The Endowment awards $2.8 million in grants to support youth, health care, food access, and innovation

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Endowment has awarded $2.8 million in new grants to support youth programs, expand access to health care and food, and strengthen entrepreneurship efforts across New Hanover County.

Funding includes summer programming for local youth through groups like ACCESS of Wilmington, the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina, Voyage, and StepUp Wilmington, helping young people stay engaged and build skills.

Additional grants will support health care access through Cape Fear HealthNet and expand recovery housing through Tides Inc..

To address food insecurity, more than $1.2 million will fund a grocery delivery program through New Hanover County, serving all eight food deserts.

The Endowment is also backing entrepreneurship with support for the 2026 NC IDEA Ecosystem Summit in Wilmington.

Officials say the investments aim to strengthen access to resources while building long-term opportunity across the community.