Newsletter fall 2016

the community foundation of western north carolina PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

This past year, $18.9 million in philanthropic funds flowed out of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

We are proud to be the conduit through which generous people support a myriad of programs across our region and the organization many nonprofits choose to partner with to achieve their mission and goals.

Under the leadership of past board chair Jim Stickney, this spring staff and board engaged in a thorough review and update of our strategic plan. The in-depth analysis took place during the fifth year of a ten-year plan. Over the course of several months, we documented our successes and evaluated what we could improve for the next five years of growth and service to the region.

Five years of disciplined adherence to our strategy and goals united board and staff in their commitment to CFWNC’s focus on the philanthropic goals of our fundholders.

Our partnerships with regional philanthropists represent the most promise for Western North Carolina. Listening and learning from people who are committed to giving back enables CFWNC to be more responsive and effective.

At the May board meeting, the board recommitted to this strategic direction.

Highlights of that work include: Focus on Donors — working more closely with fundholders has given CFWNC a better understanding of their goals, which allowed us to become more successful in aligning opportunities and resources.

Business Model — changes implemented during the first five years have resulted in a more streamlined and sustainable organization.

Fall 2016

Staff Deployment — new hires and enhanced roles for some long-term employees capitalized on strengths and reinforced a cross-departmental approach to serving all fundholders.

Focus Area Grants — CFWNC is diligent in its focus area work and has a grounded understanding of the role we can play in the region, given our resources. Focusing our giving has deepened the public’s understanding of our work and created opportunities for co-investment that enable CFWNC to fund more programs.

Customized Service — CFWNC offers a unique set of charitable services; this is what sets us apart. We continue to meet donors where they are and match our services to their needs — serving as a philanthropic advisor for some and in a more transactional role for others.

Leadership — 38 years of service to the region has enabled CFWNC to build credibility and trust. We encourage and participate in community initiatives and partnerships. Because of our unique role, CFWNC has the opportunity and the responsibility to use our voice and resources, when appropriate, to raise awareness of issues impacting Western North Carolina.

As we embark on the next five years of our strategic plan, we are stronger in our understanding of how we most effectively serve; we are united in our desire to support the philanthropic goals of many generous citizens; we are well-positioned to face the future; and we are grateful to everyone who makes this work possible.

Nancy Booth and Elizabeth Brazas at the dedication of Booth’s new Habitat for Humanity home. CFWNC was part of the Business Bungalow team that partnered to fund and build two Habitat homes in Asheville.

2011-2016 Strategic Plan Milestones • 96 New Donor Advised Funds • 35 New Nonprofit Funds • $1.3 Million in Scholarships • $2.9 Million in Co-investment • $5 Million in Grants to People in Need • $110 Million in New Gifts • $64.6 Million in Distributions

POWER OF THE PURSE®

Presidential Historian and Author Doris Kearns Goodwin to Speak at Power of the Purse® 2017 Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin is the featured speaker for the 13th Annual Power of the Purse® taking place Tuesday, May 23, in Asheville. Goodwin will provide a historical perspective on “Our Wild 2016 Election” and will take questions from the audience. Online reservations can be made beginning in March 2017.

“Doris Kearns Goodwin has been called ‘America’s historian-in-chief,’ ” said Elizabeth Brazas. “She is eminently qualified to provide historical context for the 2016 presidential election. CFWNC is proud and pleased to bring her insight and perspective to Western North Carolina.”

Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Goodwin is the author of six critically acclaimed and New York Times best-selling books, including her most recent, The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, winner of the Carnegie Medal. Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios has acquired the film rights to the book. Spielberg and Goodwin previously worked together on the film Lincoln, based in part on Goodwin’s award-winning Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. The book was awarded the prestigious Lincoln Prize and the inaugural Book Prize for American History.

Masthead photo of the Tuckaseigee River courtesy of American Rivers.

Continued on page 3.

A F F I L I AT E N E W S

A “Forever” Gift to Yancey County T H E YA N C E Y F U N D R E C E I V E S M A J O R G I F T; E N D O W M E N T N O W $1.6 M I L L I O N

Marie B. Hilliard wanted to remember Yancey County in her estate plans. Mrs. Hilliard, a native of Yancey County, dedicated to assisting people in need and Hospice patients in her community, was the daughter of the late Clyde M. Bailey and Eva Anders Cash and the wife of the late Ray Hilliard. Mrs. Hilliard passed away on October 16, 2015.

Mrs. Hilliard's gift established the Bailey-Hilliard Fund, named in memory of her father and husband. It is a Marie B. Hilliard.

