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Built From Within: Camber Foundation’s 2026 Program Grants Uplift Community-Driven Solutions
Now in its fourth year of grantmaking, Camber Foundation announced more than $1 million in funding to 29 nonprofits serving Eastern North Carolina. This year saw 250 applications representing each of the 41 counties the Foundation serves. Through the review process, a growing trend emerged: a clearer understanding of what community-driven solutions look like in action.
This approach is clear at the organizational level. Many grantees are grassroots groups created to meet specific community needs, with staff and boards that reflect the people they serve. Community-driven practice also means these organizations listen and adapt. They employ surveys, listening sessions, service reviews, youth advisory councils, and regular client feedback as part of their everyday work.
“What impressed us so much was not just how organizations listened, but how they acted on what they heard,” said Leslie Ann Jackson, president and CEO of Camber Foundation. “Responding rapidly in tangible fashion, these nonprofits are driving transformation throughout their communities. We are encouraged to see that a community-driven approach is growing more prevalent across Eastern North Carolina.”
One grantee learned from client surveys that transportation and long wait times made it challenging to access mental health services. They responded by offering transportation support and speeding up service delivery. Another organization changed its hours after hearing that traditional business times kept clients from accessing healthcare. A third implemented digital initiatives and adjusted their hours for student and family support after finding that internet and device access were barriers for community members.
This kind of response also showed up in workforce development. At one organization, community listening sessions revealed that local youth lacked access to training or jobs in high-demand industries, leading to the creation of an internship program focused on those fields.
“Such examples are not exceptions,” noted Christopher Fipps, Camber Foundation’s director of community investment.
“Across all of this year’s grantees, responsiveness was a throughline. The community is driving these solutions, and our grantees are following their lead,” Fipps said.
Learn More About Our Annual Grant 2026 Program Grantees
All of this year’s grantees have a presence in Eastern North Carolina and reflect Camber’s grantmaking priorities. Each organization brings specialized local knowledge to the communities it serves, addressing needs that range from expanding access to healthcare and mental health resources to creating pathways for educational achievement to building economic opportunity for families and individuals.
“The most enduring solutions to community challenges are the ones communities themselves identify and shape,” said Dr. Tyran Hill, network officer for Camber Foundation, who lives in Wilmington. “When organizations operate in this fashion, the impact reaches well beyond any single program or service across Eastern North Carolina.”
Click here for a complete list of Camber Foundation’s 2026 program grant recipients.
