1889 Impact Grants application process open Sept. 1-30
By Bill Studenc
Western Carolina University’s Division of Advancement and the WCU Foundation are seeking applications from faculty and staff interested in obtaining funding for projects through the fourth annual 1889 Impact Grants Program.
The application process will open Sunday, Sept. 1, and close Monday, Sept. 30. A total of $40,000 is available for projects for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Launched in 2021, the program is designed to provide a consistent source of grant funding for colleges and other units at WCU in support of initiatives that enhance the engagement of alumni and community stakeholders to the philanthropic activities of the university.
Funding for the program comes from annual contributions to the Fund for WCU, including leadership gifts from members of the 1889 Club, which recognizes donors for gifts made on an annual basis to the Fund for WCU. The club, among four giving societies established by the Division of Advancement to celebrate the impact of philanthropy on the institution, is named in honor of the year of WCU’s founding.
All applications should be submitted using the online form. Grant requests should be vetted and approved by the appropriate dean or division head to make sure that it is aligned with priorities.
Members of the WCU Foundation Board of Directors comprise a committee that will review applications. Grant recipients will be notified by Friday, Nov. 15, and all awarded funds should be utilized by the end of the spring 2025 semester. Award recipients are expected to provide a report summarizing the impact of their projects in June 2025.
Over its first three years, the program funded projects including a service-learning initiative in which marching band students filled 4,000 bags with potatoes for food pantries, a Hunter Library initiative sharing historical photographs with communities across the region, trips to Argentina and Central Europe providing international learning experiences for students who completed the Academic Success Program, and the installation of wireless internet service in the Health and Human Sciences Building’s primary care clinic for migrant and seasonal farm workers.
In addition to the 1889 Impact Grants Program, the Fund for WCU provides first-year access scholarships to new incoming students and supports ongoing donor stewardship efforts.