CFWNC endowed fund, which means that her gift to the people of Yancey County is truly a "forever" gift.

Mrs. Hilliard's contribution remains intact forever. From her gift, The Yancey Fund will make grants to provide for people in need in Yancey County.

Working together since 1998, CFWNC and The Yancey Fund have awarded 85 grants to 41 organizations in Yancey County totaling $817,703.

Bill Cullom, Chair of The Yancey Fund Advisory Board, said, “This very significant gift, so generously made by Mrs. Hilliard through her estate, will be here forever. With this resource, The Yancey Fund will continue our long-time commitment to the People in Need focus area in addition to directing grants to other important projects benefitting everyone here in Yancey County.”

The Fund for Mitchell County and CFWNC partnered to award $20,000 to Mitchell County SafePlace for a Dating Violence Prevention Education program to encourage healthy, safe relationships through an evidence-based curriculum serving 336 middle and high school students in Mitchell County.

The Black Mountain – Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund recently awarded $10,000 to Charles D. Owen Middle School to purchase instruments, equipment and music for the newly established middle school strings orchestra program.

Photos courtesy of Owen Middle School.

Photo by Mercedes Jelinek.

Rutherford County Endowment Awards $60,000 in Grants Ten grants totaling $60,000 were awarded to nonprofits by the Rutherford County Endowment, bringing total grantmaking to more than $1,144,000.

The Endowment was established in 1996 by local residents as a resource for charitable efforts that benefit Rutherford County. The recent grants include: KidSenses Children’s Interactive Museum — $7,500 to support the “Making Your Own Future” initiative in THE FACTORY, a new facility designed to engage older youth in STEM-related programs.

Rutherford County Arts Council — $8,000 to purchase copier equipment that will enable the Arts Council to create and produce scripts and scores for participants and promotional materials for the Council’s cultural events and programs.

Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity — $5,000 for home repairs in the Spindale area to provide safe and secure housing for low-income families.

Rutherford Housing Partnership — $8,000 to help renovate a Forest City house which will become the sixth rental unit in the Housing Matters program.

Salem United Methodist Church — $2,500 for the Washburn Community Outreach Center to purchase food for its pantry.

Volunteers from Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity repaired homes in Spindale.

Photo courtesy of Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity.

Abounding Grace Ministry — $7,000 to provide services to teen girls and women who are, or have been, incarcerated and addicted to drugs or alcohol, assisting them in a positive transition back into society.

Grace of God Rescue Mission — $2,500 to help provide the evening meal for homeless and impoverished men, women and children in Forest City, Spindale and Rutherfordton.

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Isothermal Community College — $7,500 to purchase pianos and support a summer program for high school students as part of the new Associate of Fine Arts Music degree program.

Union Mills Learning Center — $5,000 for a summer learning camp experience featuring reading, field trips and activities that will serve 40 youth each full-day session.

Youth Empowerment of Rutherford County — $7,000 to improve food service for afterschool and summer programs that reduce truancy, school dropout, abuse and neglect, gang involvement, substance abuse and hunger in Forest City neighborhoods.

“We’re very pleased to have the opportunity to help address a diverse set of needs and opportunities in Rutherford County, from cultural and natural resources to recreation and people in need,” said Karen Moore, chair of the advisory board. “We remain forever grateful to our past and present donors, whose gifts make our growing grant program possible.”

FOCUS AREA GRANTS

People in Need Makes Proactive Investment in Matched Savings In May, the CFWNC board approved grants totaling nearly $114,000 to support matched-savings programs designed to keep low-income people from falling into poverty. Similar to Individual Development Accounts, matched-savings programs provide participants with a monetary incentive to save in tandem with budgeting and financial education.

“The People in Need focus area runs an annual grant cycle with awards in November, but we decided to try another tool to help nonprofits that work to alleviate poverty,” said Philip Belcher, Vice President of Programs. “It's a proactive way we can help people avoid circumstances that could really put them over the edge. Many people in Western North Carolina are one unexpected bill away from financial catastrophe."

A total of $113,460 was given to pilot matched-savings programs through implementing partners Blue Ridge Community Action, Mountain Projects and OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling. Matched-savings programs often assist people needing to buy a house or create a small business, but the Foundation's focus is on helping people put aside money for an emergency.

N AT U R A L A N D C U LT U R A L RESOURCES

$65,000 over two years to American Rivers to plan the Tuckaseigee River Blue Trail in Jackson County. American Rivers’ Blue Trails have proven effective for building community support to protect rivers and ensure water quality for future generations. $25,000 to the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design toward an ArtSpace Affordable Housing Feasibility Study to inform and advance place-based affordable mixed-use developments for artists and the creative sector. The Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund and the Oliver Family Fund partnered with CFWNC to fund this grant.

