A Statewide Mission, A Forty-Year Milestone: NC Community Colleges Foundation Commemorates 40th Anniversary

Supporting NC Community Colleges Since 1986

September 11, 2026 | Raleigh, NC: Today marks the fortieth anniversary of the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation (Foundation). Founded in 1986, the Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the mission of the North Carolina Community College System. In 1987, the Foundation was recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) public charity.

For four decades, the Foundation has supported the NC Community College System in its mission to provide high-quality, accessible educational opportunities that minimize barriers to post-secondary education, maximize student success, and improve the lives and well-being of individuals.

A NEW CHAPTER

In 2021-2023, the Foundation Board of Directors began a deliberate process to reimagine the Foundation and position the organization for more powerful impact. The Foundation Board engaged in a strategic visioning process to help chart the Foundation’s path forward and hired moss + ross to conduct a readiness assessment and the national search for the Foundation’s inaugural executive director. 

That work led to a pivotal milestone in June 2023, when Katie Loovis officially started as the Foundation’s first full-time executive director. Together, Loovis and the Board developed the Foundation’s three-year strategic plan, built the Foundation’s organizational capacity, and partnered with the State Board and System Office to execute a reinvigorated and premiere NC Community Colleges Awards Dinner and Celebration. 

The next major milestone came in 2024, when the State Board, System Office, and Foundation launched Soar: The Campaign for North Carolina Community Colleges. This bold, multi-year national campaign advances statewide priorities with national funders, and the Foundation serves as managing director. As of today, the national campaign has secured nearly $63 million in private support, which is nearly 85% of the goal, and the momentum continues! 

The improvements that the Foundation Board and Loovis have made are working. Last year (fiscal year 2026) was the best year in the history of the Foundation. The Foundation raised more than $18 million in revenue and distributed nearly $10 million directly to all 58 community colleges. This distribution is double what the Foundation was able to do for our colleges the year before and represents a ten-fold increase over three years! 

The Foundation’s impact is about more than dollars. It is about the students that our investments support. 

“The Foundation’s support for the NC Community College System has increased ten-fold over the last three years. This impact is about more than money – it’s about lives changed. More students are now able to enroll in educational programs, earn a valuable credential, and secure a great job that changes the trajectory of their life and their children’ s lives,” said Foundation Board Randall Johnson. 

AMPLIFYING IMPACT THROUGH STRATEGIC GRANTMAKING

In the last two fiscal years alone, the Foundation has announced several multi-million-dollar grant projects aimed at advancing innovative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing community colleges and their students today. These projects include the Arnold Ventures Boost program, the AmeriHealth Caritas NC Bridge Pilot, Kenan Charitable Trust’s Boost Healthcare Expansion, and the Siemens Foundation Careers Electric.

 

One example of this impact is the rollout of the new PropelNC scholarship model, which provides last-dollar support to students pursuing credentials in high-wage, high-demand PropelNC industries. UnitedHealthcare North Carolina was the first funder to support this model in partnership with the Foundation and System Office, launching the UnitedHealthcare PropelNC Healthcare Scholarship in March 2026.

The scholarship provides funding to 35 North Carolina community colleges to directly support students pursuing CNA I & II and LPN & ADN credentials in rural North Carolina. One student recipient shared: “Receiving this scholarship made it possible for me to attend summer classes without the financial burden and extra stress of having to work while taking classes. Instead of dividing my time and energy between a job and my coursework, I was able to fully dedicate myself to learning and making the most of the opportunity. Being able to devote my full attention to my studies helped me perform at my best and deepened my commitment to serving others in various areas of healthcare. I am grateful for the opportunities this scholarship has been able to provide and the hours it was able to give back to me and my education.”

LOOKING AHEAD

The Foundation Board wants the 40th anniversary to be not just a celebration of where we have been, but a powerful driver of support for our System going forward. 

As North Carolina’s needs evolve, our community colleges are essential for expanding student access, preparing a skilled workforce, strengthening communities, and creating pathways to economic mobility. The Foundation is proud to be a partner in this work.

We are deeply grateful to the private funders, System partners, and many advocates who have helped shape our collective story over the past 40 years.

For 40 years, we have invested in the promise of North Carolina’s community colleges. We look forward to what we can accomplish together over the next 40.

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About the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation

The North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation (Foundation) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1986 to support the NC Community College System. The Foundation is governed by a diverse board of directors who, together with staff members, raise awareness and funds to advance the System’s mission, manage several scholarship and award programs that honor excellence, and support public-private partnership programs that foster innovation. For more information, visit https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/about-us/foundation/    

About the North Carolina Community College System

The North Carolina Community College System (NC Community Colleges or System) is the engine for workforce development in North Carolina and the only public entity dedicated to providing affordable college access to anyone in the state. The System is governed by the NC State Board of Community Colleges with administration from the NC Community College System Office, and support from the NC Community Colleges Foundation, and is powered by the 58 community colleges and their respective foundations. Together, the System serves 600,000 students and awards more than 60,000 degrees, diplomas, and certificates annually. For more information, visit https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/