Record Year: Foundation for the Carolinas’ Fundholders Grant More Than $1 Billion to Nonprofits Locally & Beyond in 2025
Newly released annual report details record year of generosity for FFTC fundholders
CHARLOTTE, NC, UNITED STATES, June 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Foundation for the Carolinas’ fundholders broke records for generosity in 2025, surpassing $1 billion in grants to local and national nonprofits, the Foundation recently announced. It’s the first time in FFTC’s 67-year history that fundholder grantmaking surpassed the billion-dollar mark.
The $1 billion was distributed via 17,000+ grants from the Foundation’s more than 3,000 individual, corporate and nonprofit fundholders. Of the $1 billion, $390 million went to education and youth-related nonprofits, $195 million to environmental organizations, more than $100 million to health-related nonprofits and $59 million to arts organizations, among the many causes supported by FFTC fundholders.
“A community foundation is only as strong as its fundholders, and we are fortunate to have some of the most generous donors in the country,” said FFTC President Laura Yates Clark. “In a year of economic uncertainty for a lot of nonprofits, Foundation donors once again stepped up with remarkable impact to support the philanthropic community in our region and beyond.”
The vast majority of grants (98%) were selected by Foundation donors and awarded to nonprofits of their choosing. Grants were also distributed from scholarship funds, disaster and hardship relief programs, nonprofit endowments and other sources managed by FFTC. About 2% of total grantmaking was awarded directly by the Foundation to local nonprofits.
Examples of grants issued from fundholders to nonprofits include a $150,000 grant from the Longleaf Fund to the Florence Family YMCA in South Carolina to support childcare center renovations and $75,000 from the Springsteen Foundation to the Charlotte Sym-phony Orchestra to bring 1,400 fifth graders from the region to a symphony performance.
The fifth-largest community foundation out of 800 in the country, with assets in excess of $5 billion, FFTC is headquartered in Charlotte and serves a 13-county region in North and South Carolina.
The grantmaking totals were detailed in the Foundation’s recently released annual report, which also documented other highlights of 2025, including:
• FFTC donors contributed $656 million to their FFTC charitable funds, which included a record 140 new funds added in 2025. Fundholders also awarded more than $4 million in scholarships to more than 1,000 students.
• With an eye toward the future, Foundation fundholders increased the planned-giving pipeline – commitments made to give as part of future estate gifts – past the $1 billion mark. Once realized, these planned gifts will support a broad range of nonprofits and causes.
• In March 2025, the Foundation completed its $90 million restoration of the historic Carolina Theatre in uptown Charlotte, reopening the 1920s-era movie palace to sold-out audiences. Year one highlights include visits from Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and former Supreme Diana Ross, and the theater donated more than 12,000 tickets for community use.
Other highlights of the Annual Report include inspiring stories about fundholders, nonprofits and community partners and the impact they had in 2025.
For more information about the Foundation and to download the report, visit fftc.org.
Timothy Hager
Foundation for the Carolinas
+1 704-973-4587
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