F O O D A N D FA R M I N G

$20,000 to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension in McDowell County to determine the feasibility of a Community Food and Health Hub.

Asheville-based OnTrack used the money to start its SECURE program, Savings for Emergencies and Credit to Unlock Resilience and Empowerment. OnTrack expected to support at least 60 people with the grant funds, matching them $3 for every $1 a participant saves. Participants can build up to $720 in emergency savings while they learn about budgeting, debt and credit; after six months, they are eligible for a match.

“We are thrilled that we have completed all the orientation information sessions and SECURE has 85 enrollees with five more in the works,” said Celeste Collins, OnTrack Executive Director. “And, the best news is that already participants have saved $2,300!

This far exceeds our expectations for this early in the program.”

August Focus Area Grants

May Focus Area Grants E A R LY C H I L D H O O D DEVELOPMENT

Anthony Jimenez, OnTrack's SECURE Program Coordinator, with SECURE client Teres Brennan, a graduate of the Life Works program at Community Action Opportunities, who has participated in OnTrack's Women's Financial Empowerment Center classes and counseling since last summer.

Photo courtesy of OnTrack.

"During the time they are saving money, they are building their money management skills and financial confidence," she continued. "Studies show that lower-income folks who are trying to move out of poverty have a harder time saving, but if they get into a program that includes education, counseling and matched money to jump-start savings, for some families that can be a catalyst for a different way of managing their money."

“A lack of emergency savings is a significant factor in trapping low-income people in a cycle of high cost borrowing, poverty and dangerous debt,” said Collins. “We are energized by The Community Foundation’s bold investment in the SECURE pilot program, which has created fertile ground for innovation and boots-on-the-ground discovery. We have read the research and now SECURE lets us test the outcomes here in our community.”

OnTrack’s SECURE coordinator and educator, Anthony Jimenez, reports that participants are very engaged in learning, particularly around creating a “money vision” and financial goals. The most recent class included a SECURE participant who said that getting financial education was the reason she is participating in the program.

In spring 2017, CFWNC will host a meeting of the three implementing partners to assess progress and share information. There is a possibility that funding will be renewed and that other funders may join this effort.

$96,000 to the Blue Ridge Partnership for Children over two years to implement the Yancey Early Childhood Initiative, a collective impact model for addressing early childhood issues in Yancey County. The Crutchfield Charitable Fund partnered with CFWNC to fund this grant. $35,000 to the YWCA of Asheville and WNC to develop and implement a parent-led childcare partnership for Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College students. The Brown Family Fund and the Oliver Family Fund co-invested in this grant.

N AT U R A L A N D C U LT U R A L RESOURCES

$25,000 to the Asheville Downtown Association Foundation for the second phase of its Urban Trail marketing project. $30,000 to the Mainspring Conservation Trust to support continued facilitation for the Mountain Partners, a collaborative founded during a reconciliation process focused on the Nikwasi Mound in Macon County.

The Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund partnered with CFWNC to fund both Natural and Cultural Resources grants. (see page 6)

Power of the Purse® continued from page 1.

The 2016 Power of the Purse®, featuring Astronaut Mae Jemison, raised $104,000 for CFWNC’s endowed Women’s Fund.

Spendable income from the Fund is distributed through the Women for Women grant program.

Goodwin was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in history for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II and is the author of the best sellers Wait Till Next Year, Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream, and The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, which was adapted into an award-winning five-part TV miniseries.

She appears frequently on television and has served as a consultant and been interviewed extensively for documentaries on President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Kennedy family, Franklin Roosevelt, and Abraham and Mary Lincoln, as well as Ken Burns’ The History of Baseball and The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.

Goodwin graduated magna cum laude from Colby College. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Government from Harvard University, where she taught Government, including a course on the American Presidency. At the age of 24, Goodwin became a White House fellow, working directly with President Lyndon B. Johnson. Goodwin served as an assistant to President Johnson in his last year in the White House and later assisted him in the preparation of his memoirs.

Proceeds from Power of the Purse® benefit The Women’s Fund, a permanent endowment that supports the unmet needs of women and girls across the region.

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GRANT NEWS

Melvin R. Lane Fund Awards $900,000 to Human Service Nonprofits Six nonprofits serving Western North Carolina will receive $900,000 over three years from the Melvin R. Lane Fund. The grant program helps human service organizations improve operations and become more collaborative and sustainable in order to better the lives of Western North Carolina’s disadvantaged citizens. The following 2016-2018 grant recipients will receive $150,000 each over three years: Eliada Homes — to diversify and increase revenue streams through a major gifts staff position that will improve consistency of services for disadvantaged youth in Western North Carolina.

