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Camber Foundation Invests in Multi-Year Grants to Strengthen Eastern North Carolina Nonprofits
Camber Foundation has announced multi-year grants to seven nonprofit organizations working in Eastern North Carolina, as part of a new initiative to provide long-term stability and build organizations’ capacity.
These seven organizations will receive $50,000 each year for three years. The grants range in scope from expanding existing programs, starting new initiatives, or providing general operating support. Community nonprofits have expressed that this type of funding helps to sustain operations, enhances programs, and positions organizations for long-term success.
“Camber has supported each of these organizations consistently for three years, and in that time, we have built relationships based on trust, open communication, and shared learning,” said Leslie Ann Jackson, president and CEO of Camber Foundation. “Moving forward with multi-year grants is a natural next step.”
This initiative was born out of feedback from the nonprofit sector, demonstrating Camber’s dedication to promoting community-driven solutions that create opportunity, build confidence, and enable organizations to devote more time to their missions.
Jackson added, “We consistently hear Eastern North Carolinians championing this funding approach, and we will grow our commitment to it in the coming years, especially as we continue to hear the benefits to the community.”
“Communities do not experience their needs in twelve-month grant cycles,” said Yesenia Cuello, executive director of NC FIELD. “Flexible, long-term funding allows organizations like ours to respond to what is actually happening on the ground while retaining staff, maintaining trusted spaces, and building relationships that cannot be rushed.”
The selected organizations address community needs that align with Camber Foundation’s priority areas, such as access to healthcare, mental health services and programs, entrepreneurial support for local farmers, attainment of postsecondary education, and workforce development. They will employ the funds in various ways: some are extending their current programs, others are starting new ones, and in some cases, the funds are providing vital stability as other sources of funding become less reliable.
The seven grant recipients and how they will use the funds are:
The organization will offer specialized, trauma-informed, free therapy services to survivors of intimate partner violence in six rural counties in the northeastern part of North Carolina, which are under-resourced. The funds will also enable flexible counseling delivered in person, via telehealth, or by phone to reduce barriers to care.
Camber’s grant will create economic opportunities for local farmers through expanded Food Hub operations while increasing food access in underserved communities through Mobile Market programs, the Farmers Fighting Hunger initiative, and increased availability of SNAP/EBT purchasing options.
Kids First, Inc. Child Advocacy Center
This organization will offer a wide range of services for survivors of child abuse and their caregivers, including forensic interviews, evidence-based therapy, medical evaluations, advocacy for victims, and the coordination of multidisciplinary teams.
Men and Women United for Youth & Families, CDC (MWUYF)
Over the course of the grant period, MWUYF will launch an apprenticeship program approved by the North Carolina Department of Labor, expand the number of sites offering internships, increase its youth membership, and broaden the reach of its annual youth mental health summit.
Camber’s grant enables NC FIELD to continue uninterrupted access to addiction recovery services, mental health training, peer support, and expanded navigation services for health insurance and other benefits while strengthening bilingual outreach and mobile services for underserved communities, including migrant farmworker families.
The organization will expand its operations by establishing a new hub at Washington Regional Hospital in Plymouth, enabling it to serve additional counties and incorporate health screenings into its mobile market program to improve access to nutritious food and preventive healthcare.
Strategic Twin Counties Education Partnership (STEP)
STEP will increase the scale and impact of the Work-Based Learning ecosystem, strengthen the local workforce pipeline through coordinated partnerships, and expand efforts to improve FAFSA completion and postsecondary education attainment across the Twin Counties.
“Having multi-year, flexible funding really makes a lot of difference,” stated Pamela Gould, executive director for Strategic Twin-Counties Education Partnership (STEP) in Rocky Mount. “It allows us to plan beyond just one year, and it shifts our focus so we can look beyond just a project and respond to emerging needs in our community.”
Beyond the financial support, the grant carries an equally meaningful message of validation and encouragement.
“The fact that Camber sees value in our work and is committed to us really gives us as an organization confidence and credibility in what we’re doing,” Gould shared. “We need those boosts.”
