Stronger Organizations

Stronger Organizations is sponsored by Dogwood Health Trust. Provides flexible general operating support to 501(c)(3) nonprofits focused on health & wellness serving Western North Carolina (Qualla Boundary and 18 WNC counties).

Grantmaking - Dogwood Health Trust Creating a Western North Carolina where every generation can live, learn, earn and thrive, with dignity and opportunity for all – no exceptions. 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. From 2025-2030, 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. 2026 Open Grant Opportunities & Support Organizational Capacity Building Strengthening Organizational Capacity and Effectivenes s Open from April 20 to May 18, 2026 at 5PM EST Dogwood recognizes that strong organizations are essential to strong communities.

This funding opportunity provides internal capacity building support so organizations can more effectively advance work related to housing, education, economic opportunity and/or health & wellness in Western North Carolina. These grants are intended to support organizational development and long-term effectiveness rather than the direct delivery of programs or services.

Funding must be used for clearly defined internal development efforts that strengthen an organization’s ability to achieve its mission and improve its effectiveness, systems or organizational practices.

Eligible activities include: Staff, leadership or board development Operational improvements such as HR, finance or IT systems Community engagement or increasing access to programs/services Policy and advocacy efforts Resource or funding development Communications and/or marketing Average grant awards typically range from $15,000 to $30,000. Applicants may request a minimum of $10,000 and up to $50,000.

Funds are generally paid within a 12-month period, and proposed projects may span 12 to 24 months depending on the scope and timeline of the work.

Who is eligible to apply: Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charities that serve the Qualla Boundary and/or 18 counties of Western North Carolina; fiscally sponsored organizations; government, quasi and non-governmental organizations; faith-based organizations; or K-12 schools, colleges and universities. Eligible organizations should have an annual operating budget of at least $50,000.

Dogwood typically does not fund more than 25% of an organization’s annual operating budget within a single year.

Read our FAQs and download a fact sheet with application questions and more details: Collaboration & Innovation Investing in Strategic Networks and Breakthrough Approaches that Tackle Complex Challenges Open from April 20 to May 18, 2026 at 5PM EST People and organizations in Western North Carolina have a long tradition of working together to improve community health, wellbeing, opportunity and access.

This grant opportunity offers support for coordinated, collaborative, community-led efforts that strengthen our region. Funds can be used to support both emerging or well-established collaborations spanning organizations, sectors and geographic locations to plan, pilot and scale breakthrough solutions to complex community challenges in Western North Carolina.

Grant sizes will range from $50,000 to $500,000 total and can be used for 12-24 months. Due to anticipated demand, there will be a two-stage application process. Organizations will first submit an electronic Letter of Intent (LOI).

From there, a smaller group of applicants will then be invited to submit a full application. Who is eligible to apply: A single organization – the Hub Applicant – will apply on behalf of the collaborative. Hub Applicants may be 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charities; government, quasi and non-governmental organizations; faith-based organizations; or K-12 schools, colleges and universities.

The Hub Applicant and collaborative members must serve the Qualla Boundary and/or 18 counties of Western North Carolina.

Read our FAQs and download a fact sheet with application questions and more details: Sustaining Momentum for Digital Opportunities Open from April 20 to May 18, 2026 at 5PM EST Launched in 2025, Dogwood’s Digital Opportunities Initiative focuses on making high-speed internet more available, affordable and useful for everyone in Western North Carolina.

This funding opportunity will support programs, projects and skill development that help organizations and communities: Gain access to resources and tools that reduce the “digital divide” Distribute devices and other technology for using affordable internet Offer digital skills training and technical support that helps people connect to resources for their day-to-day needs (health, education, employment, housing, etc.) Develop supportive digital applications and content that expands access to health, education, economic and housing resources Increase access to affordable internet Grant Pathway 1: Digital Navigation (By Invitation Only) One-year program grants of $20,000 to support organizations integrating digital navigation into their existing programs and missions.

Grantees will participate in the WNC Digital Navigator Network with learning events and training designed to equip staff with practical strategies to help clients overcome barriers to meaningful internet access and use. Grant funding may be used to support staff time to participate in training and network events; purchase equipment; and pilot or test new programs and strategies that advance digital access and use.

This application pathway is by invitation only. Grant Pathway 2: Expanding Digital Opportunities (Two-Stage Application) Program grants ranging from $20,000 to $500,000 (minimum of $20,000 per year; maximum of $250,000 per year) for 1-2 years will support projects and programs that sustain or expand digital opportunities in Western North Carolina.

Grantees will participate in the WNC Digital Navigator Network, which includes events and training designed to equip organizations with practical strategies to help clients overcome barriers to internet access and meaningful use. Due to anticipated demand, this pathway will utilize a two-stage application process. Organizations will first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI).

From there, a smaller group of applicants will then be invited to submit a full application. Who is eligible to apply: 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charities; fiscal sponsorship organizations; government and non-governmental organizations; faith-based organizations; or K-12 schools, colleges and universities. Both new grant seeking organizations and current Digital Opportunities Initiative grantees are encouraged to apply.

Read our FAQs and download a fact sheet with application questions and more details: Grant Writing Support and Advice 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 This opportunity is open from January 20 to October 2, 2026.

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 This opportunity is open until December 15, 2026. 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. What is a Strategically Aligned Organization?

(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. past open grant opportunities Supporting Organizational Operations, Infrastructure and Stability This opportunity is now closed.

This grant opportunity offers flexible support for strategically aligned organizations that play a meaningful role in the region’s ecosystem through work in housing, education, economic opportunity, and health & wellness; and that are positioned to sustain and grow their impact over time. Organizations determine how best to use the funds and grant reporting is simplified.

Most often, these grants are in the form of general operating support. Grants typically range from $50,000 to $350,000 per year for up to two years. For two-year grants, the total award may range up to a maximum of $700,000.

Who is eligible to apply: 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charities with annual operating budgets of at least $200,000 that serve the Qualla Boundary and/or 18 counties of Western North Carolina, and are strategically aligned with Dogwood’s priorities. Current Dogwood grantees with active general operating support grants may also apply, but only if the grant ends on or before June 30, 2026.

In general, Dogwood does not fund more than 25% of an organization’s annual operating budgeting each year.

Government and quasi-governmental organizations; colleges, universities and K-12 schools or any related supporting organizations or foundations; fiscally sponsored organizations; faith-based/religious organizations without 501(c)(3) determination or programs promoting religious or ideological doctrine, such as those principally sectarian in nature.

managing your application(s) Dogwood uses online portals to manage (1) active grants with current partners and (2) applications for new Grant Opportunities. In 2025, we transitioned to a new “ Applicant and Grantee Portal ” for our Stronger Organizations, Capacity Building, and Collaboration & Innovation Grant Opportunities. All grantseekers will need to use this new portal going forward.

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 grant applications from 2025-2026 will need to temporarily manage two portal accounts.

Applicant & Grantee Portal Manage 2025 & 2026 grant applications Manage active grants prior to 2025 Questions about the new experience? Take a look at our helpful FAQs .