Freedom Life Ministries — to increase revenue through the creation of fund development and marketing positions and to improve leadership development by hiring program support staff. Freedom Life Ministries helps adjudicated individuals in McDowell County transition successfully into society.

Cierra, Treva and Corrie Williams – one of the more than 6,000 households Mountain Housing Opportunities has helped secure a safe, attractive affordable home.

Photo courtesy of MHO.

Helpmate — for development support to increase revenue in order to double its shelter capacity. Helpmate serves victims of domestic violence in Buncombe County.

Mountain Child Advocacy Center — for a technology upgrade and administrative and fund development support to serve more children who are victims of abuse and neglect in Buncombe County.

Mountain Housing Opportunities — to increase access to affordable and workforce housing in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties through development and marketing support and the implementation of new financial models for housing development.

OpenDoors of Asheville — to support operations and to undertake strategic planning to increase services and improve outcomes.

OpenDoors programs work to raise the reading levels of struggling students growing up in multigenerational poverty to at least grade level before they enter high school.

“As we begin an intensive three-year effort to double our affordable housing production and services, we are grateful for this multi-year grant from the Melvin R. Lane Fund,” said Scott Dedman, Mountain Housing Opportunities Executive Director. “In 2015 we completed 112 new homes; however, Buncombe County alone needs more than 200 new homes per year to meet demand for a growing workforce, retirees and people with disabilities, and needs are great in surrounding counties. With the support of the Melvin R. Lane Fund, we believe we can meet our goal of producing more than 230 new homes per year by 2019.”

The three-year grants are made possible through the Melvin R. Lane Fund, created by Melvin and Georgianna Lane, longtime residents of Henderson County. Lyn Fozzard, daughter of Melvin R. Lane, oversees the fund with her sons Peter and Richard, daughter-in-law Libby and members of the Lane advisory board. CFWNC President Elizabeth Brazas said, “The Lane Fund grant program enables social service nonprofits to improve operations and build capacity so that they can help more people. The Lanes were passionate and generous philanthropists who recognized the importance of this type of support. CFWNC is proud to support the family in carrying on their legacy.”

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Community Foundation Awards Scholarships totaling $407,900 This year, CFWNC awarded $407,900 to 94 students in Western North Carolina. The Foundation administers 60 scholarships funds; 45 run a spring cycle offered to high school seniors each year.

Top recipients are: • Katherine Hopkins of School of Inquiry and Life Sciences who was awarded the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship, valued at $40,000 over four years, as well as the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Scholarship, valued at $6,000 over four years.

• Harrison Kaufmann of T.C. Roberson High School who was awarded the Nathaniel Ellis Cannady, Jr. Scholarship, valued at $30,000 over four years.

• Joseph Rathbone of Pisgah High School who was awarded the Nathaniel Ellis Cannady, Jr. Scholarship, valued at $30,000 over four years.

• Noah Willingham of North Henderson High School who was awarded the Nathaniel Ellis Cannady, Jr. Scholarship, valued at $30,000 over four years.

• Katherine Wuertz of A.C. Reynolds High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Scholarship, valued at $10,000 over four years.

• Athanasios Apostolopoulos of North Buncombe High School who was awarded the Irving Jacob Reuter Award, valued at $10,000 over four years.

• Dakota Tittle of East Henderson High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Scholarship, valued at $16,000 over four years.

• Mary Beth Thomas of Mitchell High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Scholarship, valued at $20,000 over four years, and the Charles C. and Suzanne R. McKinney Scholarship, valued at $12,000 over four years.

Scholarship endowments can have broad eligibility criteria or can be focused on a particular school or county, offered to students pursuing a degree in a stated field or available to those who will attend a designated college or university.

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“This year, we awarded 106 scholarships from 41 funds,” said Jennie Eblen, member of the WNC Regionals selection committee. “The generous people who set up these funds had the foresight to invest in our future.

Their support helps young people in Western North Carolina achieve their educational dreams. It's an honor to assist these bright, talented and motivated students.”

Israel Miguel Mendez, Junior at East Carolina University, from Morganton, N.C., recipient of the renewable Murice C. Talley Memorial Scholarship.

“I am absolutely in love with learning, people and adventure. I am a Public Health major with a concentration in Community Health. My goal is to serve an underprivileged community in North Carolina as a physician assistant. I feel confident that I will succeed because helping others is something that I am passionate about.

