MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER 2021 Year-End Report
OUR MISSION We inspire giving and link resources to action, strengthening Forsyth County— now and forever.
OUR VISION A generous and trusting community where everyone is thriving.
AREAS OF IMPACT Community Investment: offering proactive and responsive grantmaking and building deep community partnerships to strengthen Forsyth County Philanthropic Services: partnering with generous community members to make impactful and lasting gifts, both locally and beyond Student Aid: providing hundreds of local students with scholarships to support their pursuit of higher education Strategic Initiatives: amplifying the voices and collective impact of local youth, women and girls, and Black communities
OUR VALUES Inclusion: we practice and champion inclusion, honoring the strengths and experiences of all in our community. Accountability: we honor the intentions of our donors and partners and hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics, service, and stewardship. Continuous Learning: we are committed to learning and evolving with our community and our partners.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Black Philanthropy Initiative (BPI): a 100% Black-led effort that explicitly, not exclusively focuses on grantmaking and programming that strengthens local Black communities The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem: a community of passionate women creating social change through the power of collective giving Youth Grantmakers in Action (YGA): a diverse group of local youth gaining leadership experience, representing youth, voicing opinions, and making grants to youth-directed community projects
OUR COMMITMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY cover art: Winston-Salem Medici (2015) is a 6x12 ft. oil painting by artist Nick Bragg that was commissioned by Corporate Realty Advisors for the top-floor conference room at 751 W. Fourth Street, where the Foundation’s offices are located. The piece reflects WinstonSalem’s history, evolution, and legacy of philanthropy. Bragg is also a donor-advised fundholder at the Foundation. (Cover art is a portion of the larger piece.)
photography: Kiara Harris, Stephen Hurst, Jenny Lawrence, Lauren Olinger, Christine Rucker
We are committed to advancing racial equity across all our work because no matter where we live or what color we are, we all deserve to live in a community that gives us the freedom to learn, grow, thrive, and prosper. But to strengthen our entire community, we must first acknowledge and address the significant racial disparities in education, health, and economic opportunity that persist today. To accomplish this, we’re cultivating equity within the Foundation and investing significant resources to advance equity in education and build an inclusive economy in Forsyth County.
Alison Ashe-Card, left, and LaTida Smith
Message TO OUR COMMUNITY For more than 100 years, this community has come together in partnership with the Foundation to address our most pressing challenges and build a brighter future for our residents. We are honored to continue this great legacy of community philanthropy—inspired by the generosity of our donors, encouraged by the creativity and dedication of our nonprofit partners, and compelled by the persistent local needs only exacerbated by the extended COVID-19 pandemic. Our mission-driven work continued in earnest last year. Community members contributed $182 million to establish charitable funds and to support our work. We awarded a record $1.4 million in scholarships to local students. We invested $2.8 million in Forsyth County nonprofits to strengthen their operations and to build equity in education and economic opportunity for residents. The Black Philanthropy Initiative granted $220,000, doubling its grantmaking to strengthen local Black communities.
It’s also been an exciting time of many new beginnings for the Foundation. I joined as our fifth president last fall, and Alison was elected chair of The Winston-Salem Committee in January. We just welcomed three new board members: Matt Cullinan, Carol Davis and Tom Lawson. This year we’ll be increasing staff capacity to accomplish our critical work, and we look forward to welcoming new members to our team. We look forward to gathering together as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, we hope this report provides an update on the ways we’re working in partnership with nonprofits, donors, and other engaged community members to advance our mission. As we begin this new year, our focus remains the same. We are driven by our commitment to inspire philanthropy and link resources to action to strengthen Forsyth County. We thank you for your partnership, and we look forward to continuing our intentional work together. In community, LaTida Smith, President The Winston-Salem Foundation
Alison Ashe-Card, Chair The Winston-Salem Foundation Committee
Reflections
ON OUR WORK // 2020-2021
ADAPTING OPERATIONS DURING EXTRAORDINARY CHANGE
SUPPORTING NONPROFITS DURING COVID-19 In spring 2020, local nonprofits began rapidly deploying resources to residents struggling to make ends meet during the economic shutdown. To bolster their response and help groups adapt operations, we provided Nonprofit Adaptation Grants totaling over $335,000 to 83 local nonprofits. We also partnered with the United Way to create the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County. The Response Fund raised $4.4 million from private donations and city/county funding and distributed this support through 112 nonprofit grants.
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At the onset of the pandemic, it was clear that we must shift to remote work in order to prioritize the health and safety of our staff, guests, and wider community. We invested in new technology and created new work flows to keep our team closely connected and ensure donations and grant payments would proceed without interruption. Throughout this time, we have designed new opportunities to connect, and we hope to see more of our community in person as health protocols allow in 2022.
