Outer Banks Community Foundation awarded $1.4M in 2019 and opened 9 new charitable funds
By Submitted Story on February 1, 2020
Ending another record-breaking year, the Outer Banks Community Foundation announced over $1.4 million in grants and scholarships in 2019, and the creation of nine new charitable endowments for future community support.
Dozens of local nonprofits received grant aid throughout the year, benefiting every type of charitable cause, from Ocracoke to Hatteras to Roanoke Island to Corolla, and every Outer Banks neighborhood and town in between. In December alone, the Community Foundation awarded competitive Community Enrichment Grants of $5,000 to St. John United Methodist Church in Avon in support of its free community dinners, over $5,900 to the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island for summer camp scholarships, and $10,000 to Interfaith Community Outreach to support that organization’s disaster relief efforts on Ocracoke Island.
Also in December the Community Foundation funded over $32,000 in donor-advised grants to 16 different nonprofits, including the Dare County Arts Council, Dare Education Foundation, the Roanoke Island Historical Association, the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department Auxiliary, and the Beach Food Pantry. Donor-advised funds are created when a donor contributes a tax-benefited gift to establish a new fund; the donor then recommends how the endowment’s earnings should be distributed to charities each year.
In 2019 the Community Foundation also continued to subsidized trainings and seminars for dozens of local nonprofits. In April the Community Foundation organized a strategic planning workshop for charities, and committed the funds to bring the Duke University Nonprofit Management Certificate Program to the Outer Banks. The intensive eight-day training will be offered in January 2021.
In addition to grants and other support for nonprofits, the Community Foundation continued to be the Outer Banks’s leading scholarship provider. In 2019 the Community Foundation helped 82 local students attend college, totaling over $165,000 in scholarships last year.
Most of all, disaster relief after Hurricane Dorian was the Community Foundation’s major push in 2019. As of December, the Community Foundation and its partners had awarded $80,000 to storm victims in Dare County, $450,000 to victims in Ocracoke, and $70,000 in Rapid Response Grants to nonprofits. Additionally, the Community Foundation has pledged $700,000 for home repairs, rebuilds, and temporary housing across the Outer Banks, to be paid in 2020 as houses on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands are rebuilt and restored.
But according to Lorelei Costa, the Community Foundation’s executive director, the most exciting news from 2019 was the growth of charitable funds for the future. “We started nine new endowments last year, including four new scholarship funds, three new donor-advised funds, and two new grant-making funds,” she said. “All of these new endowments will become permanent sources of community support for generations, which means more grants and scholarships in 2020 and beyond.”
Anyone can contribute to any of the Community Foundation’s charitable funds, or start a fund of their own. Donations may be made online at www.obcf.org/donate and are fully tax-deductible. Checks may also be mailed to 13 Skyline Road, Southern Shores, NC 27949.
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Dare County Animal Shelter
Sealed bids for completion of the Dare County Animal Shelter will be received on February 11, 2020, in the Dare County Administration Building, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo, NC, for 01-Fencing, 03- Concrete, 04-Masonry, 05-Metals/ Steel, 06-Casework, 07-Roofing, 07-Caulking, 08-Glass and Glazing, 08-Doors, Frames and Hardware, 08-Overhead Doors, 09-Drywall, 09-Flooring, 09-Painting, 10- Specialties, 12-Furnishings, 21-Fire Protection, 23-Mechanical & Plumbing, 26-Electrical, 31-Sitework and 32-Landscaping.
This project will be bid and awarded in accordance with North Carolina law. Sealed proposals from Contractors will be received until 1:00 p.m. All bidders must submit for prequalification by 2:00pm on 2/3/2020. Bids submitted by non-prequalified bidders will not be considered. All bids will be opened and read aloud starting at 2:00 p.m. of the bid day. Bids must be delivered in person and on the supplied Bid Form and include a bid deposit worth 5% of the total bid value. Electronic and faxed bids will NOT be accepted or reviewed. All times are local prevailing times.
Information requests concerning the project shall be submitted in writing to: Alex Palagyi of The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company via email ([email protected])
Bidding material, prequalification material, and complete plans and specifications may be obtained from the Whiting-Turner Building Connected site and will be available until the bid due date. All subcontractors are responsible for emailing Alex Palagyi ([email protected]) for access to the Building Connected site.
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and Dare County reserve the right to reject any and all bids, waive informalities and irregularities in bidding, and to accept bids which are considered to be in the best interest of the County. The Whiting Turner Contracting Company and Dare County also reserve the right to require any bidder to submit information needed to determine if said bidder is responsible within the meaning of N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-129.