Currently, I am treasurer of the ECU Pre-PA Club; sit on the executive council for Every Nation Campus Ministry; serve as an ECU Ambassador; and am a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. I work twenty hours a week as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Thank you for all you do and for helping my biggest dreams come true.”

GRANT NEWS

Volunteer dentists, hygienists and students provided dental care to more than 650 people in two days.

Photo courtesy of ABCCM.

SUN Grant Supports Missions of Mercy Dental Clinic for ABCCM The Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) is a key provider of services to Buncombe County’s low-income and indigent populations. Services include a clinic offering dental care and extractions, one of only two providing oral health services to low-income people and the sole clinic performing extractions.

A recent staffing crisis resulted in a temporary closure of the clinic. During that time, the number of patients waiting for extractions grew to 80, a number projected to continue to climb. As a temporary solution, ABCCM was asked to host a Missions of Mercy (MOM) Dental Clinic and had to raise $40,000 on short notice. ABCCM partnered with Eblen Charities to raise most of the money; a Janirve Sudden and Urgent Need grant closed a $10,000 funding gap.

The two-day clinic took place at Biltmore Baptist Church and provided cleanings, fillings, extractions, crowns, root canals, oral surgery and even partials to 653 people. The volunteer crew, recruited by Dr. Glenn Miller, included 68 dentists, 104 hygienists and assistants, 63 dental students from A-B Tech, 18 medical doctors and nurses and 83 general volunteers who registered and fed the participants. They worked twelve-hour days.

“One patient missing four front teeth walked five miles to get there,” said Reverend Scott Rogers, ABCCM Executive Director. Another client, who was there for two extractions and a root canal, shared that she had endured excruciating pain for weeks and could never have afforded to pay for work on her teeth with her two part-time jobs. A veteran at the Veterans Restoration Quarters said that he had been on the list to get dental help at the VA for more than nine months. “Thank God I got to see a dentist today,” he said. “He told me that without surgery the abscess and tooth decay could have led to cancer.” The same dentist told him to come to his office and he would keep treating him for no cost. “No one has ever treated me like that,” he concluded.

The clinic resulted in eleven new volunteers and a possible solution to the staffing issue. “We hope to restore our services,” said Rogers. “In the meantime, we have caught up the backlog of patients and have some breathing room to make plans to reopen with a new team.”

Pigeon River Fund Awards $168,530 in Water Quality Grants P R O J E C T S B E N E F I T B U N C O M B E , H AY W O O D A N D MADISON COUNTIES

The latest round of Pigeon River Fund grants totaling $168,530 was awarded to environmental groups working in Western North Carolina to improve surface water quality, enhance fish and wildlife management habitats, expand public use and access to waterways and increase awareness to help protect resources in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties.

Since 1996, the Pigeon River Fund has distributed $5,826,912 in grants.

The grants were awarded to: Haywood Waterways Association — $11,000 to assess stormwater runoff issues and design improvements to reduce excess sedimentation in a stream that flows into Lake Junaluska.

Southwestern NC Resource Conservation and Development Council — • $21,500 to complete engineering and permitting tasks for removal of the Beaverdam Creek dam near the confluence with the Pigeon River in Canton.

• $22,500 to complete design and engineering plans for stream bank improvements on Shingle Cove Branch as part of the renovation of Chestnut Park by the Town of Waynesville.

Maggie Valley Sanitary District — $20,000 toward transactional costs associated with the purchase and conveyance of 710 acres, which protect the headwaters of Jonathan and Campbell creeks in Maggie Valley.

The Conservation Fund — $40,000 toward transactional costs associated with the purchase and conveyance of the 172-acre “Gowing” tract and the 783-acre “Williams” tract that protect tributaries of Jonathan Creek in Maggie Valley.

Support from the Pigeon River Fund will purchase native plants and create interpretive materials for the North Carolina Arboretum's Stream Garden.

Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Arboretum.

Asheville GreenWorks — $21,830 to continue the Trash Boom Project in Buncombe and Haywood counties and to design and construct a “trash trap” on Hominy Creek to address the litter problem in our creeks and streams.

Madison County — $25,000 to upgrade the wastewater infrastructure in the Town of Hot Springs by installing a dual pump station at the red bridge across the French Broad River.

North Carolina Arboretum Society — $6,700 for native plants and interpretive materials as part of the renovation of the Stream Garden at the Arboretum in Asheville.

The Pigeon River Fund was established through an agreement between Carolina Power & Light (now Duke Energy) and the State of North Carolina. CFWNC administers the grant program, which makes awards twice a year.