TRANSFORMING LOCAL PHILANTHROPY THROUGH OUR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Our Strategic Initiatives are designed to give voice, leadership, and decisionmaking to people who have historically been left out of philanthropy. With increasing community support, the Strategic Initiatives are bringing even more people together and boldly increasing resources and impact. Highlights include the Black Philanthropy Initiative galvanizing new donors to double its grantmaking in 2021 to $220,000. The Women’s Fund made a record $142,000 in grants in 2020, and Youth Grantmakers in Action gave $7,265 in grants to youthdirected projects in 2021.
UNDESIGNING THE REDLINE IN WINSTON-SALEM
BUILDING RACIAL EQUITY THROUGH FOCUS AREA INVESTMENTS After extensive listening and research, we announced four years ago that a significant portion of our community investments would be in the focus areas of Building an Inclusive Economy and Advancing Equity in Education. In 2021, we deepened this work through proactive and responsive grantmaking, missionaligned investments, and active community partnerships. Our commitment to building racial equity is both urgent and long-term; we join many community partners in working toward Winston-Salem becoming a place where race no longer predicts life outcomes.
Along with many partners, we brought the Undesign the Redline exhibit to Forsyth County’s Central Library in September 2021. The exhibit, which was extended into 2022 given high public interest, educated our community about the local and national history of residential discrimination, systematic racism and inequality, and how they were reflected in 1930s redlining maps. Exhibit participants not only learned the harmful history and interacted with stories, but they were invited to envision and plan toward a future where structural inequities are undone.
TRANSFORMING INTERNAL CULTURE WITH AN EQUITY LENS Since 2018, our staff has taken action to align our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our culture, systems, and practices. We have taken deliberate steps to tackle ingrained norms and pave the way for deeper, more lasting change. These include forming a diverse Equity Leadership Team to evaluate policies and procedures with a racial equity lens, inviting staff to caucus to build community and sense of belonging, and developing workgroups focused on workplace culture and staff competencies.
WELCOMING NEW LEADERSHIP In September 2021, we welcomed LaTida Smith as the fifth president in our 102-year history. After an extensive national search led by our board, LaTida was selected because of her strong background in philanthropy, commitment to equity, and success in building strong relationships. Since joining the staff, she has begun forming close connections with staff, board, donors, volunteers, and hundreds of community partners. In just a short time, LaTida has warmly embraced Winston-Salem and our team, and both staff and board are excited to have her leadership guiding our work forward.
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2021 BY THE NUMBERS $182,534,078 1,476 $770,576,461 1,636
Gifts
Donors
Total Assets*
Charitable Funds*
Charitable Lead & Remainder Trusts Scholarships
4%
Other
2.5%
Strategic 6% Initiatives
0.5%
Field of Interest
5%
Unrestricted
7%
2021 ASSETS
Organizational Endowments
4%
Donor-Advised
51%
Designated
20%
*as of 12/31/21 4 T H E W I N STON-SA LE M FOUNDATION
$78,814,319 65% 35%
Total Charitable Grants
of those grants stayed in NC
of those grants stayed in Forsyth County Unrestricted
2%
Field of Interest Strategic Initiatives 2%
0.5%
Organizational Endowments 1% Designated
Scholarships
1.5%
6%
2021 GRANTS FOUNDATION-DIRECTED (6%) Grants the Foundation activates to strengthen Forsyth County
DONOR-DIRECTED (94%) Grants advised by donors to support local and non-local organizations
DID YOU KNOW?
Donor-Advised
87%
In 2021, Foundation-directed grantmaking totaled $4.5 million, plus an additional $330,000 in mission-aligned investments. 100% of these investments are directed locally. We’re committed to growing these resources to be able to respond to Winston-Salem’s opportunities and challenges, both now and in the future.
read more about how we’re investing locally
HOW WE’RE
Investing in Forsyth County No matter our background, color, or zip code, most of us want similar things. Strong schools. Access to good jobs and transportation. And a healthy Winston-Salem for all our children to grow up in. That’s why we’re partnering with nonprofits and community groups, and strategically directing our community investments where we think can make the most impact together.
