2025 – A Year of Celebration & Reflection by our CEO

“Living Well and Doing Good has been at the very center of this past year as 2025 brought a very special milestone for the CF of NC East, Celebrating our 25th Anniversary has enabled us to truly focus on many extraordinary people, places successes and the continued honor that we have of living our mission of Promoting, Enabling, & Celebrating Philanthropy in Eastern North Carolina, For Good, Forever!

Beginning with our deception and support to disaster relief efforts in our neighboring Western North Carolina communities, we were on the ground with the people most affected. To date, our Foundation is very pleased to have provided more than $300,000 in grant funding for ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts, thanks to the generosity of our Donor Families!

We have also continued our effective grant making and support to many deserving organizations all whom are inspiring and empowering change in the communities they serve. In 2025 we have given our Donors and Donor Families, along with our community and regional partners, our very best efforts in providing grant funding and investing in the lives of others who are making our communities in eastern North Carolina the very best place to live, work and raise their families. Through our investments in education, the arts, theatre performance, animal cruelty prevention, human trafficking and family violence prevention, scholarships, food deprivation programs, public safety and police officers, firefighters and first responders support, the North Carolina Azalea Festival and many others, we are indeed putting our financial resources entrusted to us, to the best and most effective use possible.

In addition it has been an extraordinary year of hosting special events that have provided financial insight and expertise to our region. Our 2025 Economic Finance EVent, held on September 25th at The Country Cub of Landfall, in Wilmington, featuring our keynote speaker, CNBC’s Financial Analyst and Commentator of the Fast Money Show, Guy Adami, presented “A Future Outlook on the US Economy” and a wealth of of economic information that was shared with our attendees. We greatly appreciate the support and sponsorships of our Presenting Sponsor, Towne Bank, along with additional Sponsors by JP Morgan Private Bank, CAPTRUST, UNCW Cameron School of Business, Jones Financial Group Wells Fargo Advisors, Warner, Hood, Hardee & Stroud Wealth Advisors, Peggy Baddour and The Live Oaks Inspire & Preserve Fund, Rick Hoag of Hoag and Collins Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, and Mark Johnson of Dogwood State Bank.

In October we were incredibly honored to celebrate our 25th Anniversary with a beautiful and memorable Celebration Reception at the Towne Bank of Greenville, where we were joined by man of our Donor Families, Community and Regional Partners and 25 years of Board Leadership. We were truly in awe of the outpouring of support and dedication of everyone whom is a part of our Foundation family.

As we bring our 25th Anniversary Year to a close and are moving forward into this special new and exciting year of 2026, we will hold the milestones and celebrations close. As a Community Foundation, we could not be prouder of our 25 year history, our significant growth throughout the eastern region as well as our philanthropic footprint across our great state of North Carolina and far beyond. The millions of dollars that have been invested in the nonprofits, colleges and universities and regional partnerships will long be remembered with a Legacy of empowerment and commitment to improving the lives of those we serve. We will carry those successes forward, and we look forward to the next 25 years of Promoting, Enabling & Celebrating Philanthropy in Eastern North Carolina, For Good, For Ever! Thank you for being a part of our special story & journey!

Melissa Q. Spain
Chief Executive Officer

There are many reasons why people chose to give through our foundation, but the most prominent reason is our local roots. Since 1977, we have been deeply ingrained in eastern North Carolina, providing giving opportunities that directly benefit our region forever and convening resources and ideas to create a positive change in our community. With other gifts and grants and by your donations, we can help you maximize the impact for the organization and the community.