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DONOR PROFILE

Julian Price

ASHEVILLE’S ANGEL INVESTOR

A native of North Carolina, Julian Price was a grandson of the founder of Jefferson Pilot, an insurance and broadcasting company. He lived outside of North Carolina for most of his life but made Asheville home for his last decade – a move with profound and continuing repercussions for the city he adopted and came to love.

His generosity and achievements are the stuff of local legend. When he relocated in 1989, Asheville was suffering from decades of neglect. Price noticed and began to rattle the doors and phones of City Hall and to give his money away to support the efforts of downtown pioneers, nonprofits and entrepreneurs. He made early and significant investments in entities such as Mountain Xpress (then the Greenline), Mountain BizWorks (formerly Mountain Microenterprise Fund), the Affordable Housing Coalition, Self-Help Credit Union and many more.

As more and more people became aware of Price’s generosity, he sought a way to make smart investments without being the front man.

That quest led him to Pat Smith, Executive Director of CFWNC from 1984 to 2009. “He walked in wearing a pair of blue jeans wanting to know what we did, and if he gave us money, how we would use it,” says Smith. “He talked about his interest in sustainability and pedestrian improvements, and in helping low-income people.”

At the time, CFWNC had $5 million in assets and two employees. Last year, the Foundation facilitated $18.9 million in philanthropy, and today manages assets exceeding $254 million.

program officer. McGuire worked with Price to design a grant program, and the Dogwood Fund awarded its first grants in 1991.

Price’s fund allowed the Foundation to give grants up to $25,000, five times larger than earlier grants. “And Julian wanted to do multiple-year grants,” said McGuire. “He knew it took longer than one year to get a project going.” Price’s choice to work with CFWNC spurred its subsequent growth. The grant review process they designed helped to shape future funding programs. The sizeable endowment and its track record of grants bolstered the Foundation’s credibility.

“I believe Julian would be moved and deeply gratified to see the exponential growth his initial investment at The Community Foundation has made,” said Meg MacLeod, who was married to Price. “A strong, local community foundation was one of his chief interests,” added daughter Rachel Price. “He wanted other donors to join and bring their ideas and interests and build an effective mechanism to implement them.”

“He was very hands-on in the beginning,” adds McGuire. “He wanted to invest in groups with innovative ideas which were not getting much traditional funding.” What Price made possible through the Dogwood Fund was the Foundation’s ability to take risks and invest in organizations like the Affordable Housing Coalition, which he began to fund through Dogwood rather than privately. What CFWNC made possible was Price’s anonymity.

In 1991, he formed Public Interest Projects (PIP) with Pat Whalen. PIP began renovating some of the many empty downtown buildings, with businesses on the street level and residential units above, including the old Penney’s Building, the Asheville Hotel, The Carolina and the Rice-White Building. PIP also invested in and coached local businesses that continue to be key to Asheville’s success, including Laughing Seed, Salsa’s and Zambra restaurants, the Fine Arts Theatre, Malaprop’s bookstore, Skyrunner internet provider and the Orange Peel music club.

“Julian was behind the scenes by choice, but he was involved in everything,” says McGuire. “His legacy will live well beyond his years because of who he was and what he did with the resources he had.”

The Julian Price Project (julianpriceproject. com) was launched this year to highlight his ‘guerilla’ methods of activism and “My goal for the Julian Price Project was to philanthropy. A locally-produced highlight what an individual with vision, heart Movie poster promoting the Julian Price documentary, currently on documentary, Julian Price: Envisioning and determination can do, with whatever the festival circuit.

Community. Investing in People., currently Photo courtesy of Public Interest Projects. resources they have, to make change,” said on the festival circuit, captures Price’s Rachel Price. The Dogwood Fund continues unorthodox methods and instrumental to support causes that would “float Julian’s efforts that transformed a boarded-up The Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund, the boat,” according to MacLeod. She continued, “I downtown into a thriving destination. The film Foundation’s largest fund, by far, at the time, want others to know that working with CFWNC touches on his philanthropic legacy, but there permanently carries out the charitable legacy of is rewarding and simple. It’s a great way to is a bigger story to tell about his role in the Julian Price and, to date, has granted out more stretch your dollars because other investors chip growth of The Community Foundation and the than $3 million. in. Together, we can make a profound difference endowment he created to permanently support in these mountains.” the causes he cared deeply about during his Price wanted Smith to hire a grants lifetime. administrator to manage his initial investment, Many thanks to Dorothy Foltz-Gray for her and Kim McGuire became CFWNC’s first

research and contribution to this article.

