New Fund Honors Outgoing President and Supports Community Grants
AS WE REFLECT upon Scott Wierman's 23-year tenure as president of The Winston-Salem Foundation, we are also excited to announce the creation of the Scott and Lauren Wierman Community Vision Fund. This unrestricted endowment will fund Community Grantmaking in perpetuity, supporting the Foundation's ability to respond to ever-evolving challenges and opportunities in Forsyth County.

We invite you to join us in paying tribute to Scott and his wife Lauren by supporting this lasting and meaningful connection between their family and our community. How to give:

  • Credit card: visit our website
  • Donor-advised grant: log in to myWSF
  • Check: mail to The Winston-Salem Foundation, 751 West Fourth Street, Suite 200, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 (memo line: Wierman Community Vision Fund)

For more information about what's ahead for both Scott and the Foundation, you can read our press release and listen to Scott's recent radio interview with WFDD. A national search process to select our new president will follow, with more information to share with you soon.
Response Fund Announces Final Grant Round
THE FINAL PHASE of responsive grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County will continue to support local nonprofit organizations to assist with the immediate needs of economically vulnerable populations impacted by COVID-19. Organizations may apply for grant support in one of two program areas: 

  • Assistance for economically vulnerable populations, specifically for housing, utility, and food expenses
  • Virtual learning assistance to public school students

Organizations that received funding in past phases of the COVID-19 Response Fund are eligible to apply again during this final phase. Nonprofits can apply online through October 9. Read the press release for more information.

Since the Fund was established in March by the Foundation and United Way of Forsyth County, it has raised almost $4.5 million from corporations, groups, individuals, and local government, and a total of 76 local nonprofits have received critical grant funding totaling almost $3.7 million. 

Donations to the Fund will continue to be accepted through September 30. Please visit covid19forsyth.org to donate or to make an additional donation. Thank you in advance for your support of those most impacted by the pandemic.
Apply for Zach Smith Fund Teacher Grants
Announcing Community Grants
We’re funding professional development opportunities for Mount Airy educators.
Learn more and apply online through September 30 at 5 PM.

We're also seeking virtual volunteers in Mount Airy to review grant applications. Learn more
Announcing 33 Community Grants totaling $575,603 to local nonprofits that will greatly impact the lives of many Forsyth County residents.

Congratulations to our grant recipients!
Scholarship Recipients Announced
WE'RE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE that $1,022,841 was recently awarded to more than 400 local students in our second round of scholarships. Including both scholarship rounds, the Foundation's funds helped 520 students with more than $1.2 million in support for the 2020-2021 school year.

Now more than ever, having this scholarship support goes a long way—it tells our students that they are not alone in their educational journeys. Thanks to so many generous donors over the years, approximately 16,000 students have been assisted since the Foundation's Student Aid program was established in 1923. 

View our first round and second round recipients.
Supporting Local Black-led Nonprofits
NEIGHBORS FOR BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS
We've heard from many community members who are looking for ways to support racial equity work, especially here in Forsyth County. In an effort to center local voices of color, we will be using our e-news and social media channels to highlight black-led nonprofits that we fund so you can learn more about their important work.

Today we are featuring Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods (NBN), an organization that uses an asset-based community development framework to bring residents to the table to have a voice in decisions that impact their communities and our city.
Learn more about NBN and how they're adapting their services during COVID-19 in this recent FOX8 Community Foundation segment and be sure to check out their new website!
Broadening Philanthropy
in Our Community
Black Philanthropy Initiative
Last month, BPI announced $26,800 in six Impact Grants to local black-led organizations making investments that align with key areas identified in BPI's Rethinking Philanthropy report.

Join us for BPI's virtual fundraiser on October 15 at 6:30 PM! Register now for a panel discussion on Whatever it Takes: Supporting Students & Educators of Color.
The Women's Fund of Winston-Salem
Join the Unsung Suffragists Book Club for an October 12 virtual event with the author of Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All. Learn more

Save the Date for the Women's Fund Luncheon on November 17: we're going virtual! Join us as we announce our 2020 grantees and unveil our updated research report Through a Gender Lens: The Economic Security of Women and Girls in Forsyth County. Registration information is coming soon, and so is a new Women's Fund website!
Youth Grantmakers in Action
In August, we kicked off a new year of Youth Grantmakers in Action in a very unusual setting: online! Welcome to our 2020-2021 YGA members: Sarah Bettis, Kennedy Brandon, Jackson Brown, Breanna Chadwick, William Craig, Sebastian Del Campo, Hillary Dunn, Mayar Eldeeb, Chloe Fletcher, Carter Greenwood, Michael Kramer, Caleb Lumpkin, Naudia McKoy, Mirtha Medel-Crispin, Aseelah O'Neal, Anam Parveen, Lyba Qureshi, Paris Reynosa, Alan Rojas-Rodriguez, Skylar Sumrell, and Berk Yalcinkaya. We can't wait to see what the year brings!
More Foundation News
 Learn more about the local economic impact of COVID-19 in Forsyth Futures' online Community Briefing.

– Watch this FOX8 segment featuring Family Services of Forsyth County

Read more about our focus areas for community investment.
THE WINSTON-SALEM FOUNDATION
751 West Fourth Street, Suite 200, Winston-Salem NC 27101