Strengthening Local Nonprofits through Community Grants • CAPACITY-BUILDING GRANTS for internal operations • CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT GRANTS for capital investments • SMALL GRANTS for smaller groups and organizations
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Investing to Build an Inclusive Economy and Advance Equity in Education (Our Focus Areas) • FOCUS AREA GRANTS to support nonprofits and community groups in efforts to ensure that in our community race no longer predicts life outcomes • MISSION-ALIGNED INVESTMENTS in businesses and organizations for projects that align with our focus areas, also resulting in financial and social returns • BLACK PHILANTHROPY INITIATIVE GRANTS to build economic security and address educational inequities in Black communities • THE WOMEN’S FUND OF WINSTONSALEM GRANTS to open economic opportunities for local women and girls
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Supporting Students and Teachers • SCHOLARSHIPS for post-secondary education • TEACHER GRANTS for professional development • YOUTH GRANTMAKERS IN ACTION GRANTS to youth-led groups
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Nonprofit Partner HIGHLIGHTS
The following pages feature just a few of the hundreds of grants we made to Forsyth County groups and nonprofits in 2021. Some organizations you may be familiar with, and others we hope you’ll learn more about.
THEATRE ALLIANCE COMMUNITY GRANT Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance inspires, transforms, and unites people through unique, diverse, and unconventional theatrical productions. Throughout the pandemic, the organization continued to find ways to create and share art for the community through virtual and outdoor performances. “If there’s any good that can come from this recent disruption to our society, may it be that we recognize how delicate life is and how many wonderful things we once took for granted—the joys of communion and gathering with loved ones, laughing alongside those we share common interests with, and experiencing live art,” said artistic director, Jamie Lawson. The 35-year-old nonprofit found a new permanent home this past year, in a downtown facility that’s accessible and welcoming. Capacity-Building and Capital Grant support from the Foundation is helping Theatre Alliance create a strategic plan, gain volunteers from diverse backgrounds, and transition internal operations to adapt to the new facility. “We’ve been so happy to get back to telling stories and sharing the human experience. It’s such a privilege and a necessity to share art with our community,” said Lawson.
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TRIAD RESTORATIVE JUSTICE FOCUS AREA GRANT Triad Restorative Justice advances peace, equity, and trust in our community by responding to conflict, crime, and injustice. The organization uses effective restorative practices rooted in respect and interpersonal connection. “As a community, we have a responsibility to acknowledge harm caused through social, economic, and educational systems that benefit some while hurting others. With restorative justice, we have a framework to support a justice that promotes healing, accountability, and safety,” said executive director Valerie Glass. Through the Lead Together project, Triad Restorative Justice partners with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and other community stakeholders to engage student voices in discussions around school safety and belonging. Funding from the Foundation’s Advancing Equity in Education focus area helped them pilot this project with local high school students.
“For so long, adults have been in charge of keeping our schools and communities safe. We hope that by engaging students in conversations about belonging, safety, and equity, we can work together to create changes that are sustainable and effective for years to come,” said project manager Ellen Fox.
“my family moved to Forsyth County in 1986, and we became immersed in this community through participation in various civic and social organizations. Philanthropy means that I have a responsibility to donate my time, talents, and funds to create a better world. I give because investments made through the Foundation make Winston-Salem a better place for our diverse communities to live in. When all can benefit, we all grow and make a better world.” – AVON RUFFIN | Fundholder, Legacy Society member, and Women’s Fund member
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CENTERS FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN COMMUNITY GRANT The Centers for Exceptional Children provides a critical combination of support services, programs, and facilities so that children with special needs and their families can thrive. “Each day, we dedicate ourselves to serving some of the most vulnerable children and families in our community. We educate. We mentor. We share resources. We support one another. We help parents cultivate a nurturing family environment,” said executive director, Meredith Flowe.
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Through this work, the organization recognizes the importance of using an equity lens to ensure that families have the resources they need to succeed. A CapacityBuilding Grant from the Foundation supported development of a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Plan, and the staff is beginning to translate their plan into action. “It takes a village to raise a child—particularly those with special needs. By using an equity lens, we know we can create a village that’s stronger than ever,” said Flowe.
ASSET BUILDING COALITION FOCUS AREA GRANT The Asset Building Coalition of Forsyth County raises awareness about asset poverty and how it affects individuals and families in Forsyth County. The Coalition is made up of 36 partner organizations and individuals who believe that every person in Forsyth County should have access to the financial resources they need to cover basic human needs, achieve their goals, and reach their potential. “Asset poverty is a condition experienced by those who don’t have three months of household living expenses set aside,” said executive director Vivian Pérez Chandler. “Without savings to cover basic needs, a family is at risk of losing financial stability due to job loss or illness.” Funding from the Foundation’s Building an Inclusive Economy focus area helped the Coalition increase its advocacy efforts and activate initiatives like Mitigating the Benefits Cliff and Forsyth Living Wage. They also launched a new website in 2020 that features local data and resources for residents and organizations. “Together we can do so much more. Our Coalition is committed to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the underlying community conditions responsible for the disparities we see so all Forsyth County residents can achieve financial stability,” said Pérez Chandler.
