How We Work

A Black woman medical professional measures a young white patient's blood pressure

We support thriving North Carolina communities by working for equitable health care, education, and economic opportunity.

We employ an outcomes-focused strategy and invest in promising programs, efforts that foster systems change, and innovative ideas to help residents and communities achieve long-term success.

We work locally and around the state.

We focus 75 percent of our assets statewide on health improvement and 25 percent locally on quality of life issues in Forsyth County.

We invest for impact.

At the Trust, we focus on outcomes, rather than issues, because we believe this is the most effective way to achieve sustainable change.

Our Vision

Thriving Communities

We work to support the success of rural and urban communities around the state and in Forsyth County.

Thriving Residents

We focus on improving lives for: babies and their mothers; young children, youth, and young adults; elderly adults; people of color; and people with low incomes.

Equitable Access to Health Care

We support equitable and affordable access to health insurance coverage; affordable primary care, mental health, substance use, and oral care; and affordable medication access locally and around the state.

Equitable Health Outcomes

To have the greatest impact, we focus on two areas—the performance of the health care system and the social determinants of health that impact well-being outside of the health care system.

INVESTING IN IMPACT

Our Approach to Grantmaking

At the Trust, we invest for impact. We focus on outcomes, rather than issues, because we believe this is the most effective way to achieve long-term, sustainable change.

Learn more about our approach

LEARNING AND IMPACT

Data Informs What We Support

Data informs our strategy and grantmaking decisions. Working alongside an impacted community to collect and evaluate data allows us to further understand an issue.

Learn how we use data

Activating Change With Our Values

We start by listening.

We know that community members are the experts on what they need to live happy, healthy lives.

We believe in communities.

We build the capacity of community members to identify challenges and opportunities and move them forward.

We engage unlikely partners.

Everyone should see themselves as part of the solution if we are going to truly improve health, education, and economic opportunities for all.

We employ a place-based approach.

We partner with residents, local organizations, and agencies to impact day-to-day lives and, ultimately, change systems.

We believe equity is essential to everything we do.

We work to foster equity in all of our efforts—and ensure organizations, programs, and systems are listening to and serving residents and communities that historically have been left behind.

We focus on outcomes.

We identify the outcomes we want to achieve to make change, set goals, determine actionable strategies to meet each goal, and open funding opportunities in support of these outcomes.

We support scale and sustainability.

We assess how many people can be served by a specific grantmaking approach, and support programs and initiatives to be sustainable well beyond the length of a grant.

Amplifying Our Impact

We advance our efforts through action in the communities we serve.

Grantmaking

We invest our grantmaking dollars to have a greater impact, to increase power and capacity in communities that have been marginalized, and to change systems that have denied people of color and with low incomes opportunities.

Convening and Facilitating

We bring together community groups, partners across the state, and other funders and collaborators to learn from each other and broaden our impact.

Capacity Building

We enhance community capacity through leadership development, network building, communications, and outreach, so local organizations can implement the changes they identify.

Communications

We employ strategic communications to amplify our work on the ground and reach the right audiences with the right messages to move communities to action.

Evaluation and Learning

We continuously measure our investments to identify successes and challenges, and then evolve them based on what we’re learning.