Our Story - Celebrating 30 Years of Giving

The Landfall Foundation was established to support non-profit organizations and schools in the greater Wilmington area by providing individuals and businesses a meaningful way to support those in need.  Our grants fund projects and programs in the areas of Health and Welfare, Education and the Arts. All grant dollars remain local, benefitting the residents of New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties.

Funds are raised through three signature events: the Spring Gala, Art Show and Holiday Marketplace and awarded annually following a comprehensive vetting process.  Our goal extends beyond financial assistance – we strive to partner with organizations to strengthen their capacity and enhance their community impact.    

On 18 August and 17 September 2026 the Landfall Foundation awarded $830,000 in grants to 68 local nonprofits and schools across New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties. Six organizations received Macro awards totaling $240,186 while 62 organizations received micro awards for a total of $589,814. Since our founding in 1995, the Foundation has distributed nearly $9.5 million to local causes.

This year’s Micro grants supported 30 Health & Welfare programs ($277,800), 19 Educational initiatives ($163,999) and 13 Arts organizations ($118,0150. In addition $30,000 were awarded as Capacity Building grants to two recipients). In addition to its regular grants, the Landfall Foundation partnered with Cape Fear Collective to develop the “State of Nonprofits” report. With generous support from donor George Keller, a $14,000 grant to Cape Fear Collective helped fund this effort and increased the Landfall Foundation’s total 2026 community investment to $844,000 A complete list of grantees can be found here on our 2026 Grants page

The Landfall Foundation is entirely volunteer run, keeping administrative costs below 3%, This ensures that more our donation dollars directly benefits our grantees! 

2026 Board Members

2026 Committees

STEWARDSHIP

Deloris Rhodes, Chair Gary Zullo, Assistant
Mary Brown* Sharon Chadwick* Brook Demby* Taylor Koch*
Phil Ley Frank Monaco* Carol Nash* Trent Richardson* Loretta Schmitzer*

INVESTMENTS

Karin Carson, Chair
Marilyn Gunther*
Mark Humphreville*

Board Development

Deloris Rhodes, Chair
Kelli Lazzaro
Sherri Mercer

GRANTS

Christina Whalen, Co-Chair
Tim Jones, Co-Chair. Stacy Huggins-Geist Co-Chair

Micro Grants Arts

Ally Thorton-Adams* Stephanie Holt*
Joel Sanders*
Greg Soltis*

Micro Grants Education

Elizabeth Borges*
Karen Dzenko* Dick Gongaware*
Mari McKenzie*

Micro Grants Health & Welfare

Bob Applegate* Hannah Holt*,
Rose Kane*
Cathy Marshall*

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Jane Carlson, Chair Kelli Lazzaro Assistant Lori Yonas Assistant

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Robin Chandler

PUBLICATIONS

Meredith Johnson*

VIDEO/PHOTO

Holly Woodward*

SOCIAL MEDIA

Lauren Walsh

TECHNOLOGY/WEBSITE

Lisa Theriault, Chair
Chris Brown Assistant

EVENTS

Mindy Agnoff Chair.

Art Show & Sale

Sherri Mercer, Co-Chair
Jane Pierson*, Co-Chair
Lynn Meeker*
Cynthia Brosnan*

Gala

Alison Bernhart, Chair
Mindy Agnoff Co-Chair. Cissie Bridger* Annette Fisher* Lynn Gallop* Nikki Johnston * Kelli Lazzaro
Audree Rosburg* Becky Spivey*

Holiday Marketplace

Terri Gardner* Co-Chair Cathy MarshallCo-Chair Beth Boguski*
Tracey Hodgson*
Kathy Peters*
Linda Peters*

* Volunteer