Rowan County United Way Inc
Rowan County United Way Inc is a public charity based in Salisbury, North Carolina. Formed in 1956, it funds health and human services programs and community development initiatives; its 2025 filing says its programs are confined to Rowan County and serve approximately 60,751 people.
Rowan County United Way Inc at a glance
In short: Rowan County United Way Inc gave $722K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $56K), mostly in North Carolina. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $721,742
- -10.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -7.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $55,519
- -3.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,018
- Total assets
- $2,025,598
- +19.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (1 of 13, 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 September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Rowan County United Way Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 131 W Innes St Suite 201, Salisbury, NC 28144
Phone: (704) 633-1802
Website: https://rowanunitedway.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Rowan County United Way Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Families First NC ($127K). Together the top 10 received $677K.
Grant Size Distribution
73 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 35 grants of 73 (48%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing states that the organization’s programs are confined to Rowan County. All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina; the listed recipients include organizations in Salisbury, Rockwell, and Albemarle.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Rowan County United Way Inc open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 13 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $59K. How we count
Medians: $14K first-time, $51K repeat.
- 92% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−18%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $722K (2025) to $1.4M (2021). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $722K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Families First NC Salisbury, NC | — | $126,660 |
| One Love Community Progam Salisbury, NC | — | $118,575 |
| Salvation Army Salisbury, NC | — | $89,100 |
| Rowan Helping Ministries Salisbury, NC | Capital | $83,332 |
| Family Crisis Council Salisbury, NC | — | $56,700 |
| Capstone Recovery Salisbury, NC | — | $51,557 |
| Rowan County Literacy Council Salisbury, NC | — | $50,018 |
| Nazareth Child & Family Rockwell, NC | — | $40,500 |
| Rowancabarrus YMCA Salisbury, NC | — | $36,450 |
| Rowansalisbury School Salisbury, NC | — | $24,300 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,025,598 | $1,682,602 | $1,398,869 | $721,742 | 13 | $13,903 |
| 2024 | $1,697,163 | $1,140,390 | $1,401,622 | $802,510 | 14 | $21,806 |
| 2023 | $1,948,756 | $1,174,215 | $1,659,683 | $1,075,771 | 14 | $29,852 |
| 2022 | $2,457,595 | $1,370,463 | $1,469,947 | $881,613 | 12 | $9,388 |
| 2021 | $2,550,580 | $1,387,214 | $1,548,404 | $1,435,852 | 20 | $4,184 |
| 2020 | $2,741,412 | $1,428,768 | $1,707,168 | $1,304,936 | 20 | $18,446 |
| 2019 | $2,967,841 | $1,469,033 | $1,434,357 | $961,313 | 16 | $30,331 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to lead the community by mobilizing resources to make a lasting impact for people in need and shape a better future. Its website lists Housing, Behavioral Health (Mental Health & Substance Use), and Healthy Lifestyles as funding priorities. Its community investment partners are also grouped under Substance Use, Mental Health, Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors, and Basic Needs.
The 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own missions describe services for people in need. Rowan Helping Ministries says it provides shelter, food, clothing, and other assistance; Rowan County Literacy Council says it improves the lives of adults, youth, and families by enhancing literacy and life skills.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Rowan County United Way reported 13 grants totaling $721,742. Grants ranged from $10,125 to $126,660, with a median of $50,018.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $126,660 to Families First NC, $118,575 to One Love Community Program, $89,100 to the Salvation Army, $83,332 to Rowan Helping Ministries, and $56,700 to Family Crisis Council. Other listed recipients included Capstone Recovery ($51,557), Rowan County Literacy Council ($50,018), Nazareth Child & Family ($40,500), and Rowan-Cabarrus YMCA ($36,450). The grant to Rowan Helping Ministries was identified as capital support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jennifer D. Lee as executive director and board member, Jim Behmer as president, Micah Ennis as vice president, and Kaisha Brown as vice president of public relations. It also lists Kendra Bowman, David Whisenant, Joseph Crapster, Andrew Smith, Jennifer Corriher, and Chanaka Yatawara as board members. The staff listing identifies Jenny Lee as executive director, Audrey Eudy as philanthropy director, Marc Keith as grants manager and executive assistant, and Ali Edwards as community outreach coordinator.
