The New Hanover Community Endowment on Monday announced eight new grants totaling more than $6 million for nonprofits across New Hanover County.

According to an endowment news release, the aims of the grants include "strengthening youth and community safety, expanding access to health services, improving food security and building nonprofit capacity to better serve residents."

"These grants reflect our mission and strategic priorities and align with the types of investments envisioned in our governing documents,” said Sophie Dagenais, interim president and CEO of the endowment, in the release. “They also incorporate insights from our Community Advisory Council, especially in strengthening the capacity of local nonprofits. Each investment addresses immediate community needs while helping organizations build lasting, transformative impact.”

The grants and their purposes, according to the release, are as follows: 

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina – $1,791,010: Renovate facilities to improve safety and security for youth development and services
• Coastal Horizons Center – $1,475,000: Purchase and upfit the Open House Youth Shelter to provide secure, homelike services to children in crisis
• Community Counseling Center – $225,000: Support clinician training, enhance efficiency and sustainability, and subsidize 1,000 sliding-scale sessions for New Hanover County residents, expanding access to culturally competent mental health care
• Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC – $1,000,000: Support capacity building, implement impact-driven activities that strengthen network partnerships and provide funding to help the Food Bank remain responsive to community needs
• New Hanover Outreach Clinic (formerly St. Mary Health Center) – $100,000: Sustain operations and hire essential staff to expand services for low-income and uninsured residents
• North Carolina Center for Nonprofits – $40,000: Build the capacity of New Hanover County nonprofits by providing access to resources through membership and participation in North Carolina Center for Nonprofits
• StepUp Wilmington – $200,000: Provide general operating support and bridge organizational transitions to better serve low-income residents in New Hanover County affected by unemployment or underemployment
• United Way of Cape Fear – $1,350,624: Reduce youth violence, address adverse childhood experiences, expand the education-to-workforce pipeline, and mobilize cross-sector collaboration to promote community safety

The release stated, "All grant awards are contingent upon The Endowment’s receipt of a signed grant agreement and plan of accountability from each grantee organization."