RALEIGH, N.C. – The John William Pope Foundation, a Raleigh-area grant maker, has announced the winners of its 2024 Joy W. Pope Memorial Grants in the Arts and Human Services. The grant program is open to nonprofits statewide and offers awards ranging from $20,000 – $100,000 for one-time projects. This year, four nonprofits received awards. Recipients of the Grants in Human Services include Family Room Foster Care Resource Center in Guilford County ($20,000), H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem in Forsyth County ($40,000), and Turning Point Community Development in Vance County ($40,000). The Foundation awarded the Grant in Arts to Hart Square Village in Catawba County ($100,000).
“We received a record number of applications for our grant program this year and were impressed with every project presented to us,” said John William Pope Foundation Vice President of Programs Lindsay Hollandsworth. “Ultimately, our board chose four organizations that are creating significant value. They are making their communities better places to live and generating opportunities for their clients. And each project helps increase the organization’s capacity to do more. We are grateful for their work.”
The Family Room Foster Care Resource Center supports children in foster care and the families who host them by providing living necessities – from clothing to furniture – free of charge. The group will use its grant to improve their warehouse facility, a need that emerged as demand for their services skyrocketed in recent years. In 2023, more than 10,000 North Carolina children were in the foster care system, with an estimated 5,400 licensed care families available to host them.
H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem supports children’s health and nutrition through healthy food distribution and education initiatives. The group will use its award to expand its food-growing operations, drastically increasing the number of children it serves yearly. With her husband, Judge Ben Tennille, Dr. Marguerite Tennille founded H.O.P.E. after seeing many children come into her practice feeling ill because of a lack of nutritious food.
Turning Point Community Development offers resources to families in the Vance County region, ranging from workforce development support to wellness programs. Turning Point will use its award to complete the creation of a food pantry and distribution center, which is a pressing need in the area.
Hart Square Village offers visitors a unique look into the past at an interactive open-air museum with over 100 historic log structures. Hart Square will use its award to help expand its Catawba Valley Junior Potters program. Catawba Valley pottery is a specialized style native to the region that relies on firsthand teaching and apprenticeship to preserve the tradition. Pieces of Catawba Valley pottery, crafted by the late Vale, NC native Burlon Craig, can be viewed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Since 2015, the John William Pope Foundation has granted more than $1.7 million to nonprofits from Brunswick to Graham Counties. The awards honor the late Joy W. Pope, wife of philanthropist and retail entrepreneur John William Pope. Applications for the next Joy W. Pope Memorial Grants cycle will be accepted online from July 1 – September 1, 2024. Visit joypopegrants.org for more information.