Carolina Foothills Foundation
Carolina Foothills Foundation is a public charity based in Forest City, North Carolina, that provides funding and other support for health and community-wellness needs in Rutherford and Polk counties. Its stated focus areas are elder care, youth development, and wellness.
Carolina Foothills Foundation at a glance
In short: Carolina Foothills Foundation gave $528K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $53K), mostly in North Carolina. 70% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $528,000
- -26.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -60.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $52,800
- +83.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $40,000
- Total assets
- $71,894,089
- +8.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 70% first-time grantees (7 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Carolina Foothills Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The annual cycle accepts applications from eligible public charities and government entities serving Rutherford and/or Polk counties. Applicants submit one application per agency and request support for one of the three funding categories; the program describes measurable and sustainable goals as an eligibility requirement.
- Review Cycle
- March 31, 2027.
- Deadline
- March 31, 2027.
- Next open deadline
- March 31, 2027 (Carolina Foothills Foundation Annual Grant Cycle)
- Contact
Mailing address: 376 Hudlow Road, Forest City, NC 28043
Phone: (828) 222-4350
Website: https://carolinaff.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Carolina Foothills Foundation
Who Carolina Foothills Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Out of the Ashes Inc ($125K). Together the top 10 received $528K.
Grant Size Distribution
76 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 56 grants of 76 (74%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The annual grant cycle serves Rutherford County and Polk County, North Carolina. The foundation describes its service area as those two counties, and all grant dollars reported for 2025 went to North Carolina recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Carolina Foothills Foundation open to new grantees?
70%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 10 grantees (70%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $41K; repeat grants $80K. How we count
Medians: $40K first-time, $100K repeat.
- 0% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2023–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2023 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $528K (2025) to $2.5M (2023). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $528K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Out of the Ashes Inc Forest City, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $125,000 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Rutherf Forest City, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $100,000 |
| Polk County Council on Aging Columbus, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $100,000 |
| Polk County Health&HumanSer A Columbus, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $60,000 |
| Saluda Pop-Up Pantry Saluda, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $40,000 |
| Share Thy Bread Tryon, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $40,000 |
| Champions for Wildlife Lynn, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $25,000 |
| Tryon Arts & Crafts School Tryon, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $16,000 |
| Polk County Film Initiative Tryon, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $15,000 |
| Polk County Public Libraries Columbus, NC | To fund the charitable activities | $7,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Carolina Foothills Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $71,894,089 | $6,282,509 | $3,836,155 | $528,000 | 10 | $5,093,384 |
| 2024 | $66,262,929 | $5,632,626 | $5,360,049 | $720,000 | 25 | $4,179,435 |
| 2023 | $63,515,435 | $2,420,642 | $5,287,148 | $2,482,203 | 41 | $1,101,868 |
| 2022 | $63,144,962 | $22,911,685 | $7,286,944 | — | — | $18,076,427 |
| 2021 | $46,569,993 | $13,863,011 | $10,744,602 | — | — | $1,393,641 |
| 2020 | $43,759,285 | $17,554,066 | $12,202,215 | — | — | $1,364,767 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation says it supports carefully selected nonprofits working in elder care, youth development, and wellness. Its elder-care priorities include access to food, shelter, utilities, and health care; social opportunities for older adults; and elder-law services. Its grant-cycle criteria also include youth programs that help young people reach their potential and wellness services that respond to community needs.
Examples of grantees illustrate the range of supported work. Out of the Ashes describes its mission as addressing addiction and homelessness; Saluda Pop-Up Pantry and Share Thy Bread describe work to provide food and respond to food insecurity. Champions for Wildlife says it uses art and education to inspire children to protect wildlife, while Tryon Arts and Crafts says it provides creative opportunities through arts-and-crafts education and expression.
Grantmaking
The foundation runs an annual grant cycle for eligible organizations serving Rutherford and/or Polk counties. The program lists an award range of $5,000–$500,000 and asks applicants to request funding in one category: elder care, youth development, or wellness. Eligible applicants are tax-exempt public charities under Section 501(c)(3) or government entities. Applications must describe measurable and sustainable grant goals, and each agency may submit one application. The program lists exclusions including grants or loans to individuals and political causes, candidates, and organizations.
