Community Foundation of Henderson County

What Community Foundation of Henderson County does

Community Foundation of Henderson County, Inc. (CFHC) is a 501(c)(3) public charity chartered in 1982 and headquartered at 301 South Main St., Suite 200, Hendersonville, NC. It is the third community foundation established in Western North Carolina and operates as a community-led philanthropic platform serving individuals, families, businesses, professional advisors, scholarship seekers, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations across Henderson County. As of June 30, 2025, CFHC stewards $168.2 million in charitable assets across more than 700 funds (94% endowed in perpetuity) and is recognized under the National Standards for Community Foundations accreditation seal. In FY ending June 2025, the foundation distributed $9.5 million in charitable grants and annuities and reported a 14.7% investment return on endowment assets under the oversight of investment advisor Fund Evaluation Group.

CFHC's core products and underlying technology revolve around an Akoya-powered technology stack: a public grants portal (goapply2.akoyago.com) that runs quarterly community grant cycles, a fundholder portal (gofund.akoyago.com) for donor-managed fund administration, and a donation platform (godonate.akoyago.com). The foundation administers a Scholarship Program that has awarded more than $7 million to nearly 2,000 students since 1984 (264 scholarships totaling $577,900 in 2022-23 alone), a quarterly Community Grants Program, the Work with Heart pooled corporate donor advised fund (six local businesses, $350,000+ awarded since 2015), a Hurricane Helene Relief & Recovery program launched after the September 2024 storm, and an educational Community Foundation Boot Camp event delivered in partnership with the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance (next session October 14-15, 2026 in Hendersonville, NC).

CFHC's business model rests on a perpetual endowment architecture: donors establish endowed, donor advised, scholarship, or field-of-interest funds, contributing capital that is professionally invested; annual distributions are governed by the foundation's spending policy (FY25: $9.5M). The foundation monetizes its knowledge base through ticketed Boot Camp registrations ($825 commuter / $1,350 full-stay in 2026) and convenes donors, professional advisors, and nonprofits through donor stewardship, annual luncheons, and the Sauer and Marlow award programs. Revenue inflows are dominated by donations (recurring/gift model) and investment returns; grants and scholarships distributed remain the primary measure of programmatic output rather than top-line revenue. The foundation is led by a lean ~6-person professional team under President/CEO McCray V. Benson (joined 2005), overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors, and governed independently with no parent company.

Name

Community Foundation of Henderson County

Legal name

Community Foundation of Henderson County, Inc.

Website

https://cfhcforever.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Foundation of Henderson County is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1982 that manages $168.2 million across 700+ charitable funds, serving donors, professional advisors, local nonprofits, and scholarship seekers in Henderson County, North Carolina.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic and Charitable Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Community philanthropy services
• Charitable fund management
• Grant administration
• Scholarship administration
• Donor advised funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Hendersonville, NC

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Gifts: Community Foundation accepts gifts from individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create a permanent pool of charitable capital. Donors establish various types of funds including donor advised funds, scholarship funds, and endowed funds.
2. Investment Returns: Foundation manages charitable assets with investment returns used to fund grants and scholarships. 14.7% FY ending June 2025 investment performance for endowments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of Henderson County is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity that accepts gifts from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to build a permanent pool of charitable capital. It manages more than 700 funds totaling over $168.2 million in assets, administers a quarterly Community Grants program for local nonprofits, runs a Scholarship Program awarding $500–$8,000 to local students, and provides online fundholder and donor portals for charitable giving administration.

