Learn More About Our Hurricane Helene Response
The best ideas for dramatically improving the health and wellbeing of the region come from the people who live and work in our local communities.
Dogwood invests in aligned organizations that advance efforts in our four strategic priorities of housing, education, economic opportunity, and health & wellness.
From 2025-2030, Dogwood’s grantmaking will focus on:
We’ll strengthen strategically aligned organizations and the people that lead them day-to-day through multi-year, unrestricted general operating support and capacity building grants.
We’ll invest in innovative ideas and collaborative efforts led by organizations and communities responding to the challenges and opportunities in our post-Hurricane Helene environment.
We’ll convene and connect the leaders and organizations doing work across our four strategic priorities and across our region so that dynamic networks of new relationships and ways of working together emerge.
We’ll help our partners attract more financial resources from public and other philanthropic sources.
Supporting Organizational Operations, Infrastructure and Stability
Open from Jan. 20 to Feb. 17, 2026
This grant opportunity offers flexible support for advancing a strategically aligned organization’s core mission and operations. Funds can be used to strengthen operational infrastructure, increase organizational stability, create or expand programs, advance advocacy or policy efforts or for other uses. Organizations determine how best to use the funds and grant reporting is simplified. Most often, these grants are in the form of general operating support.
Grant sizes will range from $50,000-$350,000/year for two years.
Who is eligible to apply:
501(c)(3) nonprofit public charities of all sizes that serve the Qualla Boundary and 18 counties of Western North Carolina
Who is not eligible:
Dogwood grantees with active general operating support grants, government and governmental organizations, colleges and universities, fiscal sponsor organizations, houses of worship and religious organizations
Additional application details will be available by Dec. 15, 2025.
Strengthening Operations and Organizational Health
Open from April 20 to May 18, 2026
This grant opportunity offers support for strengthening a strategically aligned organization’s internal operations, long-term health, effectiveness and sustainability. It is not meant to fund programs or service delivery.
Grant sizes will range from $15,000 to $50,000 and can be used over a two-year period.
Who is eligible to apply:
501(c)(3) nonprofit public charities of all sizes that serve the Qualla Boundary and 18 counties of Western North Carolina; fiscal sponsorship organizations; government and governmental organizations; faith-based organizations; colleges and universities
Additional application details will be available by March 23, 2026.
Investing in Collaboration and Imagining Possibilities in WNC Communities
Open from April 20 to May 18, 2026
People and organizations in Western North Carolina have a long tradition of working together to improve community health, wellbeing, opportunity and access. This grant opportunity offers support for coordinated, collaborative, community-led efforts that strengthen the region’s recovery and accelerate development in a post-Helene environment. Funds can be used to support both emergent and/or established collaborations that address ongoing challenges or that imagine new possibilities in communities.
Grant sizes will range from $50,000 to $500,000, with up to 20% of funds available for flexible administrative funding and the balance (80% or more) for collaborative funding. Grants can be used for 12-24 months.
Who is eligible to apply:
A single organization – the Hub Applicant – will apply on behalf of the collaborative. Hub Applicants may be 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charities; fiscal sponsorship organizations; government and governmental organizations; faith-based organizations; or colleges and universities.
Additional application details will be available by March 23, 2026.
Leverage Fund and Grants Help Desk
Looking for grant writing assistance or advice for grants beyond Dogwood? There are two ways to request support.
Grant Writer Assistance for WNC Community-Based Organizations
This grant opportunity is now closed and will reopen in January 2026.
Every year, significant amounts of grant funding are distributed by federal and state agencies, national foundations and other funders to nonprofit organizations and local governments to support or expand their work. To bring more of this funding into WNC, Dogwood created the Leverage Fund to connect community-based organizations with consultants who provide grant writing assistance at no cost to the applicant.
Grant writing Advice for Dogwood Grantees Seeking Other Funding Sources
Open until Dec. 15, 2025
Dogwood is piloting a Grants Help Desk to offer grant writing advice free of charge to eligible nonprofits and municipalities in Western North Carolina. If you have a question about a funding opportunity you are considering or questions about a grant development process, you can request a short consultation. The goal is to help make grant applications more competitive and to improve the chances of securing funding outside of Dogwood.
(1) Serve Western North Carolina
(2) Advance Dogwood’s strategic priorities of housing, education, economic opportunity, and/or health & wellness
(3) Demonstrate a commitment to serve, engage with and reflect the voices and lived experiences of disinvested and disconnected people and communities.
Look for two more open grant opportunities this summer:
General Operating Support for Strategically Aligned Organizations
Open from March 14 to April 4, 2025
General operating support is funding for advancing an organization’s core mission, including building or growing programs, advocacy or policy efforts, or other uses. Organizations decide how to use funds and grant reporting is simplified.
Grant sizes will range from $50,000-$350,000/year for two years
Who is eligible to apply:
501(c)(3) nonprofit public charities of all sizes that serve the Qualla Boundary and 18 counties of Western North Carolina
Who is not eligible:
government and governmental organizations, colleges and universities, fiscal sponsor organizations, houses of worship and religious organizations
We anticipate that this grant opportunity will be very competitive.
This opportunity is now closed.
Dogwood uses online portals to manage (1) active grants with current partners and (2) applications for new Grant Opportunities.
In 2025, we are transitioning to a new “Applicant and Grantee Portal” for our General Operating Support, Capacity Building, and Innovation & Collaboration Grant Opportunities. All grantseekers will need to use this new portal for 2025 Grant Opportunities.
At the same time, grantees with active grants prior to 2025 will still need to use Dogwood’s “Legacy Grantee Portal” to submit reports and manage their grants.
During the transition, any organization with historical grants and new 2025 grant applications will need to temporarily manage two portal accounts.
Applicant & Grantee Portal
Manage 2025 grant applications
Legacy Grantee Portal
Manage active grants prior to 2025
Questions about the new experience? Take a look at our helpful FAQs.
