Winslow started his presentation by addressing some of The Endowment’s newest hires and what the organization plans for future staffing.
While the proposed org chart is larger than in the past, Winslow noted they would pace themselves in building out — and said they were "not abandoning" their lean staffing philosophy. In fact, Winslow said, even when they are fully staffed out they will be running with a smaller staff than comparable endowments.
Their recent hirings, he said, will accelerate the number of grants that are approved throughout the community. (The Endowment also recently 'rebranded' from its original name, the New Hanover Community Endowment.)
Winslow also said The Endowment’s community grants program is set to be rolled out in March or April. These are smaller grants of up to $5,000, sourced by The Endowment’s Community Advisory Council and others. Unlike the rolling grant process for larger projects, these community grants are expected to have set deadlines. Commissioner Rob Zapple said these can be a “lifeline” to smaller community organizations.
[Disclosure notice: Commissioner Zapple is a WHQR Board of Directors member, which has no role in editorial decisions.]
Winslow added that in the beginning of January, they received grant requests worth $40 million from various organizations.
He said they’re poised to announce a $7 million investment on a $65 million capital project. Winslow also reiterated to the community that The Endowment is not likely to fund any large capital requests outright — but could fill funding gaps at the backend.
According to Winslow, The Endowment has $30 million left in uncommitted funding this year. He also said that typically, they can fund about $1 on every $5 of requests.
For quarter four of 2024, The Endowment gave out $16.7 million across 21 grants. A majority went to community development (60%), followed by social and health equity (33%), community safety (6%), and education (2%).
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to accurately reflect Winslow's comments about staffing. It initially stated that The Endowment was 'reconsidering' its lean staffing philosophy.
Below: The Endowment presentation.
