. Learn more at cfwnc.org/initiatives/womenfor-women.

Give to The Women’s Fund

Endowment proceeds are distributed through the Women for Women grant program. This year, $66,140 was added to grant funds.

Give to the WFW Endowment

It supports the Giving Circle’s activities and sustainability.

Add Your Voice

Fund

WFW engages in public policy advocacy to create sustainable change, increase impact and support its grantees. The WFW Advocacy & Education Committee’s public policy advocacy agenda includes:

• Early Childhood Education

• Reproductive Health Rights and Access

• Health Disparities

• Voting Rights and Access

TAKING CARE OF NEIGHBORS

“I never thought much about the operations of a farm beyond what our family did every day with each crop we worked – corn, tobacco, alfalfa, cows, and others. I went to Appalachian State University and volunteered with the local farmworker health program teaching English, and I never really left the world of farmworker health and education.

Vecinos Farmworker Health Program is an outreach-focused healthcare organization. When I began as the ED, I was also serving as Outreach Coordinator. That level of work was unsustainable for one person. We needed to make some long-term changes. We started an organizational assessment process that led to our first strategic plan in 2018. We applied for and received funding from the Melvin R. Lane Fund to implement changes in 2019. Not even a year later, COVID hit, and Vecinos had to grow up and grow “out” very quickly. If it weren’t for the Lane Fund support and a Capacity grant at this extremely critical juncture in our organizational development cycle and as a healthcare agency, I doubt Vecinos would be where it is today.

The first year of the pandemic was a time of extreme uncertainty. It was also a time for funders to stand up and show their flexibility and willingness to meet the specific needs of a community, when it was needed, without unnecessary strings. Access to general operating support was a massive and welcome shift.

Vecinos patients and clients keep food on America’s tables but are often an invisible population, disenfranchised and forgotten. In cases of mixed-status families, there was no government-related pandemic relief, public housing support, or assistance paying bills. A proactive Human Services grant gave us the ability to keep and expand our staff and to reach out to patients in new ways. We were able to assess patient needs and assist them quickly and discreetly to keep them fed and in their own homes. The funds were part of a campaign that, through Vecinos, ultimately disseminated over $250,000 in pandemic relief funds.

Vecinos is currently working on a Capital Campaign for a Community Health Hub. We will raise $5.6 million dollars to purchase and

renovate a property in Franklin to co-locate free, bilingual services. Partnering organizations are the 30th Alliance, Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic, El Centro Comunitario of Macon County, Pisgah Legal Services and Vecinos. Over 20 years, Vecinos’ services have changed, programs have changed, staff has changed, even our mission has changed - but our core belief and driving factor is farmworker healthcare.

Vecinos is named vecinos, because we emulate the concept of taking care of our neighbors. As a white woman leading an organization that serves primarily Latinx community members, I must bring their voices forward and share them at every opportunity. Together, we can set the standard for a model of flexible, dynamic, responsive healthcare. We involve patients with this vision, and it inspires them to trust our staff and the entire organization.”

vecinos.org

In 2022, Vecinos received $334,500 in competitive grants and $60,000 in donor advised distributions.

Marianne Martinez, Executive Director, Vecinos, grew up on a small family farm in Rutherford County, NC; photo by Michael Oppenheim

Affiliate FUNDS

AffiliateFunds

Starting in 1992, CFWNC encouraged the growth of affiliate funds to build charitable capital across the region to address local needs. In 2022, CFWNC’s nine affiliates conducted grant cycles totaling $735,318 that distributed funds to everyday heroes doing good work close to home.

Black Mountain – Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund Established in 1999; June 30 assets* surpassed $2.5 million

Advisory Board Members: Sylvia Bassett, Kannah L. Begley Walker (Chair), Mary Anna Belz, Amy Berry, Jon Brooks, Esteve Coll-Larrosa, Carol Groben, Margaret Hurt, Rodney Lytle, Bradley McMahan, Scott Roy, Sheila H. Showers, and Joseph Standaert.