BOARD NEWS

CFWNC Elects New Board Members CFWNC welcomed two new board members in July. Michael Fields and Chris Smith have been elected to serve a three-year term. These individuals are carefully selected for a variety of skills and experience that will help guide the direction and growth of the Foundation. We appreciate their service.

Michael Fields is a retired private investor with more than two decades of experience in foreign exchange and commodities trading. Michael is the former chair of the Duke Cancer Institute Board of Advisors where he has been a member for 25 years. He served four years on the Board of Visitors of Duke University Medical Center and is currently the Vice President of Finance of the board at the JCC of Asheville. He graduated from Duke University in 1979 and received an MBA from Columbia University in 1981. In 2008, Michael completed an MA degree in American Studies at Columbia University.

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From left: Michael Fields, Elizabeth Brazas, Chris Smith and A.C. Honeycutt.

Chris Smith is Vice-President at Beverly-Grant Inc., a leading local construction firm. He joined BeverlyGrant in 2004 and has successfully served as project manager for more than 100 construction projects in North and South Carolina. He is a 2002 graduate of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering and Management. Chris is a lifelong resident of Buncombe County. His commitment to the community is reflected through his service on the Development Committee for The Community Foundation and on the Board of Trustees for Central United Methodist Church.

GIVING BACK

Funds Established 1/1/2016 - 6/30/2016 A Charitable Gift Annuity allows donors to make a future gift and receive income and tax advantages now.

• Nancy Smith Charitable Gift Annuity 2

Designated Funds support specific

nonprofits named by the donor when the fund is established.

• Mary and Leland Bartholomew Designated Fund • Alice and Charles Carey Endowment Fund • Hembree Designated Fund

Donor Advised Funds allow donors

to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax benefit and recommend grants over time.

• Academy for the Arts Fund • Coletta Family Charitable Fund • Luke Garrison Fund • Charles F. Hamrick and Marguerite D. Hamrick Charitable Fund • Hibbard Family Fund • Betty and John Joyner Charitable Fund • Martin Family Fund • Hal and Alberta Starnes Charitable Fund

Expectancy Funds are established to receive assets at a later time, typically through an estate plan, charitable gift annuity or charitable trust.

• Boyle-Cassidy Fund • Harry and Mary Burnette & Margaret and Gary King Endowment Fund • Sally P. Duyck Endowment Fund • Judith Sandra Levine Charitable Fund • Robert B. Peterson Endowment Fund • Toro-Rico Charitable Fund • Jack and Ruth Williams Fund

Field of Interest Funds support broadly-defined causes, using CFWNC’s expertise to identify grantees.

• Bailey - Hilliard Fund (see page 2)

Nonprofit Funds are created to invest

and steward a nonprofit’s long-term or endowed assets.

• Paul Thorpe Music Education Fund for Asheville Music School • Friends of the Albert Carlton - Cashiers Community Library Fund • Mission Endowment Fund for The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd • North Carolina Arboretum Youth Education Fund • OpenDoors of Asheville Fund • Rotary Club of Black Mountain Foundation Fund • Transylvania County Schools Education Foundation Fund • Friends of the WNC Nature Center, Inc. Fund

A Scholarship Fund supports awards to students pursuing higher education.

• Reichman Scholarship Fund

CFWNC has made mission related investments in Western North Carolina including supporting affordable housing through Mountain Housing Opportunities.

Photo courtesy of Mountain Housing Opportunities.

Investing for Financial and Social Returns Many individuals and organizations choose to place their charitable capital with CFWNC to grow their philanthropic dollars with the goal of compounding the long-term charitable impact of their funds. They want to get a return, help their communities and invest in ways that are not in conflict with their core beliefs. CFWNC offers an investment vehicle to donors that provides a social impact that extends beyond the growth of capital and engages in mission-related investing.

The CFWNC Socially Responsible Portfolio is an investment approach that achieves a community impact while also providing returns. The portfolio is designed by utilizing a set of investment managers that embrace Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria.

The ESG criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to vet investments. Environmental criteria examine how a company performs as a steward of the natural environment. Social criteria examine how a company manages relationships with its employees, suppliers, customers and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits and internal controls and shareholder rights. Through the application of these criteria, investments are made in companies that are profitable, but also subscribe to a core set of ethical standards.

“ESG or responsible investing allows foundations to align investment practices with organizational mission,” said Graham Keever, CFWNC’s Chief Financial Officer. “At CFWNC, we increasingly work with donors and organizations interested in more than returns. They want their invested charitable dollars to work toward a greater societal or community outcome. We are glad to be able to provide a vehicle that meets this goal.”