“people who care have always been an essential part of the strength and resilience of our community. For over 100 years, the Foundation has served as a conduit for that caring. In recent years, the Foundation has helped identify two strategic priorities, education and an economy that works well for all segments of our community, as two essential ways that people who care can help create a stronger and more resilient Winston-Salem.” – DREW HANCOCK
Fundholder, Legacy Society member, and former WSF Committee member
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NEIGHBORHOOD’S HANDS BLACK PHILANTHROPY INITIATIVE GRANT Neighborhood’s Hands is a community-based nonprofit working to enhance the quality of life for residents in Winston-Salem. The organization supports local people and families through their community garden, mobile food pantry, afterschool learning centers, and workforce development classes. “I saw the need in my own neighborhood—the Cleveland Avenue Homes that I grew up in,” said executive director Dr. S.D. Patterson. “We try to really be here for the community and meet everyone’s mental, physical, and financial needs.” An Advancing Equity in Education Grant from the Black Philanthropy Initiative helped Neighborhood’s Hands purchase supplies and hire certified teachers for its afterschool learning centers, aligning with BPI’s goal to ensure all Black students have supportive environments in which to learn, grow, and thrive. “Our focus is to be a light for the children and make sure they have support to get to the next level. We want them to know they can be someone in the future, that society doesn’t dictate who they’re going to be, and if they work hard to achieve their goals, they can be very successful,” said Dr. Patterson.
“i believe that each of us is born with a gift, and we’re destined to share that gift for the greater good. As a Black woman, I’ve been richly blessed throughout my life by my village—my family, my church, and my community. This village has allowed me to thrive despite the adversities that I’ve faced. It’s my privilege to serve Winston-Salem through BPI because I get to be a part of a village that lifts up members of this community.” – CORLIS SELLERS | Donor and BPI Advisory Committee member
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UNITY WOMEN’S DESK THE WOMEN’S FUND OF WINSTON-SALEM GRANT
“when i first moved to WinstonSalem, I wanted to get involved in an organization that addresses the needs of women and girls. I became a Women’s Fund member, joined the grants review committee, and now I serve on the board and membership committee. I strongly believe in the Fund’s mission and look forward to continuing to help make meaningful change for women and girls in our community!” – SHAHEEN TOWLES
Donor and Women’s Fund board member
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Unity Women’s Desk is a ministry of the worldwide Moravian Church with a mission to empower women and girls by coordinating spiritual, financial, and educational resources. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has partnered with Estamos Unidos ministry to help Latina mothers in the Sunnyside neighborhood navigate remote learning for their children and gain foundational technology skills for the future. “In each session, we covered different technology skills such as setting up an email account, learning to use Zoom, and navigating local online services,” said Reverend Angélica Regalado-Cieza. “We also worked with a bilingual staff member from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and local hospitals to teach moms how to access platforms needed for their child’s education and healthcare.” A grant from The Women’s Fund allowed Unity Women’s Desk to purchase computers, pay instructors, and provide childcare for program participants. “We are so grateful to The Women’s Fund for providing this opportunity! It’s been exciting to see local mothers build confidence in their ability to support their families’ health and education needs,” said Regalado-Cieza.
A GENEROUS AND TRUSTING COMMUNITY WHERE EVERYONE IS THRIVING.
How can we get there?
Together, WE CAN STRENGTHEN FORSYTH COUNTY.
We’re proud to call ourselves a community foundation because we work with individuals, groups, and organizations across Forsyth County to build a better future. For more than 100 years, community members have partnered with us to solve pressing issues in Winston-Salem, and their contributions continue to make a lasting impact.
WAYS TO PARTNER
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Support our Community Investments
• Make a donation of any size to support The Next Century Fund, Scholarships, the Black Philanthropy Initiative, The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem, or Youth Grantmakers in Action
Visit wsfoundation.org/give
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Become a Fundholder
• Set up a Donor-Advised Fund or Designated Fund to support nonprofits that align with your philanthropic goals • Establish an Unrestricted Fund, Field of Interest Fund, or Scholarship Fund to invest directly in local nonprofits and students • Include the Foundation in your will or charitable gift plans
Contact us at giving@wsfoundation.org or call (336) 725-2382
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Share your Time, Talent, and Treasure
• Volunteer with the Black Philanthropy Initiative, The Women’s Fund, or as a Foundation Scholarship Reviewer • Support our nonprofit partners with time, expertise, or donations
Call us at (336) 725-2382 to get connected
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Please reach out if you have questions or want to learn more about the work of the Foundation. Moving forward together, we can accomplish our vision of a thriving Forsyth County for all. –the winston-salem foundation’s staff and board
winstonsalemfoundation @wsfoundation wsfoundation
751 West Fourth St, Suite 200 | Winston-Salem, NC 27101 | (336) 725-2382 info@wsfoundation.org | wsfoundation.org