Cumberland Community Foundation awards between $7 million and $10 million in grants annually (depending on donor advised fund activity).
- About 70% to 80% of the distributions are made from donor-restricted funds to causes designated by the donors.
- Other grants are awarded from unrestricted and field-of-interest "Community Funds" through the competitive grant application program called "Community Grants."
- Charitable organizations based in Cumberland County, NC should attend a Grantseeker Information meeting to learn more about CCF's Community Grants Program. (Click on Calendar/Events at the top menu and register online. You will need your nonprofit's tax identification number.)
2025 Spring Cycle Grants Awarded
| Organization | Grant Amount | Program/Project | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Fear Botanical Garden | $26,414 | Historic Preservation in the Hazel McCauley Heritage Garden Complex: This project aims to preserve and reconstruct historic buildings in the Hazel McCauley Heritage Garden Complex. The project will also enhance guest accessibility through adding educational, interpretative, and wayfinding signage. | |
| Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch | $1,380 | Living Hope Bus Passes: This project will provide homeless men who are a part of Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch’s Living Hope program with bus passes to attend work, support services of AA meetings, or medical treatments. | |
| Fayetteville Urban Ministry | $3,140 | Find-A-Friend: Meeting Needs, Enriching Lives, Strengthening Families: This program supports at-risk youth and their families through a holistic approach that provides basic needs, enrichment opportunities, and family-centered education. | |
| Fayetteville Urban Ministry | $20,840 | Empowering Neighbors, Building Community: This request is for general operating support to sustain and strengthen Fayetteville Urban Ministry’s four core programs that improve the quality of life for low-income residents in Cumberland County. These programs include the Adult Literacy & Education Center, Emergency Assistance, Find-A-Friend Youth Program, and the Nehemiah Project. | |
| Vision Resource Center | $20,000 | L.I.F.E. (Living Independently with Freedom and Enrichment) Project: This project empowers blind and visually impaired adults through providing the tools, skills, and access they need to live independently and participate fully in community life. | |
Community Grants History:
CCF makes grants that maximize impact. Grants from CCF's unrestricted endowments support the greatest needs and best opportunities in the community, as they change over the years.
- CCF awards grants to strengthen community infrastructure and build community-wide resources, such as start up funding for Cape Fear Botanical Garden (three years of funding starting in 1980), Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra (two years of funding in 2017), The CARE Clinic (1990), and Cumberland County Medication Assistance Program "CCMAP" (2001), Greater Fayetteville United, Institute of Community Leadership, and many others.
- CCF provided early support to help build community amenities, such as the $250,000 grant to purchase the site for the headquarters library in downtown Fayetteville (1984), the $250,000 grant to Cape Fear Botanical Garden to develop the Children's Garden (2016), the $150,000 grant to Cape Fear Botanical Garden's Campaign for Natural Growth (2006), and the $500,000 grant to the NC History Center.