*The Advisory Board also makes grants from the Buckner Family Endowment Fund, the Helen S. and Jerry M. Newbold, Jr. Endowment Fund, the Forbes Fund for Black MountainSwannanoa Valley, and the Standaert Family Endowment Fund.

Cashiers Community Fund

Established in 1992; June 30 assets* surpassed $3.4 million

Advisory Board Members: Trace Baker, Lisa Bates (Chair), Christopher Dyer, Joyce Fisk, Paiden Hite, Leah Horton, Melissa Hudson, Carol Hunter, Harriet Karro, Laura Moser and Kati Miller.

*The Advisory Board also makes grants from the Lyn K. Holloway Memorial Fund.

The Fund for Haywood County Established in 1994; June 30 assets* surpassed $1.4 million

Advisory Board Members: Angela Bleckley, Adam Bridges (Chair), Kim Ferguson, Jeff Haynes, Joan Kennedy, Chris Kuhlman, Terri Manning, Stephen McNeil, Jonathan Song,

Amy Spivey, Mathew Underwood, and Eric Yarrington.

*The Advisory Board also makes grants from the J. Aaron and Adora H. Prevost Endowment Fund, and the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund.

Highlands Community Fund

Established in 1996; June 30 assets* surpassed $1.9 million

Advisory Board Members: Lisa Armstrong, Anne Bailey, Gerry Doubleday, Florence Holmes, Colleen Kerrigan, Ann Klamon, Jim Landon, Libby Lanier, George Manning (Chair), Jeff Nixon, Amanda Reames, Diane Riddle, Jim Stokes, Cindy Trevathan, and Jeff Weller.

*The Advisory Board also makes grants from the Mildred Miller Fort Charitable Fund.

AffiliateFunds

The McDowell Endowment

Established in 1995; June 30 assets* surpassed $1.1 million

Advisory Board Members: Marion Baker (Chair), Jim Burgin, Vicki Burton, Nakia Carson, Marsh Dark, Kimberly Effler, Steve Gaito, Steve Jones, Ryan Kelley, Michael Lavender, Patt Medders, Sharon Parker, Arthur Parks, Sandra Precoma, and Bobbie Young.

*The Advisory Board also makes grants from the Margaret Westmoreland Gibson Memorial Fund, Greenlee Family Fund, A.C. Hogan Family Fund, and the Daniel I. and Joy Q. Shuford Fund.

The Fund for Mitchell County Established in 1999; June 30 assets surpassed $1.1 million

Advisory Board Members: Beverly Ayscue (Chair), Robin Buchanan, Christopher Day, Janie DeVos, Kathryn Hollifield, Stuart Jensen, Nick Joerling, Andy Palmer, Geraldine Plato, Suzanne B. Russell, Brenda Sparks, and Diane Walker.

Rutherford County Endowment

Established in 1996; June 30 assets surpassed $1.9 million

Advisory Board Members: Lucille Dalton, David Eaker, Nancy Giles, Jean Gordon, Jackie Hampton, Eddie Holland, Sally Lesher, Keven McCammon, Wilfred McDowell, Tom Miller, Jill Miracle, Pell Tanner, Judy Toney (Chair), and Michelle Yelton.

Transylvania Endowment

Established in 1998; June 30 assets* surpassed $1.9 million

Advisory Board Members: Nick Bearden, Don Bieger, John D. Goins (Chair), Char Holbrook, Beth Holimon, Patti Jerome, Beth Lastinger, Scott Latell, Michael Pratt, Nancee Salyer, Mark Shevory, John Shoemaker, Bruce Snyder, and Judy Welch.

*The Advisory Board also makes grants from the Richard G. Adamson Memorial Fund, Connie Boylan Fund, DuncanBicknell Endowment Fund, Burlingame

Charitable Fund, Lake Toxaway Charities Endowment Fund, My Brother’s Keeper Fund, Bobby Orr Memorial Fund for Transylvania County Sheriff’s Department, Karen Wilde Memorial Fund for Brevard Police Department, and Holbrook-Nichols Transylvania Housing Assistance Fund.

