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North Carolina · Public charity

Imagine North Carolina First

Imagine North Carolina First initiates, cultivates, and funds strategic efforts to promote economic opportunity, quality of life, government accountability, and civic participation among under served communities in North Carolina. Its primary mission is to foster an economy and democracy that works for all North Carolina Citizens.

$17M
Granted FY2024(still arriving)
31
Grants FY2024
20
Organizations funded FY2023
40%
First-time grantees FY2023
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2024
$250,000
Largest grant, FY2024
$3,000,000
Organizations funded a year
15 to 25
FY2020 to FY2023
States reached, FY2024
6
Total assets, FY2024
$864k

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2023, 40% of the organizations Imagine North Carolina First funded were first-time grantees, receiving 23% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 77% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $610k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’21’22’23
EducationCivil RightsCommunity ImprovementHuman ServicesPublic BenefitOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2024still arriving30$17M30%
FY202320$2.7M40%
FY202225$7.1M40%
FY202115$2.9M47%
FY202019$5.2Mn/a
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Public Benefit$24MEducation$3.8MHuman Services$2.5MCommunity Improvement$1.9MCivil Rights$1.7MCrime & Legal$615kEnvironment$300kSocial Science$100kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

WA
MI
NY
MA
OH
AZ
NC
DC

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2020 to FY2024, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Justice for Nc$4,430,00041%
Progress North Carolina$4,413,650591%
N C a Philip Randolph Institute Inc$4,243,000438%
State Engagement Fund$3,000,000116%
Blueprint North Carolina$2,280,000412%
Lead Nc Institute$1,198,000585%
Division of Principalsadministrators of Ncae Inc$1,060,0002n/a
Think North Carolina First$1,005,000232%
Democracy North Carolina$970,000313%
North Carolina Black Alliance Inc$890,000314%
Show all 53 grantees
All grantees of Imagine North Carolina First by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Justice for Nc$4,430,00041%
Progress North Carolina$4,413,650591%
N C a Philip Randolph Institute Inc$4,243,000438%
State Engagement Fund$3,000,000116%
Blueprint North Carolina$2,280,000412%
Lead Nc Institute$1,198,000585%
Division of Principalsadministrators of Ncae Inc$1,060,0002n/a
Think North Carolina First$1,005,000232%
Democracy North Carolina$970,000313%
North Carolina Black Alliance Inc$890,000314%
Unifour One Inc$790,000230%
America Votes$750,00051%
North Carolina Asian Americans Together$630,00046%
Forward Justice$630,00035%
Rally NC$625,000110%
Michigan Civic Education Fund$600,00015%
Democracy Project II$600,000268%
Southern Coalition for Social Justice$525,00034%
Common Cause$420,00042%
El Pueblo Inc$400,000113%
Real Facts NC$380,000112%
Poder Nc Action$371,00049%
Fair Elections Center$340,00033%
Carolina Federation Fund$325,00028%
Goodpower Education Fund Inc$300,00012%
New North Carolina Project$300,000142%
Carolina Federation$284,500215%
Progress North Carolina Action$250,00012%
Down Home Nc$250,00015%
Hispanic Federation Inc$247,00020%
Somos Siembra$225,00027%
Planned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic$211,00018%
We Are Down Home$207,00036%
New Rural Project$173,000311%
Siembra Nc$163,00034%
El Pueblo$150,000132%
Action Nc$150,000172%
Southern Vision Alliance$150,00013%
Disability Rights North Carolina$125,00021%
Institute for Southern Studies Inc$100,00016%
North Carolina League of Conservation Voters$100,00015%
Duke University$90,00010%
Nc Child$75,00013%
Mi Familia Vota$70,00012%
State Leadership Project$50,00011%
North Carolina Public Interest Research Group Education Fund Inc$50,0001n/a
Alliance for a Just Society$45,00011%
Equis Research LLC$44,0001n/a
Red Wine & Blue Education Fund$43,00012%
Community News Center$38,00016%
Nc Counts Coalition$35,00020%
Hate Free Schools Coalition$30,0001n/a
One Wake$25,00015%