Rowan County United Way Inc is led by Jim Behmer, President since 2025 (on filings since 2021); none of the 27 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jim Behmer
President
Board Member → Vice President, 2024
Vice President → President, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer D. Lee
Executive Directorboard Member
Executive Di → Executive Directorboard Member, 2021
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$75K (2020) → $0 (2025)
Elaine Spalding
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eric Slipp
Board Member
Vice President → President, 2023
President → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Patterson
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Smith
Board Member
Vice President → President, 2022
President → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chanaka Yatawara
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Micah Ennis
Vice President
Board Member → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrea Baumer
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Nelson
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Desiree Dunston
Board Member
Vice President → President, 2024
President → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Graham Corriher
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Williams
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian Smith
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kelly Withers
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Auten
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Lewis
Secretarytreasurer
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melonie Thompson
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rod Crider
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob Honeycutt
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Crapster
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kaisha Brown
Vice President Public Relations
Board Member → Vice President Public Relations, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kendra Bowman
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alyssa Harris
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Whisenant
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gwin Barr
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Corriher
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (28)
- Former: Lori Yang (2019–2024) — Vice President of Public Relations
- Former: Alisha Byrd-Clark (2021–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Don Ruddy (2023–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Steve Fisher (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Lou Adkins (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: April Kuhn (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Eric Johnson (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Paul Bardinas (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: William R. Burgin (2019–2022) — Secretarytreasurer
- Former: Wendy Barnhardt (2020–2022) — Vice President Committee Impact
- Former: Steve Engstrom (2021–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Carmine Albano (2022) — Board Member
- Former: Greg Alcorn (2022) — Board Member
- Former: Barry Hill (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Greg Anderson (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Kirt Dixon (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Lane Bailey (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Marcus Koontz (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Rodney Crider (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Seth Waller (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Joseph Vaughn (2021) — Board Member
- Former: Aaron Church (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Bryan Mewhort (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: John Struzick (2019–2020) — Secretary
- Former: Penny Greer-Link (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Rashid Muhammad (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Major Shon Barnes (2020) — Vp-Comm Impa
- Former: Gary Blabon (2019) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2023 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2023 filing was $88K, to Jennifer D Lee (Executive Directorboard Memb).
Frequently asked questions about Rowan County United Way Inc
How much does Rowan County United Way Inc give each year?
Rowan County United Way Inc gave $722K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $803K across 14 grants.
What is Rowan County United Way Inc's typical grant size?
Rowan County United Way Inc's median grant in 2025 was $50,018, and its average grant was $55,519, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Rowan County United Way Inc that year got $14K on average.
Where does Rowan County United Way Inc give grants?
Rowan County United Way Inc 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 Salisbury, NC (10 grants).
Who are Rowan County United Way Inc's largest grantees?
Rowan County United Way Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Families First NC ($126,660), One Love Community Progam ($118,575) and Salvation Army ($89,100), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Rowan County United Way Inc?
Rowan County United Way Inc reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.7M.
What does Rowan County United Way Inc fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to lead the community by mobilizing resources to make a lasting impact for people in need and shape a better future. Its website lists Housing, Behavioral Health (Mental Health & Substance Use), and Healthy Lifestyles as funding priorities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Rowan County United Way Inc?
Rowan County United Way Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check rowanunitedway.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Rowan County United Way Inc's EIN?
Rowan County United Way Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-0642828. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 17, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 13, 2026)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS September 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 3, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 19, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 21, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Rowan County United Way Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/rowan-county-united-way-inc-morg_8e8580b0e01a4f5c94f6fb553d2c95c0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_560642828_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Rowan County United Way Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/rowan-county-united-way-inc-morg_8e8580b0e01a4f5c94f6fb553d2c95c0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-26. 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 Rowan County United Way Inc'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.
Rowan County United Way Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?