Cumberland Community Foundation presents annual report; Grants and scholarships exceed $7.3 million

By Staff Report, posted Sep 27, 2024 on BizFayetteville.com

Cumberland Community Foundation recently presented its annual report at its annual Founders & Friends event. More than 200 people attended the gathering of the foundation’s endowment fund founders and current volunteers to hear the report at Cape Fear Botanical Garden.

Notable milestones include:

Asset Growth – Assets reached an all-time high of $140,657,381.19 with over 80% endowed.
Funds Managed – Managed a record 678 donor funds.
Reduce Generational Poverty Grant – Awarded a grant of $1,020,000 to Fayetteville
Technical Community College to provide education and support services that will lead to reduction in generational poverty in Cumberland County, NC.
Scholarship Awards – Awarded $1,164,000 in new and renewed college scholarships.
Nonprofit Endowment Partnerships – Distributed $1,224,950 in support to local nonprofits from their agency and designated endowments, demonstrating success towards helping nonprofits move towards sustainability goals.
Summertime Kids Program – Sent 1,351 children to summer camp, the highest number since the program began in 1992.
Women’s Giving Circle – Completed their 15th year of grantmaking having distributed over $821,000 to programs supporting women and their families.

“I am convinced that this is the most generous community in North Carolina,” said Mary

Holmes, President/CEO of the foundation since 1997, in a press release. “The 5,838 individual gifts received last year ranged from $10.00 to $1,000,000.00. We are proud that people of any ability to give are engaging with the community foundation to make life better for all.”

Building endowments for local charities. Since 2010, Cumberland Community Foundation has focused on growing support for local charities through designated endowments. “People who support the same beloved nonprofits every year are creating endowments to continue that support forever,” said Holmes in a press release. “These endowments awarded $1,224,950 in support to the designated charitable organizations in FY24.”

For the fourth year in a row, the community foundation’s GivingTuesday Campaign raised a record number of gifts. “Our community donated 3,709 gifts in only ten days during the November 2023 campaign.” Combined with the matching funds offered, Cumberland Community Foundation distributed $2,523,284.77 to the 79 local charities that participated in the campaign,” Holmes shared in a press release.

Vera Bell, CCF board member, announced the winner of the Mary Lynn McCree Bryan

Leadership Award, created in honor of Mary Lynn Bryan. This award highlights the

importance of the board member role and celebrates exemplary nonprofit leadership.

Nominated by Connections of Cumberland County, the 2024 winner is Patricia E. Collie.

Bell said in a press release, “As an early leader of our Women’s Giving Circle, Patty Collie guided the study of gaps in services for women and their children. Her research helped identify the need for a “one-stop-shop” day center for homeless women. After a lot of hard work, meetings with local leaders, and organizing, Connections of Cumberland County was started to address those unmet needs.”

Collie was an integral part of getting Connections started, including program design, policy

development, staff recruitment and development, board governance and fundraising. Bell concluded by thanking Collie for her leadership to make life better for women in need.

Established in 1980, Cumberland Community Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation that accepts donations and administers endowments for the benefit of the community. The

foundation manages 678 individual charitable funds totaling $141 million in assets. The community foundation awards scholarships to students and grants to 501(c)3 charitable organizations to improve the quality of life in Cumberland County, NC.

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