Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc
COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF NORTH is a public charity based in Durham, North Carolina. Established in 1989, Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC) supports students through a statewide network of local affiliates and through direct school-based services.
Key facts about Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc
In short: Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc gave $647K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $38K), mostly in North Carolina. 12% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 56-1677831
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $646,646
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- Average grant
- $38,038
- Median grant
- $25,932
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (2 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Total assets
- $7,261,867
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$7.3M
+6.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$647K
-71.8% YoY
Grant Count
17
+30.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$38K
-78.5% YoY
Is Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 17 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $42K. How we count
Medians: $12K first-time, $29K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
CISNC’s mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Its website describes the CIS Model as building one-on-one relationships with students and connecting them and their families to community resources. Supports address attendance, behavior, coursework, college and career preparation, and parental engagement.
The organization also describes Jobs for North Carolina’s Graduates as a college and career readiness program, and Reentry to Resilience as a program supporting youth transitioning from Youth Development Centers back to their families, schools, and communities. These descriptions concern CISNC’s programs, not grants for outside applicants.
CISNC’s 2023 filing says it provides core program support to affiliated nonprofits, including training, data-management and research support, accreditation support, communications, and nonprofit-management technical assistance. It also states that monetary assistance to local affiliates supports the implementation and establishment of services.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, CISNC reported 17 grants totaling $646,646. Grant amounts ranged from $5,480 to $135,842, with a median of $25,932. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina.
The largest reported grants included $135,842 to CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Inc. for expansion and pandemic response; $89,103 to CIS of Cape Fear Inc. for expansion and pandemic response; $82,147 to CIS of Wake County for pandemic response; and $73,187 to CIS of Brunswick County Inc. for expansion and pandemic response. Other listed recipients included CIS of Chatham County Inc. ($46,651), CIS of Montgomery County Inc. ($29,558), CIS of Cleveland County Inc. ($29,037), CIS of Greater Greensboro Inc. ($28,760), Alliance for Children and Youth Inc. ($25,932), CIS of Randolph County ($20,008), CIS of Thomasville Inc. ($19,500), and CIS of Lincoln County Inc. ($17,690).
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CISNC is based in Durham, North Carolina. Its website describes work across North Carolina through local affiliates and direct services. All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to North Carolina recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $186K (2022) to $2.3M (2024). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $647K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Inc ($136K). Together the top 10 received $560K.
Grant Size Distribution
63 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 31 grants of 63 (49%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Inc Charlotte, NC | Expansion and Pandemic Response | $135,842 |
| CIS of Cape Fear Inc Wilmington, NC | Expansion and Pandemic Response | $89,103 |
| CIS of Wake County Raleigh, NC | Pandemic Response | $82,147 |
| CIS of Brunswick County Inc Southport, NC | Expansion and Pandemic Response | $73,187 |
| CIS of Chatham County Inc Siler City, NC | Pandemic Response | $46,651 |
| CIS of Montgomery County Inc Biscoe, NC | Expansion | $29,558 |
| CIS of Cleveland County Inc Shelby, NC | Pandemic Response | $29,037 |
| CIS of Greater Greensboro Inc Greensboro, NC | Pandemic Response | $28,760 |
| Alliance for Children and Youth Inc Gastonia, NC | Expansion | $25,932 |
| CIS of Randolph County Ashboro, NC | Pandemic Response | $20,008 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,261,867 | $6,543,461 | $5,369,100 | $646,646 (17 grants) |
| 2024 | $6,795,894 | $7,224,040 | $6,948,882 | $2,296,461 (13 grants) |
| 2023 | $7,123,800 | $5,858,590 | $6,833,691 | $2,088,494 (13 grants) |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $7,261,867 | $6,795,894 | $7,123,800 |
| Revenue | $6,543,461 | $7,224,040 | $5,858,590 |
| Expenses | $5,369,100 | $6,948,882 | $6,833,691 |
| Net Investment Income | $174,485 | $210,069 | $85,172 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS December 16, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 12, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kendrick Fentress as chair; Trinita Carlton as vice chair; Stephanie Driscoll as secretary/treasurer; and Bryan Bickley, Leon Chisholm, Melinda Dickinson, Robert Doreauk, Elenor Haith, Victoria Jacobs, and Raven Jefferson as directors.
Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc is led by Jill Cox, President & CEO since 2021 (on filings since 2020); 3 of 26 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jill Cox
President & CEO
COO → President & CEO, 2021
On filings since 2020
36 hrs/week
$107K (2020) → $163K (2025)
Kendrick Fentress
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ben Pysch
Director
Vice Chair → Chair, 2023
Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Blaine Morehead
Director
Chair → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bryan Bickley
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cynthia Marshall
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hope Williams
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Speed
Director
Secretary & Treasurer → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Justin Wood
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leon Chisholm
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Raven Jefferson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tina Wilson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William Billy Lassiter
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Doreauk
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elenor Haith
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eunika Smalls
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Reid III
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Justin Sosne
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maria Pitre-Martin
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melinda Dickinson
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Lair
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Victoria Jacobs
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Almeida
CFO
On filings since 2020
36 hrs/week
$100K (2020) → $148K (2025)
Collin McColskey-Leary
Vice President Program Impact & Innovation
New on the 2025 filing
36 hrs/week
$102K (2025)
Stephanie Driscoll
Secretary & Treasurer
Director → Secretary & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Trinita Carlton
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (11)
- Former: Stephanie Adams (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Melanie Geary (2024) — Director
- Former: Glenda Bowman (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Kimberly Reynolds (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Todd Tillotson (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Kurt Herkert (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Mark Johnson (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Peter Hans (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Pam Hartley (2020–2021) — Former President & CEO
- Former: Bob Doreauk (2020) — Director
- Former: Lisa Mabe Eads PhD (2020) — Director
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 $163K, to Jill Cox (President & CEO). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 222 N Person Street Suite 203, Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: (919) 832-2700
Website: https://cisnc.org
Frequently asked questions about Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc
How much does Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc give each year?
Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc gave $647K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $2.3M across 13 grants.
What is Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc's typical grant size?
Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc's median grant in 2025 was $25,932, and its average grant was $38,038, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc that year got $12K on average.
Where does Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc give grants?
Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc gives mostly in North Carolina: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there.
Does Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Pandemic Response" (8 grants), "Expansion" (5 grants) and "Expansion and Pandemic Response" (4 grants).
Who are Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc's largest grantees?
Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc's largest 2025 grantees include CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Inc ($135,842), CIS of Cape Fear Inc ($89,103) and CIS of Wake County ($82,147), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc?
Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc reported $7.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $6.5M.
What does Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc fund?
CISNC’s mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Its website describes the CIS Model as building one-on-one relationships with students and connecting them and their families to community resources. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc?
Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check cisnc.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc's EIN?
Communities in Schools of North Carolina Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-1677831. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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