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.
As we look ahead to 2025-2030 and respond to the opportunities and challenges from Hurricane Helene, 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.
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
Download the Application Questions.
We anticipate that this grant opportunity will be very competitive.
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
Open from March 14 to Oct. 1, 2025
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 from March 14 to Aug. 31, 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:
Strengthening Operations and Building Organizational Health
Open in May 2025
Capacity building support is funding for activities that help strengthen strategically aligned organizations’ internal operations to achieve long-term performance and sustainability. It is not meant to support program expenses or service delivery.
Grant sizes will range from $15,000-$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, houses of worship and religious organizations; colleges and universities
Finding New Ways to Work Together in a Post-Helene Environment
Open in May 2025
People and organizations in our region have a long history of working collaboratively and creatively to improve the health and wellbeing of WNC communities and to advance opportunity and access. Collaborations, even under the best of circumstances, require resources to realize their full potential. This grant opportunity will support both emergent and established collaborations working to respond to the challenges and opportunities in our post-Helene environment.
Grant sizes will range from $50,000 to $500,000 over 12 to 24 months.
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, churches, houses of worship and religious organizations; colleges and universities
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.
Address:
890 Hendersonville Rd
Asheville, NC 28803
Mailing:
890 Hendersonville Rd
Asheville, NC 28803
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