The Yancey Fund

Established in 1998; June 30 assets* surpassed $2.7 million

Advisory Board Members: Jim Ashton, Jill Austin, Gretchen Banks, Amber Westall Briggs, Olivier Calas, Monica Carpenter, Frances Coletta Young, Deborah d’Aquin, Jim Gentry, Jayne Ellen Hunt, Calvin Rash, Julia Silvers, and Gregory Stella (Chair).

*The Advisory Board also makes grants from the Bailey-Hilliard Fund.

Photos courtesy of Pisgah Legal Services, Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau, TRACTOR, Mitchell Giving Gardens, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, Rutherford County Cooperative Extension, Yancey County Humane Society and Helping At Risk Kids

$23.5 Million

FINANCIALS

$43.5 Million $387 Million

Total Grants Total Gifts

Total Assets as of and Scholarships 6/30/2022

A Diversified Portfolio

The goal of CFWNC’s investment program is to preserve and enhance the real value of assets over time. To accomplish this goal, CFWNC pursues diversified asset allocations and utilizes an Investment Committee comprised of local professionals with investment and financial expertise.

Investment Performance

Effective stewardship of philanthropic assets is the key to building permanent charitable funds that can strengthen communities. CFWNC has a sound record of risk-adjusted returns that has served the Foundation and its donors well over the long term. The performance objective for CFWNC’s investment activities is to achieve a total return of CPI + 4.5% over a full market

cycle. The CFWNC Investment Committee manages multiple portfolios in pursuit of this objective.

CFWNC also maintains valued investment management relationships with the following firms: Altamont Capital Management, Beacon Pointe Advisors, Boys Arnold & Company, Colton Groome & Company,

Merrill Lynch, Parsec Financial Management, Peoples United Advisors, Inc. (CT), Raymond James & Company, StoneStreet Wealth Management and UBS Wealth Management.

View audited financial statements and tax returns and learn more about our investment program at cfwnc.org.

Annualized Investment Returns Through 6/30/22

Asset Allocation as of 6/30/22:

Statement of Financial Position

Assets

2022 2021

Cash & cash equivalents 24,008,435 16,921,933

Prepaid expenses 26,252 33,003 Accounts receivable 127,495 144,332

Investments without donor restrictions 82,623,135 94,798,228

Property and equipment, net 2,039,120 2,103,494 Investments with donor restrictions 278,231,783 308,747,755

Total assets 387,056,220 422,748,745

Liabilities and Net Assets

Liabilities

Grants and scholarships payable 514,566 544,317 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 38,836 21,975 Liabilities under split-interest agreements 4,582,186 5,047,497 Funds held as agency endowments 98,263,590 102,326,128 Total liabilities 103,399,178 107,939,917

Net assets

Without donor restrictions 5,425,259 6,061,073

With donor restrictions 278,231,783 308,747,755

Total net assets 283,657,042 314,808,828

Total liabilities and net assets 387,056,220 422,748,745

Statement of Activities

Revenues and other support:

2022 2021

Contributions 30,677,191 26,784,724 Investment Income 2,824,574 2,557,462 Realized and unrealized losses, net (39,810,337) 57,048,518

Change in value of split-interest agreements (1,008,457) 770,450 Management fee income 678,898 621,485

Loan Forgiveness-Paycheck Protection Program 354,600 Grant income 58,011 104,462 Other income 140,872 99,034

Total revenues and other support (6,439,248) 88,340,735

Expenses

Grants & Program services 22,970,811 20,500,697 Supporting services 1,741,727 1,463,604

Total Expenses 24,712,538 21,964,301

Change in net assets (31,151,786) 66,376,434

Net assets, beginning of year 314,808,828 248,432,394

Net assets, end of year 283,657,042 314,808,828

Note: Standards of financial accounting for nonprofits affect the reporting of charitable remainder trusts and certain endowment funds managed by CFWNC for other nonprofits. Among the categories impacted are Contributions and Program Services, which includes grant distributions. References to Contributions and Grants in other parts of this report reflect total contributions received and total grants disbursed.

WORKING WITH DONORS

Giving

CFWNC is here to help you support what matters to you. We offer personalized solutions and tax-advantaged strategies. We can help you develop a plan that is customized and effective.