Product overview

Community Foundation of Henderson County operates as a philanthropic organization offering a unified suite of charitable services centered around fund management, grantmaking, and scholarship programs. The organization manages over 700 charitable funds totaling more than $168 million in assets. Core offerings include the Community Grants Program (quarterly competitive grants to nonprofits), a Scholarship Program (providing $500-$8,000 awards to local students), and the Fundholder Portal (online fund management platform). Additional programs include educational initiatives such as the Community Foundation Boot Camp.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Grants Program Quarterly competitive grant program that distributes unrestricted and broadly defined interest-area gifts to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Henderson County responding to community needs and opportunities. Applications are accepted March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1 through an online grants portal.
• Scholarship Program Academic scholarship program offering individual awards ranging from $500 to $8,000 to local students pursuing higher education at community colleges, technical schools, or universities. Includes scholarships for graduating high school seniors, current college students, and returning adult/non-traditional students.
• Fundholder Portal Online portal that allows donors and fundholders to manage their charitable funds, review account information, recommend grants, and administer distributions.
• Community Foundation Boot Camp Two-day training program for staff and board members of community foundations covering eight modules: Community Foundation Overview, Fund Management, Governance, Asset Development, Finance & Investments, Grantmaking, Community Leadership, and Operational Sustainability. Offered as commuter ($825) or full registration ($1,350) options.
• Charitable Fund Establishment (Donor Advised, Scholarship, and Endowed Funds) Service enabling individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to establish various types of charitable funds — donor advised funds, scholarship funds, endowed funds, and other planned giving vehicles — to support causes of their choosing in perpetuity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of 700+ funds are endowed for perpetual support
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Indiana Philanthropy AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2026Expert faculty from Indiana Philanthropy Alliance (IPA) lead Community Foundation Boot Camp modules including Community Foundation Overview, Fund Management, Governance, Asset Development, Finance & Investments, Grantmaking, Community Leadership, and Operational Sustainability.
• United Way of Henderson CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2020Partnership for Henderson County COVID-19 Response Fund - rapidly deploying resources to community-based organizations at frontlines of coronavirus. Advisory committee of local government and community institutions identifies emerging needs and grant recipients.
• Henderson County Partnership for Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Supported Made in Henderson County Program with $35,000 in grants to increase visibility of local manufacturing careers among Henderson County high school students. Since 2012, over 7,000 students have participated.
• Kanuga Inn & Suites at Kanuga ConferencesminorOthersVenue for Community Foundation Boot Camp with lodging, meals, and conference facilities
• Fund Evaluation GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationInvestment advisory firm working with Investment Committee and Board of Directors to maximize returns and minimize volatility for endowment funds
• Work with Heart Community Fund PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSix local businesses (Horizon Heat & Air, Hannah Flanagan's, Southern Alarm & Security, Boyd Automotive, Edward Jones - Ken Adams, Triangle Stop) pool charitable dollars through donor advised fund at CFHC to support local nonprofits. Over $350,000 awarded since 2015.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Winston-Salem Foundation: Long-established North Carolina community foundation (founded 1919) operating donor advised funds, competitive grants, and scholarships in a mid-sized city. Highly comparable in operating model, asset class, and governance structure.
• Community Foundation of Western North Carolina: Direct peer — a community foundation serving the broader Western NC region (Asheville) with a comparable grantmaking, scholarship, and donor advised fund model. Highly comparable in mission, geography, and asset base class.
• Rochester Area Community Foundation: Accredited community foundation serving a defined regional geography with a similar mix of donor advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grants. Comparable in asset class, governance, and operating model.
• The Dayton Foundation: Mid-sized community foundation in Ohio with comparable asset base, fund count, and operating model (donor advised funds, competitive community grants, scholarship administration). Useful peer for benchmarking asset growth and payout strategies.
• Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro: Another NC-based community foundation with comparable asset size, scholarship programs, and quarterly community grant cycles. Operates a similar tech stack (online grants portal, fundholder portal) and serves a similarly defined geographic region.

Broad incumbents

• Foundation for the Carolinas: Broader regional community foundation headquartered in Charlotte, NC. Operates the same model (donor advised funds, endowments, scholarships, competitive grants) but at significantly larger scale and across the Carolinas, making it the most relevant incumbent competitor.
• Triangle Community Foundation: Established community foundation serving the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. Directly comparable operating model (funds, grants, scholarships, donor services) and a North Carolina peer, though larger and serving a different metro geography.

Others

• Indiana Philanthropy Alliance: Philanthropy-serving organization that provides expert faculty for CFHC's Boot Camp and represents the broader community foundation support ecosystem. Indirect peer given its role in enabling CFHC's educational programming and professional development offerings.
• Blackbaud: Not a peer in mission, but the technology vendor whose platform underpins CFHC's grants and fundholder operations. Relevant ecosystem participant because it shapes the foundation's ability to scale digital donor services.

Regional players

• Dogwood Health Trust: Regional foundation formed from the sale of Mission Health, focused on improving health and wellbeing across Western NC. Operates with overlapping geographic footprint and grantmaking model, though oriented specifically toward health-related outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Community-Foundation-of-Henderson-County/228920600597
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cfhcforever
• Instagraminstagram.com/cfhcforever/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of Henderson County