Where it is load-bearing

Imagine North Carolina First supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 9 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 49 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetJustice for Nc: $4,430,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetProgress North Carolina: $4,413,650 over 5y, 91% of budgetN C a Philip Randolph Institute Inc: $4,243,000 over 4y, 38% of budgetState Engagement Fund: $3,000,000 over 1y, 16% of budgetBlueprint North Carolina: $2,280,000 over 4y, 12% of budgetLead Nc Institute: $1,198,000 over 5y, 85% of budgetThink North Carolina First: $1,005,000 over 2y, 32% of budgetDemocracy North Carolina: $970,000 over 3y, 13% of budgetNorth Carolina Black Alliance Inc: $890,000 over 3y, 14% of budgetUnifour One Inc: $790,000 over 2y, 30% of budgetAmerica Votes: $750,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetNorth Carolina Asian Americans Together: $630,000 over 4y, 6.4% of budgetForward Justice: $630,000 over 3y, 5.0% of budgetRally NC: $625,000 over 1y, 10% of budgetMichigan Civic Education Fund: $600,000 over 1y, 4.6% of budgetDemocracy Project II: $600,000 over 2y, 68% of budgetSouthern Coalition for Social Justice: $525,000 over 3y, 3.7% of budgetCommon Cause: $420,000 over 4y, 2.4% of budgetEl Pueblo Inc: $400,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetReal Facts NC: $380,000 over 1y, 12% of budgetPoder Nc Action: $371,000 over 4y, 9.4% of budgetFair Elections Center: $340,000 over 3y, 2.9% of budgetCarolina Federation Fund: $325,000 over 2y, 7.7% of budgetGoodpower Education Fund Inc: $300,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetNew North Carolina Project: $300,000 over 1y, 42% of budgetCarolina Federation: $284,500 over 2y, 15% of budgetProgress North Carolina Action: $250,000 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetDown Home Nc: $250,000 over 1y, 4.6% of budgetHispanic Federation Inc: $247,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetSomos Siembra: $225,000 over 2y, 7.0% of budgetPlanned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic: $211,000 over 1y, 8.0% of budgetWe Are Down Home: $207,000 over 3y, 6.4% of budgetNew Rural Project: $173,000 over 3y, 11% of budgetSiembra Nc: $163,000 over 3y, 3.8% of budgetEl Pueblo: $150,000 over 1y, 32% of budgetAction Nc: $150,000 over 1y, 72% of budgetSouthern Vision Alliance: $150,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetDisability Rights North Carolina: $125,000 over 2y, 1.4% of budgetInstitute for Southern Studies Inc: $100,000 over 1y, 5.6% of budgetNorth Carolina League of Conservation Voters: $100,000 over 1y, 4.5% of budgetDuke University: $90,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNc Child: $75,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetMi Familia Vota: $70,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetState Leadership Project: $50,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetAlliance for a Just Society: $45,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetRed Wine & Blue Education Fund: $43,000 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetCommunity News Center: $38,000 over 1y, 6.1% of budgetNc Counts Coalition: $35,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 49.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Blueprint North CarolinaNC46.6× affinity20 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Blueprint North Carolina · Tides Foundation · Z Smith Reynolds Foundation Inc · Hopewell Fund · NEO Philanthropy Inc · Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Inc · New Venture Fund · Sixteen Thirty Fund · Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation Incorporated · Make North Carolina First · Way to Rise · NEO Philanthropy Action Fund Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Compare Imagine North Carolina First with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Imagine North Carolina First?

Find your warmest path to Imagine North Carolina First through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

About Imagine North Carolina First

How much does Imagine North Carolina First give?
Imagine North Carolina First reported 31 grants totaling $17,127,000 in its FY2024 IRS filing. It funded between 15 and 25 organizations a year over FY2020 to FY2023.
What does Imagine North Carolina First fund?
By grant dollars over FY2020 to FY2024, its largest causes are Public Benefit (69%), Education (11%), Human Services (7%).
Who are Imagine North Carolina First's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2020 to FY2024: Justice for Nc ($4.4M), Progress North Carolina ($4.4M), N C a Philip Randolph Institute Inc ($4.2M).
Does Imagine North Carolina First fund new organizations?
In FY2023, 40% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Which funders back the same organizations as Imagine North Carolina First?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Blueprint North Carolina, Tides Foundation, Z Smith Reynolds Foundation Inc.
Where is Imagine North Carolina First based?
Imagine North Carolina First is based in NC.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 54 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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