ZSR All for NC - History

our story

For 80 years, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has been a catalyst for positive change in North Carolina, with a long and rich history of bold, forward-thinking vision and action to improve the quality of life for all North Carolinians.

The Early Years

1936–1960s

From its earliest years, the Foundation always has strived to respond to the changing needs of the state.

ZSR made its first grant to the NC State Health Department in 1937 for $100,000 to eradicate venereal disease—a growing issue that remained largely in the shadows during that time. This 10-year grant was a collaboration between public and private health agencies, and with communities, which resulted in greater public awareness and more widespread control over venereal disease.

The Foundation also exhibited tremendous foresight when it helped move Wake Forest University to Winston-Salem in 1956. In the years since, the University has become a nationally-renowned institution and serves as an important economic driver for Winston-Salem and the Piedmont Triad.

In the early 1960’s, ZSR joined Governor Terry Sanford, along with the Ford Foundation and Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, to respond to another state need through its leadership role with the North Carolina Fund—an effort designed to decrease poverty in communities across the state. The Fund amplified the voices of low-income people in decision-making processes in their communities, helped the state coordinate resources to provide for more effective services and opportunities for low-income individuals, and increased the public’s understanding of poverty. The Fund invested in the State Board of Education to experiment with better ways of teaching. It also led to the establishment of several new institutions, some of which are still in existence today.

FOCUS FOR A GROWING STATE

1970s–present

As the nonprofit sector began growing by the mid-1970s, the Foundation explored how it could make the most impact with its limited resources. Trustees began to develop more strategic grantmaking efforts that would help build an even stronger, more cohesive state by investing in people, communities, and systemic change.

In the 1980s, to further target its investments, the Foundation developed five focus areas which, while they have evolved over time, are known today as Community Economic Development, Environment, Public Education, Social Justice and Equity, and Strengthening Democracy. These focus areas, alongside the Foundation’s mission and core values, have heavily shaped the Foundation’s work for approximately 30 years.

The Foundation also has a long tradition of playing a convening and connecting role—across issues, geographies, and identities. In addition, listening and learning from individuals, groups, and communities across the state has always been a crucial mechanism for informing the Foundation’s grantmaking and other work.

As of December 31, 2016, the Foundation has invested more than $553 million into the state of North Carolina. While the Foundation has adopted different approaches over the years to respond to the state’s changes, we have always focused on the work our founding Trustees set in motion 80 years ago—to move all of North Carolina forward.

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