Quarterly Update from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Maurice "Mo" Green provides an update on All For NC

Announcements, News

Dear Friends,

I hope you are doing well and have had a wonderful start to 2019.

While the Foundation has another exciting year ahead, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of you for joining us on what has been an incredible journey so far.

As you might recall, in 2016, we embarked on a statewide listening and learning tour and Strategic Assessment and Planning Process to better understand how North Carolina was changing. In 2017, we announced what we called our “Emerging Direction,” and in 2018, we expanded upon our Emerging Direction and launched All For NC: Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation’s Framework for Grantmaking and Learning. This Framework was crafted in response to the changing needs of the state and includes a State-Level Systemic Change Strategy, a Community-Based Strategy and an Exploratory, Visionary Ideas Strategy. Launching all of these new strategies made 2018 a big year for us and one in which we could not have done without your support.

Some 2018 highlights included:

State-Level Systemic Change Strategy

Community-Based Strategy

  • Launching and receiving a significant number of Proposal Summaries (239) for Collaborative Problem Solving and Letters of Intent (246) for the Community Progress Fund. Selected Proposal Summaries and Letters of Intent will receive an invitation to submit a full application in January 2019 with applications due in February 2019. Stay tuned for more information.

Exploratory, Visionary Ideas Strategy

  • Launching an Inclusive Public Art initiative where we received more than 80 Letters of Intent from organizations across the state that were interested in using art to share stories of diversity, equity and inclusion as they relate to the people and places of North Carolina, especially those whose stories are often untold. Members of our appointed Public Art Advisory Council (PAAC) helped Trustees narrow the pool of applicants to twenty semi-finalists. These semi-finalists received planning grants to help them develop their full applications. In May 2019, ten finalists will be awarded an Inclusive Public Art grant.
  • Launching an All For NC Fellowship to invest directly in young innovators, change makers, visionaries, entrepreneurs & risktakers between the ages of 21 and 35 who have bold ideas for how to make a difference in North Carolina communities. Applications are due on January 25, 2019, so please share this opportunity with those who you think might be good candidates.
  • Supporting Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), which helps governments throughout the country increase their capacity to incorporate equity into their work. The Foundation's investment is intended to help expand this visionary work to more government entities throughout North Carolina. With grant support from ZSR, GARE convened more than 200 city and county government officials and staff persons on January 16-17, 2019 in Charlotte. As part of this two-day event, attendees went through a series of trainings focused on identifying opportunities to incorporate a racial equity lens throughout their work and learned more about ways in which they can partner with GARE in the future.

At the Foundation’s November 2018 Board meeting, Trustees also elected new officers for the Foundation. W. Noah Reynolds, who has been on the Board since 2011, is the Foundation’s new president. Noah is currently involved with several ventures in farming and commercial real estate in addition to being active in the entrepreneurial community. He has served as the Coleman Foundation Entrepreneur in Residence since 2016 and on the Board of the Entrepreneurship Cross Disciplinary Program (ECDP) at UNC-Greensboro since 2012. He has taught entrepreneurship classes at UNC-Greensboro within the Entrepreneurship major at the Bryan School of Business since 2010. Noah has been a licensed CPA in the State of North Carolina since 2003 and has worked in a variety of positions within financial services including investment banking, stock brokerage and public accounting. Noah also serves on the N.C. Historical Commission, which is comprised of an 11-member board of professional historians and interested citizens appointed by the Governor. In addition, Noah is one of the great grandchildren of R.J. Reynolds and has been involved in several of the charitable and cultural organizations created by his extended family as well as those within his local community of Winston-Salem where he and his wife Debi live.

Daniel G. Clodfelter, who has been on the Board since 1982, is the Foundation’s vice president, and Piper Beveridge, who has been on the Board since 2011, is the Foundation’s treasurer.

Finally, we are asking for your help in spreading the word about a great paid opportunity for college students who are interested in exploring a career in the nonprofit sector. In 2011, to diversify the pool of aspiring, young nonprofit professionals, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation established a Non-Profit Internship Program (NPIP) to provide students with paid summer internships with organizations the Foundation supports. Our hope is that by removing financial constraints that might prevent students from gaining exposure to this sector, we can help them gain the experience and credentials they need to better position themselves for a potential career with a nonprofit organization after graduation. This year, the following funders will join together to provide 38 summer internships to students including: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, Democracy Fund, Foundation for a Healthy High Point, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Weaver Foundation, Reidsville Area Foundation, and Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Click here to learn more.

While much is still to be done in North Carolina, we are hopeful that 2019 is going to be a fantastic year. We are so grateful for the work you do and for your partnership with us. The journey continues.

Maurice “Mo” Green