CFWNC has offered the Socially Responsible portfolio for nearly twenty years, and the social mandate of the portfolio has evolved over time. CFWNC fundholders who invest in the portfolio generally do so because they view their investment activities as an extension of their personal values system. The portfolio has grown steadily over time, due to market growth as well as burgeoning interest in this investment philosophy and approach, to its current market value in excess of $25 million.

The Socially Responsible portfolio directly impacts Western North Carolina through Mission-Related Investments (MRI). MRIs are investments that seek specific social and/ or environmental goals while targeting market-rate financial returns comparable to similar non-mission focused investments. Opportunities for MRIs exist across asset classes and issue areas, with some investments directly supporting our mountain region. Locally, CFWNC has made MRIs that support regional economic development through the SelfHelp Credit Union and affordable housing through Mountain Housing Opportunities.

"The Community Foundation's deposits with us over the years have supported our local lending and economic development work in Western North Carolina,” said Jane Hatley, WNC Director for Self-Help Credit Union. “Because of CFWNC — and the support of other social impact investors like them — we were able to make 2,718 local home, business and consumer loans totaling more than $18 million. We have also benefited from the participation of their expert and knowledgeable staff on several local collaborative initiatives.

They are open and receptive to new ideas for making a difference in their communities, and we are so fortunate to have them in Western North Carolina."

Philanthropy is CFWNC’s only business; charitable intent is at the core of everything we do. The Community Foundation’s assets are for the benefit of the region. Making investments that have a social return is another way we put charitable dollars to work for WNC.

7

Attention Fundholders • Beginning in 2017, CFWNC will be

distributing fund statements electronically by email. Moving to electronic statements will save CFWNC time and money and will get your statement to you quickly and conveniently. Your December statement will be delivered by email in January 2017.

Check your September 30 fund statement, which you will receive by mail, for details.

• Due to banking regulations, all checks bound for CFWNC need to be payable to The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina or CFWNC. Money directed to named funds, such as affiliate funds or Women for Women, should be specified in the memo line. Please help us to accurately process your check or it may be returned.

Thank you.

Our Affiliates

CFWNC

Phone: 828-254-4960 Fax: 828-251-2258 www.cfwnc.org

Management Team

Sheryl Aikman, Vice President, Development Philip Belcher, Vice President, Programs Elizabeth Brazas, President Lindsay Hearn, Communications Director Graham Keever, Chief Financial Officer

Officers

Board of Directors

A.C. Honeycutt, Jr., Chair Laurence Weiss, Secretary

Board Members Maurean B. Adams Caroline Avery James Baley Guadalupe Chavarria William Clarke Jennie Eblen

Black Mountain–Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund Cashiers Community Fund The Fund for Haywood County Highlands Community Fund The McDowell Endowment The Fund for Mitchell County Rutherford County Endowment Transylvania Endowment The Yancey Fund

Stephanie Norris Kiser, Vice-Chair G. Edward Towson, II, Treasurer Ernest E. Ferguson Michael Fields Charles Frederick Howell A. Hammond Susan Jenkins Melanie Johnson Lowell R. Pearlman

Scott Shealy Anna S. (Candy) Shivers Chris Smith James W. Stickney, IV Sarah Sparboe Thornburg Stephen Watson

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID

Asheville, NC Permit No. 518

4 Vanderbilt Park Drive, Suite 300 Asheville, NC 28803

To receive future newsletters electronically and to subscribe to CFWNC E-News, please send an email with “subscribe” in the subject line to enews@cfwnc.org.

It’s easy to support CFWNC Use the Donate Now button at www.cfwnc.org to make a tax-deductible contribution to any of our funds or to honor a friend or family member.

Confirmed in Compliance with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations

LEARNING LINKS

Learning Links Grant Supports Community Day in Mitchell County A Learning Links grant helped support Greenlee Primary School’s first Community Day in June. Classes in the K-2 school worked on the school’s grounds. Improvements included a Butterfly Garden, tree planting, plant relocations, building four raised beds and shoveling topsoil to create garden spaces. Parents and community members, including the entire crew of Harding’s Landscaping & Maintenance, provided volunteer labor. Other supporters included French Broad EMC, Elizabeth Westveer, Grassy Creek Hardware and Western Sizzlin’.

Learning Links offers grants up to $800 to public school teachers in Avery, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford and Swain counties to provide experiential learning projects for students. The goal is to increase students' enthusiasm for learning and school. The grants are made possible by the Ben W. and Dixie Glenn Farthing Charitable Fund and the Cherokee County Schools Endowment Fund. This past year, 119 grants were awarded totaling $90,440.

Photo courtesy of Greenlee Primary School.