Winston-Salem Foundation: Impact Investing Grant

The Winston-Salem Foundation's Impact Investing program strategically allocates funds to businesses and organizations that foster social change in Forsyth County. By focusing on both social and financial returns, the foundation aims to empower communities of color and address historical inequities. This initiative prioritizes local projects that enhance economic mobility while promoting ownership and governance by those affected, ultimately striving for a more inclusive economy and systemic change.

Impact investing allocates a portion of the Foundation's endowments to make strategic financial investments in businesses and organizations working for social change in Forsyth County.
Unlike traditional grantmaking, these local impact investments generate not only a social return, but also a financial return that can be reinvested in the community. This program complements and augments the Foundation’s work to build an inclusive economy.
Our Investing Approach
Our impact investing approach integrates both a place-based lens and a racial equity lens. As an organization deeply rooted in Winston-Salem, we have extensive knowledge of community issues. This enables us to actively support initiatives that will lead to greater economic mobility for local residents.
For decades, public and private institutions have perpetuated discriminatory policies and disinvested in Black and Brown neighborhoods.
Through this work, we’re serving as a catalyst for change by investing in projects that will primarily benefit communities of color, while mobilizing additional capital and taking meaningful steps to reverse racial inequities.
Guiding Principles
The Foundation seeks and makes investments in enterprises and economic opportunities that:

• build the civic, social, and financial capital of communities of color
• support ownership and governance by communities of color
• are focused in Forsyth County and/or significantly benefit the population in Forsyth County
• provide investment growth that can be used to support the Foundation’s grantmaking

Eligibility

We invest in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations that operate in line with the above principles.If your business or organization is based outside of Forsyth County but serves a wide geographic area that includes Forsyth County, the Foundation will consider an investment for the portion of the project that impacts Forsyth County.

Ineligibility

If you are based outside of Forsyth County and you also don't serve Forsyth County, you are not eligible to apply for an impact investment.