November 2018
New Priorities Announced for
Community Investment Focus Areas
A year ago we announced two new broad focus areas for our community investments  —  Building an Inclusive Economy and  Advancing Equity in Education. To further refine our priorities in these areas, we spent the past year listening to hundreds of individuals from across Forsyth County.

Earlier this month, we revealed our new microsite,  Evolving to Meet Community Needs, where you can learn more about what we heard from our listening conversations, as well as how the Foundation is evolving to serve the community in these critical focus areas.

Our initial discretionary grant funding will work toward addressing access to efficient and affordable transportation (Spring 2019) and a reduction in the racial wealth gap (Fall 2019). We will release more information about our first grant deadline in January.

Once you have reviewed the site, please give us feedback on the comment form at the bottom of the page. We want to hear from you!

Gearing Up for Our Centennial Year
IT'S JUST AROUND THE CORNER — the Foundation will celebrate its Centennial in 2019! We've shared the ways in which we plan to deepen our community impact as well as our new vision, mission, and values. We're also thrilled to announce that we will be revealing a new look for the Foundation in 2019. Stay tuned for the unveiling of our new branding and a new website that will reflect our forward-looking strategy!
Application Deadlines for Teacher Grants and Student Aid
TEACHER GRANTS: if you know any Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools educators who are interested in a professional development opportunity — point them to our website to apply for a Forsyth County Teacher Grant! Grant applications can be  up to $2,500 , with a  December 31 deadline .
SCHOLARSHIPS: help spread the word that our one-stop application process goes live on January 1 , and most applications for merit-based scholarships have an April 1 deadline . Send students to our website during the holiday break to learn more — they can register anytime after the first of the year!

September Community Grants: $222,240 to Nonprofits
IN SEPTEMBER, 13 LOCAL NONPROFITS received $222,240 in Community Grants from the Foundation. This vital flexible grantmaking support was made possible by donors to unrestricted and field of interest funds and by contributions to our Next Century Fund.

Congratulations to all of our September Community Grant recipients !

Valuable Giving Tools for Year-End
AS YOU CONTEMPLATE your end-of-year tax situation, don't forget some great options to reduce your tax liability.

Changes to the tax law in 2017 prompted an increased standard deduction. Did you know that donor-advised funds at the Foundation can still be a tax-efficient option for your charitable giving by bunching multiple years worth of donations into your fund in a single year, and then making grants to nonprofits of your choice in the years to follow? Learn more .

Also, under current legislation holders of IRAs who are at least 70 ½ must begin taking distributions from their retirement accounts. For those who don’t need this additional income, the Lifetime IRA Charitable Rollover is a great way to avoid excess taxable income. The Foundation can help you direct charitable transfers of up to $100,000 per year to establish an endowment for a favorite nonprofit, a scholarship fund for area students, or to support our Community Grantmaking or Next Century Fund.  Learn more .

For more information on these topics or how to establish a permanent fund at the Foundation, contact Annette Lynch or Susan Elster at (336) 725-2382.
Youth Grantmakers in Action Receives $5,000 Grant
from Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
YOUTH GRANTMAKERS IN ACTION received a second-year $5,000 grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation . Pictured are our YGA members with the Foundation's Executive Director Mo Green. Thanks to their continued investment, this diverse group of grantmakers representing high schools all across Forsyth County will be able to fund even more youth-led projects!

Legacy Society Dinner Honors
Endowment Fundholders
MORE THAN 200 Foundation donors gathered at Wake Forest Biotech Place this month for our annual Legacy Society dinner, a chance for the Foundation to honor those who have already established permanent charitable funds at the Foundation or those who have made such provisions for after their lifetimes.

Dr. Craig Richardson , founding director of the Center for the Study of Economic Mobility at Winston-Salem State University, presented a fascinating yet sobering report on economic mobility in Forsyth County , most notably how inefficient and unaffordable transportation can make it difficult to find employment, attend school, or even receive healthcare. In response to community data and feedback, our first grant deadline in the spring of 2019 will work toward addressing access to efficient and affordable transportation .

We thank our Legacy Society members for trusting the Foundation to carry out their charitable legacies into the future! For more information on Legacy Society membership, please contact Annette Lynch at (336) 725-2382.
Honor a Loved One This Holiday Season
CONSIDER A GIFT to the Foundation's Next Century Fund in honor or in memory of your loved one this holiday season. Gifts to this fund help fund our Community Grantmaking to meet emerging challenges and opportunities in Forsyth County. Those memorialized will also be entered into the Book of Memory located in our lobby.
Foundation Staff News

WE'RE PLEASED  to announce that  Taylor Hayes  has joined our team as the new  Marketing and Communications Manager . Taylor will work with the Director of Marketing and Communcations, Cici Fulton, on all communications as well as the Foundation's new branding and website to launch in 2019!
Broadening Philanthropy in Our Community
Black Philanthropy Initiative
BPI HOSTED A SUCCESSFUL annual fundraising event in October with the theme " It's a Tradition: Building on a Legacy of Giving." Forsyth Tech’s Male Mentoring Program (a past grantee) provided updates on their program by highlighting two of their graduates.

New Bass Society Members were also inducted at the event. Members of Bass Society donate $1,000 or more each year to BPI. See event photos.
The Women's Fund of Winston-Salem
THE WOMEN'S FUND AWARDED nearly $110,000 in grants in front of over 500 in attendance at its November luncheon. Congratulations to the following eight nonprofit grantees: Authoring Auction, Crosby Scholars, Delicious by Shereen, LEAD Girls NC, Planned Parenthood, Salvation Army, The Parenting Path (SCAN), and YMCA of NWNC.

Learn how to become involved.
Youth Grantmakers in Action
FUNDING IS AVAILABLE for youth-created and youth-directed projects in Forsyth County — apply by January 31!

YGA will host a Grantwriting Workshop on January 9 from 5:00-5:30pm to help groups refine their ideas and write grant applications. Please share this opportunity with your contacts and help us spread the word to youth in the community!

More Foundation News
View our 2017