Becoming a Fundholder

You choose your level of involvement and timing and decide whether to include others in giving decisions. Your giving can be acknowledged or remain anonymous.

What to Give

You can give cash, marketable securities and mutual fund shares, closely held stock, retirement accounts, interest in a limited liability partnership, life insurance, real estate or private foundation assets. Your professional advisors are involved, ensuring coordination across your charitable, financial and estate planning.

Sound Investment

Every fund is professionally invested, so gifts grow over time supporting more giving.

Grants

Make secure, online grant recommendations and monitor your fund activity at any time. Staff is also available by phone and email.

Advice and Opportunity

Upon request, we can share information about community issues and needs and make you aware of funding opportunities that align with your interests.

Contact: Laura Herndon, Vice President, Development, at 828-367-9900.

WORKING WITH NONPROFITS

Nonprofit Organization Funds

CFWNC manages more than 210 funds for 130 nonprofits across the region. This is an important and growing part of our work. Nonprofit funds total $78 million, accounting for nearly 24% of all assets under management. Partnering with CFWNC allows nonprofits access to a sophisticated investment platform.

CFWNC handles all investment management and oversight, including accounting, financial reporting and an annual audit. Organizations may wish to consider a nonprofit organization fund as a tool to build an endowment.

Contact: Becky Davis, Senior Development Officer, at 828-367-9905.

Grant Funding

Most of CFWNC’s grants are donor advised and support hundreds of nonprofits. Grants from discretionary funds and field of interest funds are made in alignment with CFWNC focus areas. Competitive grant programs and deadlines are listed in the grants directory at cfwnc.org.

Contact: Diane Crisp, Senior Grants Manager, at 828-367-9904.

WNC Nonprofit Pathways

CFWNC supports the efforts of nonprofits to be as efficient and effective as possible through WNC Nonprofit Pathways. Pathways is a funders’ collaborative, formed in 2006, to help nonprofits become

stronger and more sustainable. In 2021, nearly 500 nonprofit leaders participated in programming to learn and implement new skills to strengthen their organizations.

2022 Pathways Funders are CFWNC, Cherokee Preservation Foundation, Duke Endowment, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation and United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. nonprofitpathways.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOUNDATION STAFF

J. Chris Smith, Chair

Joanne Badr Morgan, Vice-Chair and Secretary

Himanshu Karvir, Treasurer

Caroline M. Avery

Natalie Bailey

Ellen O. Carr

Francisco Castelblanco

William Clarke

Yolanda Fair

Michael Fields

Connie Haire

Susan Jenkins

Harris M. Livingstain

Jean McLaughlin

Heather P. Norton

Scott Shealy

Sharon Fouts Taylor

Carter B. Webb

Juanita Wilson

CFWNC’s mission is to inspire philanthropy and mobilize resources to enrich lives and communities in Western North Carolina.

Philip Belcher

Vice President, Programs

Elizabeth Brazas President

Spencer Butler

Senior Donor Relations Officer

Diane Crisp

Senior Grants Manager

Melissa Crouse Finance Associate

Becky Davis, CFRE Senior Development Officer

Naomi Davis

Finance and Human Resources Officer

Virginia Dollar Senior Program Officer

Melissa Edgington Development Associate

Angela Farnquist Donor Relations Officer

Amber Harrelson-Williams Program Associate

Lindsay Hearn Communications Director

Laura Herndon Vice President, Development

Graham Keever

Chief Financial Officer

Julie Klipp

Chief Operating Officer

Amy McGuire

Donor Relations Associate

Meagan McNairy Office Administrator

Lezette Parks Scholarship Officer

Tara Scholtz

Senior Program Officer

Janet Sharp Senior Staff Accountant

Sally Weldon Director of Information Technology

Everyday People

CFWNC partners daily with everyday heroes in Western North Carolina. We are grateful to those who shared their thoughts, stories and images in this report to highlight our collective work. We couldn’t do this without them. Cover photos by Michael Oppenheim

Project NAF families; photo by Michael Oppenheim