Will new leadership at the New Hanover Community Endowment bring transparency to grant distribution?

Winslow shared the endowment's revamped grant-making process, designed to make its awards more accessible, transparent, and impactful for New Hanover County. He highlighted these changes through a presentation called the "Grants Rainbow."

NEW HANOVER COUNTY(WWAY)–The New Hanover Community Endowment unveiled a revamped grant-making process Tuesday, building on the rolling grant application process unveiled earlier this year.

Given the endowment’s criticism from the public about its spending and distribution of funds, some people think the endowment should hire an independent monitor to ensure money is spent the right way.

Dan Winslow steps to the podium, introducing himself as the new CEO of the New Hanover Community Endowment to a room packed with residents, community leaders, and supporters.

“We are the 75th largest philanthropy in the United States,” Winslow described the endowment.

During his address, Winslow shared the endowment’s revamped grant-making process, designed to make its awards more accessible, transparent, and impactful for New Hanover County. He highlighted these changes through a presentation called the “Grants Rainbow.”

“Over $100 million a year that we must, by law- reinvest into this community,” Winslow explained about investment monies by the foundation.

The revamped approach gives local organizations clearer pathways to funding. But after the presentation, residents asked Winslow questions, including one requesting the endowment’s plan to heal disparities from the 1898 Wilmington Massacre.

“We will consider every grant application on its merits, given the four pillars that we have,” Winslow said. “All the ingredients are here. Why won’t we do it again? Why won’t we empower people of color in this community to lift themselves and succeed- as they did!”

The New Hanover community endowment has come under fire recently, with critics raising concerns about the organization’s spending practices and the transparency of who controls the distribution of its funds.

“What the endowment needs is some critical oversight from people who are not asking for money and not part of the establishment,” said resident Paul Sommers.

Some are demanding more clarity on how decisions are made and whether the endowment’s resources are being used effectively to benefit the community.

“We want to work from an operation of continuous improvement to be able to say, ‘Look, maybe the board doesn’t need to spend as much time. Maybe it’s appropriate, for example, to delegate some grant authority to just the staff or the CEO,” Winslow said.

Winslow says the endowment is still fine-tuning their grant distribution process before the foundation becomes fully private by 2028. He says most of their funding will focus on “four strategic pillars” — education, community development, public safety, and health and social equity.