Gateway Grants
Through intentional partnerships and collaborations, Gateway Wellness Foundation invests in programs, initiatives, and organizations that promise to improve the health and well-being of residents in Burke, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford Counties.

Our mission is to address the social determinants of health in western North Carolina. One way we do this is by providing funding to organizations whose work aligns with our mission.
Gateway’s 2023 grant cycle is now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied!
Award notifications will be made in November 2023.
More information is available below. You may direct your questions to Sarah Morse at [email protected].
What We Fund
We invest our grantmaking dollars in projects that work to support and uplift underserved and marginalized communities and people. Gateway is inviting proposals that focus on access to health care, childhood development, education, food insecurity, and housing. We have also included a “Special Projects” category. Please read below for more information on these focus areas and examples of the kinds of proposals we may fund.
Access to Health Care
- Increasing access to healthcare and behavioral health care.
- Reducing the existing disparities in access to healthcare.
Childhood Development
- Nurturing the emotional, social, and/or physical development of children, thereby directly impacting their overall development into happy, healthy, productive adults.
Education
- Increasing the number of children who are developmentally ready for school
- Increasing the number of high school graduates
- Mentoring and after school programs
- Programs that expand CTE (career and technical education) opportunities
- Other projects that enhance the success rate of students in learning environments
Housing
- Providing education around purchasing and maintaining a home, and removing barriers to home ownership
- Increasing provision of home repair or rehabilitation for people in need
- Increasing access to senior housing
- Increasing access to transitional housing, emergency housing or providing shelter
Food Insecurity
- Measurably decreasing food insecurity and increasing the availability of healthy food.
Special Projects
- Projects may address (but are not limited to) issues around job creation and job readiness, centralized coordination of case management, capacity building, substance use disorder, and hardships that communities are experiencing.
Application Process
Gateway Wellness Foundation is no longer accepting applications for our 2023 grant cycle. We appreciate the time and effort of all those who applied. We are reviewing those applications now.
Grant award notifications will be made in November 2023.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for funding, the organization:
- Must be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) or governmental entity, and
- Serve the residents of Burke, McDowell, Polk, and/or Rutherford Counties.
- Individuals
- Political purposes, including lobbying
- Out-of-area projects
- Grants prohibited by IRS regulations
Questions? Please contact Sarah Morse, Director of Programs & Grants: [email protected].