On Monday, May 4, The Endowment presented to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, highlighting our strong momentum, recalling our 2025 achievements, outlining our 2026 priorities, and sharing progress on ongoing strategy development.
Board Chair Shannon Winslow opened the presentation by grounding the conversation in The Endowment’s mission: improving health, education, safety, and economic opportunity for every person in the community. She recognized the Board, Community Advisory Council, and staff whose dedication continues to move this work forward, and shared an update on The Endowment’s strong financial stewardship, noting that 2026 is already off to a strong start with meaningful momentum.
President and CEO Sophie Dagenais followed with an update on our 2026 priorities, what we have to work with, how we are moving from strategy into action, and the importance of partnership. So far this year, The Endowment has awarded 54 grants totaling more than $16.3 million, including 41 community grants supporting organizations across the county. Since inception, 417 grants have been awarded, totaling $193 million.
She shared The Endowment’s disciplined approach to impact measurement across three interconnected levels: grant level, portfolio level, and population (community) level. She also provided updates on landscape assessments currently underway and highlighted ongoing community engagement efforts. In addition, she outlined The Endowment’s work to address cross-cutting barriers, including initiatives focused on career pathways, transportation, and food access (including recent grant announcements), and emphasized that strong, coordinated partnerships remain central to driving meaningful progress.
The presentation closed with an invitation for the community to attend the upcoming Public Meeting and Board Listening session on June 3 at the Minnie Evans Performing Arts Center from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
For a full recap, please view the presentation and video below (The Endowment’s presentation begins at 52:41).
