Key Takeaways
- • The New Hanover Community Endowment released its Q3 2026 Quarterly Report on Oct. 29, reporting 84 grants awarded in 2026 and $73.8 million in total commitments through Sept. 30, excluding a contingent $116 million commitment to New Hanover County for a schools initiative.
- • Since its founding, the Endowment has awarded 447 grants and committed $343.9 million, including the contingent schools commitment.
- • Highlighted awards include $4,039,073 to Coastal Horizons Center for behavioral health, $6.5 million to the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina for a 50-meter indoor aquatics center, and $3.5 million to Carolina Beach for a year-round oceanfront park and event stage.
- • The Endowment's fall Community Grants cycle drew 143 applications seeking more than $1.7 million against $500,000 available, with awards ranging from $5,000 to $15,000.
- • The report cites projections of a 17,500-nurse shortage in North Carolina by 2033 and 21% growth in New Hanover County nursing jobs by 2030, supporting a $22.3 million three-year healthcare career partnership.
Summary
The New Hanover Community Endowment released its Q3 2026 Quarterly Report on Oct. 29, according to WECT, detailing grants, partnerships and community investments. The Endowment reported 84 grants awarded in 2026 and $73.8 million in total commitments through Sept. 30. That figure includes new, prior and multiyear grants but excludes a contingent $116 million commitment to New Hanover County for a schools initiative. Since its founding, the Endowment says it has awarded 447 grants and committed $343.9 million, including that contingent commitment.
Among the quarter's highlighted investments, the Endowment awarded $4,039,073 to Coastal Horizons Center to strengthen the county's trauma-informed behavioral health system. The grant supports a Tier IV Behavioral Health Urgent Care, matching funds for supportive housing, the county's only rape crisis program, and the Trauma Institute. The Endowment also awarded $6.5 million to the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina for a 50-meter indoor aquatics center at the Nir Family YMCA, and $3.5 million to Carolina Beach for a year-round oceanfront park and event stage. The Endowment awarded Cape Fear Clinic an additional $850,000 in 2026 to strengthen its collaborative health care model. From January 2024 through June 2026, the clinic provided 20,411 medical appointments, served 2,637 patients and dispensed 101,752 prescriptions, exceeding its three-year projections in 30 months. In 2026, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics named Cape Fear Clinic its Member Organization of the Year, according to the report.
At a Sept. 22 public forum at UNCW's Lumina Theater, partners in the New Hanover Healthcare Career Partnership discussed efforts to build nursing career pathways, from introducing students to health care careers to helping graduates find local jobs. The Endowment made a three-year, $22.3 million investment in the partnership in 2024. The report cites projections of a 17,500-nurse shortage in North Carolina by 2033 and 21% growth in New Hanover County nursing jobs by 2030.
Other initiatives include a two-year food and medication delivery program funded by a $1.2 million Endowment grant. New Hanover County and Instacart aim to enroll 2,000 households in the first year and 3,000 over the pilot's two years, focusing on income-qualified residents and older adults in the county's eight identified food desert areas.
The Endowment received 143 applications seeking more than $1.7 million for its fall Community Grants cycle, which was under review with $500,000 available. The report says the board approved 41 grants totaling $500,000 in the spring cycle. The Q3 report also describes community engagement, including seven Community Advisory Council members who completed training and served on teams reviewing fall grant applications, and the publication of behavioral health and early childhood landscape assessments.
Among the quarter's highlighted investments, the Endowment awarded $4,039,073 to Coastal Horizons Center to strengthen the county's trauma-informed behavioral health system. The grant supports a Tier IV Behavioral Health Urgent Care, matching funds for supportive housing, the county's only rape crisis program, and the Trauma Institute. The Endowment also awarded $6.5 million to the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina for a 50-meter indoor aquatics center at the Nir Family YMCA, and $3.5 million to Carolina Beach for a year-round oceanfront park and event stage. The Endowment awarded Cape Fear Clinic an additional $850,000 in 2026 to strengthen its collaborative health care model. From January 2024 through June 2026, the clinic provided 20,411 medical appointments, served 2,637 patients and dispensed 101,752 prescriptions, exceeding its three-year projections in 30 months. In 2026, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics named Cape Fear Clinic its Member Organization of the Year, according to the report.
At a Sept. 22 public forum at UNCW's Lumina Theater, partners in the New Hanover Healthcare Career Partnership discussed efforts to build nursing career pathways, from introducing students to health care careers to helping graduates find local jobs. The Endowment made a three-year, $22.3 million investment in the partnership in 2024. The report cites projections of a 17,500-nurse shortage in North Carolina by 2033 and 21% growth in New Hanover County nursing jobs by 2030.
Other initiatives include a two-year food and medication delivery program funded by a $1.2 million Endowment grant. New Hanover County and Instacart aim to enroll 2,000 households in the first year and 3,000 over the pilot's two years, focusing on income-qualified residents and older adults in the county's eight identified food desert areas.
The Endowment received 143 applications seeking more than $1.7 million for its fall Community Grants cycle, which was under review with $500,000 available. The report says the board approved 41 grants totaling $500,000 in the spring cycle. The Q3 report also describes community engagement, including seven Community Advisory Council members who completed training and served on teams reviewing fall grant applications, and the publication of behavioral health and early childhood landscape assessments.
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