The foundation’s 2025 filing reports 10 grants totaling $528,000. Awards ranged from $7,000 to $125,000, with a median of $40,000; all reported grant dollars went to North Carolina recipients. The largest listed awards were $125,000 to Out of the Ashes Inc., $100,000 each to Boys & Girls Clubs of Rutherf and Polk County Council on Aging, and $60,000 to Polk County Health & Human Services Agency. The filing states the grants were for charitable activities.
Separately, the foundation’s website reports annual grant-cycle awards of $3.5 million to 38 organizations in 2024, and $3,075,138.60 to 40 organizations in a cycle described on its grants page. These website-reported cycle totals differ from the grant totals in the corresponding IRS filing-year figures.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Rita Burch as CEO; Heidi Owen as Eldercare ED; Connie Bailey as Director of Finance; Doris Clark, John Crotts, and Mark Oxtoby as directors; Jackie Hampton as secretary; Bob Keith as treasurer; Linda Edgerton as vice chair; and Patricia Keeter as chair.
The foundation’s website also identifies Doris Clark, John Crotts, Linda Edgerton, Jacqueline Hampton, Bob Keith, and Mark Oxtoby as board members, and lists Rita Burch, Heidi Owen, and Connie Bailey among its staff.
Carolina Foothills Foundation is led by Rita R. Burch, CEO since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 3 of 10 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Rita R. Burch
CEO
CEO → CEO & President, 2023
CEO & President → CEO, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$231K (2020) → $219K (2025)
Heidi Owen
Eldercare Executive Director
Vice President of Business Development → Eldercare Executive Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$154K (2020) → $172K (2025)
Patricia Keeter
Chair
President → Chairman, 2023
Chairman → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Connie Bailey
Director of Financ
Vice President of Finance → Director of Finance, 2023
Director of Finance → Director of Financ, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$123K (2020) → $126K (2025)
Doris Clark
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Crotts
Director
Director → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Oxtoby
Director
Director → Branch Manager, 2022
Branch Manager → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob Keith
Treasurer
Vice President → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jackie Hampton
Secretary
Director → Treasurer, 2022
Treasurer → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Linda Edgerton
Vice Chair
Secretary → Vice Chairman, 2023
Vice Chairman → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Norman Guthrie (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Ronda Patton (2020–2022) — Fnp
- Former: Bonnie Bittle (2022) — Director
- Former: Rhonda Lytle (2022) — Cecc Manager
- Former: Judy Scott (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Mike Tanner (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Nicole Scruggs (2021) — Fnp
- Former: Wanda Swink (2021) — Director of Nursing
- Former: Julie Thorn (2020) — Fnp
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $219K, to Rita Burch (CEO). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Carolina Foothills Foundation
How much does Carolina Foothills Foundation give each year?
Carolina Foothills Foundation gave $528K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $720K across 25 grants.
What is Carolina Foothills Foundation's typical grant size?
Carolina Foothills Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $40,000, and its average grant was $52,800, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Carolina Foothills Foundation that year got $41K on average.
Where does Carolina Foothills Foundation give grants?
Carolina Foothills Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Columbus, NC (3 grants), Tryon, NC (3 grants) and Forest City, NC (2 grants).
Does Carolina Foothills Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Carolina Foothills Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To fund the charitable activities" (10 grants).
Who are Carolina Foothills Foundation's largest grantees?
Carolina Foothills Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Out of the Ashes Inc ($125,000), Boys & Girls Clubs of Rutherf ($100,000) and Polk County Council on Aging ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Carolina Foothills Foundation?
Carolina Foothills Foundation reported $71.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $6.3M.
What does Carolina Foothills Foundation fund?
The foundation says it supports carefully selected nonprofits working in elder care, youth development, and wellness. Its elder-care priorities include access to food, shelter, utilities, and health care; social opportunities for older adults; and elder-law services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Carolina Foothills Foundation?
The annual cycle accepts applications from eligible public charities and government entities serving Rutherford and/or Polk counties. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Carolina Foothills Foundation's EIN?
Carolina Foothills Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-1337169. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 22, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Carolina Foothills Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Carolina Foothills Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/carolina-foothills-foundation-morg_ce5c0f4c12c247ef899a238ede1fc2d4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_561337169_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Carolina Foothills Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/carolina-foothills-foundation-morg_ce5c0f4c12c247ef899a238ede1fc2d4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Carolina Foothills Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Carolina Foothills Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?