New Hanover Community Endowment officials announced Tuesday that the organization plans to award $500,000 to 41 organizations as part of its 2026 Spring Community Grants cycle. 

The grants support the endowment’s pillars of social and health equity, education, community safety and community development, according to a news release.

“Community Grants support local leaders and organizations that make a direct difference in people’s lives,” said Sophie Dagenais, president and CEO of the endowment, in the release. “Just as importantly, we learn from our applicants and grantees. This program gives us a real-time view of what’s happening in our community and helps strengthen our understanding of the community we serve.”

According to the release, the spring grant cycle was “highly competitive,” with 134 applications requesting $1.78 million in total and 51 applications from organizations that have not previously received endowment funding.

The endowment announced its community grants program last October, with minimum grants of $5,000 and maximum grants of $15,000. Total funding is limited to $1 million, and the program runs two cycles. The 2026 Fall Community Grants Program will open in July.

The New Hanover Community Endowment, totaling $1.7 billion, was established from the 2021 sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health. Since its establishment, the endowment has allocated $176 million in grants, including $53 million in 2025 alone, according to officials.

Grant recipients include: 

• 100 Black Men of Coastal NC – $15,000: To expand the number of African American middle and high school youth who participate in evidence-based success academics and engage in high-impact workshops and competitions at the local Youth Summit and 100 Black Men of America's Annual Conference to expose them to pathways to success via economic opportunities.
• Alliance for Cape Fear Trees – $15,000: To plant 130 native or regionally adapted trees in Wilmington's Southside and Bottom neighborhoods - historically underserved areas and areas of low tree canopy.
• Autism Society of North Carolina Inc. – $5,000: To purchase music, art, and sensory supplies for the Autism Society's Wilmington Social Recreation after-school and summer camp programs for children with autism to develop precursor skills necessary for academic success.
• Cameron Art Museum – $15,000: To address the achievement gap in NHC by offering two evidence-based arts integration professional development sessions for teachers to evolve Cameron Art Museum's Closing the Gap (CTG) workshops for NHC schools.
• El Cuerpo – $10,000: To fund essential medical costs, including lab work, supplies, and volunteer and staff training to support El Cuerpo's free medical clinic addressing barriers to health access for the Latino community in NHC.
• Feast Down East Inc. – $10,000: To support Farmers Fighting Hunger by covering a portion of food costs for partner agencies, providing fresh, local food to an estimated 7,000 individuals in NHC.
• Rescue Mission of Cape Fear – $10,000: To provide funding for basic necessities, stabilization support, and recovery-focused services for NHC men in Rescue Mission of Cape Fear's residential recovery program experiencing homelessness or housing instability challenges.
• The LGBTQ Center of the Cape Fear Coast – $5,000: To enhance the LGBTQ Center's capacity to assess community needs and provide accessible resources through program evaluations and a new website for LGBTQ+ residents in NHC.
• The Wilmington Farmers Market – $13,000: To support the Wilmington Farmers Market's SNAP Double Bucks program, increasing access to fresh, locally grown food for low-income families in NHC.
• University of North Carolina Wilmington Watson College of Education – Teaching with Joy Network – $15,000: To further develop and expand the Teaching with Joy Network, with a focus on educator well-being, student belonging and joyful teaching practices, across NHC schools to increase retention and recruitment of educators.
• ​Wilmington Minority Chamber of Commerce – $10,000: To provide operations funding for the Wilmington Minority Chamber of Commerce to create a brand presence and hire core staff for overall support for minority-owned businesses in NHC.

A full list of the endowment’s spring 2026 grant recipients is available online. Grant funds must be used by Dec. 29, with a final impact report due by Jan. 29, 2027, the release stated.