Applications begin July 1 for Mrs. B’s grants
Louise Oriole Burevitch died a wealthy woman, surprising many who knew her, and but the Wilmington woman’s legacy has become well-known in the years since her death.
“Mrs. B,” as Burevitch was known to her friends, was a Wilmington native whose generosity was well-known in southeastern North Carolina and beyond. Burevitch passed away in September 2014, leaving behind a fortune that few knew she possessed. The bulk of her estate was earmarked for charitable purposes, including $20 million for an endowment to be administered by the N.C. Community Foundation.
Her charitable giving was motivated by her generous nature and concern for the welfare of people and animals.
Her love of animals, and especially dogs, made it easy to pinpoint one major category of her charitable giving, according to the NCCF. Having no children or close relatives, Mrs. B’s pets were like family, some even named in her obituary. To honor their relationship and her last dog, Jake, Mrs. B endowed a professorship at Auburn University’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
Animals are not the only beneficiaries of “Mrs. B’s” generosity. The Louise Oriole Burevitch Endowment provides grants from $25,000 to $50,000 to worthy non-profits in 41 counties. This is the fifth cycle for the grant program, which serves Pender, Brunswick, Bladen, New Hanover, Columbus, and other counties. The start of this year’s competitive grants program is July 1.
The endowment was established at the N.C. Community Foundation (NCCF) in 2015. Grants have been made to Burevitch’s named nonprofits since then. The competitive grants program began in 2018, and has awarded a total of $2 million to improve communities across the east. In each cycle, $500,000 is up for award to non-profits.
Nonprofits interested in applying for a grant should review the full request for proposals on the NCCF website. The page includes guidelines, fund preferences and information on how to apply. Grant proposals must focus on education, health, and human services, and there will be some preference given to grant proposals that benefit women, the elderly, children and youth in the region or southeastern North Carolina. Applications will be accepted beginning July 1 with a deadline of noon on July 29.
The NCCF is the single statewide community foundation serving North Carolina and has administered more than $217 million in grants since its inception in 1988. With more than $400 million in assets, NCCF sustains more than 1,200 endowments established to provide long-term support of a broad range of community needs, nonprofit organizations, institutions, and scholarships.
NCCF partners with a network of affiliate foundations to provide local resource allocation and community assistance across the state. A key component of NCCF’s mission is to ensure that rural philanthropy has a voice at the local, regional and national levels. For more information, visit nccommunityfoundation.org.
