dogwood health trust 2022 annual report

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go

beyond

2022 annual report

message

from dogwood’s
leadership

dear partners
and friends,

In just four short years of operation, Dogwood’s partnerships and connections have taken us far beyond what some outside our region might have thought possible. It’s not surprising to all of us in Western North Carolina though! Our region has always had what it takes to defy expectations, using our ingenuity, compassion and sense of community to improve our circumstances. For Dogwood, dramatically improving the health and wellbeing of all people and communities in WNC means working together to go beyond the status quo.

Throughout the past year, we were humbled to work alongside so many of you toward shared goals throughout our region. Your drive and passion demonstrate what it means to go farther and do more for your neighbors and communities. Dogwood was honored to invest in your work in 2022, providing just over $73 million in grants, nearly $800,000 in grant writing and capacity building support, and $5.4 million in impact investments.

You also inspired us to look inward. In 2022, our board and staff set aside time for thoughtful discussions to determine how we can most effectively engage

with our communities. This reflection led to the creation of our Community Investment Philosophy, which places community and equity at the heart of everything we do. These two anchoring principles drive How We Work and form the cornerstone of our new brand, which launched January 2023.

Going beyond requires a deep understanding of our history, an intentional focus on what is possible in this moment, and shared aspirations for the future. Throughout 2022, our team spent hours meeting with, listening to and learning from you, so that our community investments in 2023 align with your needs, ideas, dreams and possibilities. We sharpened the focus of our strategic priorities and redesigned our grantmaking processes to become a more transparent and authentic partner.

In this annual report, you will read how we go beyond transactional grantmaking to help partners reach higher and build stronger collaborations to address the issues and fulfill the hopes of our region. Throughout the coming year, we will continue to go beyond as we seek to do good, engaging at all levels of our communities to advance our shared commitment toward creating a Western North Carolina where every generation can live, learn, earn and thrive – no exceptions.

Janice Brumit

Board Chair

SusanMims_600x650

Susan Mims, MD, MPH

Chief Executive Officer

a note of
 thanks

The work of Dogwood Health Trust is guided by a volunteer Board of Directors who selflessly dedicate hours of time to governing the foundation and who merit our enduring gratitude. Among the Board, no Director has dedicated more time or attention than Janice Brumit, who retired as Chair at the end of 2022. A native daughter of Western North Carolina, Janice was one of the first to recognize the potential of Dogwood to do good in bold and innovative ways and continues to inspire others to do the same. Through Dogwood’s formative years, she kept the entire team focused on what matters most: dramatically improving health and wellbeing for all people and communities. In December 2022, the Board elected Jack Cecil to serve as Chair, building on Janice’s legacy of leadership. The entire board and staff thank you, Janice, for your tireless service.

how we

work

Dogwood Health Trust exists to dramatically improve the health and wellbeing of all people and communities in the 18 counties and Qualla Boundary of Western North Carolina.

Working with our community, grantees, partners, researchers and scholars, we collaborate to create a Western North Carolina where every generation can live, learn, earn and thrive, with dignity and opportunity for all – no exceptions.

Dogwood is a reflection of our region – the grit, the resilience and the innovation of our collective history, upon which we build our hopes for the future. In our relationships and our work, we seek first to listen and to understand. We strive to operate with trust and openness, demonstrating transparency and candor throughout our processes and interactions.

We strive to embed equity in the way that we work and hold equity as the standard by which we measure our impact. And for us, equity exists when all people have unconstrained opportunities to live lives of dignity and achieve wellbeing, regardless of place, race, faith, health, wealth, age, ability or identity.

We go beyond grantmaking. Dogwood leverages knowledge and expertise that can inform and strengthen our partners’ work in our strategic priorities. We learn from individuals with lived experience in order to identify and address the root causes of longstanding challenges – barriers that have held communities back or thwarted desired outcomes.

Dogwood is both responsive and catalytic. We invest in our partners and their ideas and originate work where solutions do not yet exist.

Our purpose and our responsibility dictate that we reach higher and strive for greater. We recognize this requires the courage to take smart risks, investing for profound positive change that improves lives for generations.

In addition to financial resources, we leverage community influence and voices to name what must be changed and illuminate where our region can fulfill its potential.

We aspire to do good with the resources entrusted to us. While there is much work to do, we are inspired and hopeful through our connection with our partners and communities as we advance our shared commitment toward a better region for all –
no exceptions.

We are inspired and hopeful through our connection with our partners and communities as we advance our shared commitment toward a better region for all – no exceptions.

how we

invest

in our region

Helping Partners
Reach Higher

2022 Community Investments

In 2022, Dogwood distributed more than $81 million in combined grants, impact investments, and other forms of support. While some grants fell specifically into one of our four strategic priority areas, a growing number of our investments weave through multiple focus areas. In 2023, based on feedback from our grantee partners, we adopted a new grantmaking approach that consists of two grant cycles for strategic priority areas, and rolling applications for other opportunities. The new process helps clarify our timelines so partners can better plan for and prepare applications.

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Our purpose and our responsibility dictate that we reach higher and strive for greater.

Going Beyond Grantmaking

how we

engage

with our
communities

While financial investments are definitely important to our partners, Dogwood also strives to bring other assets to the region. The most important of these is the relationships we form with our partners and communities. Constant connection and learning are essential to achieving our purpose, so our team is always out and about – seeking first to listen to our partners and those with lived experiences, so that we may better understand how to engage in creating new opportunities.

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stay informed

Dogwood works to go beyond “what is” and embrace what’s possible. That means new developments and opportunities arise frequently. To stay up to date with Dogwood, we encourage you to sign up for our mailing list to receive our monthly newsletters and special announcements.

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board

of directors 2023

John “Jack” Cecil, Board Chair, Governance and Compensation Committee Chair (Buncombe County)

Jaqueline Godlock, Vice Chair, Impact Investing Chair, (Rutherford County)

Vivian Bolaños, Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair (Henderson County)

Casey Cooper, MBA, Secretary, Programs & Grants Committee Chair (Qualla Boundary)

Janice Brumit, Nominating Committee Chair (Buncombe County)

Carol Burton, EdD (Jackson County)

Dawna Goode-Ledbetter (McDowell County)

Rear Admiral Richard Houck, USCG, Ret. (Transylvania County)

Fred Jones, JD (Macon County)

Samuel Lupas, Audit Committee Chair (Jackson County)

Rt. Rev. José McLoughlin (Henderson County)

Jamie McMahan (Madison County)

George Renfro, CPA, Investment Committee Chair (Buncombe County)

Jacquelyn Simms (Buncombe County)

Donna Tipton-Rogers, EdD, (Clay County)

Martha Tyner, Covenant Compliance Committee Chair (Yancey County)

non-board

committee

service 2023

In addition to our board of directors, we are grateful to the following members of the WNC community who voluntarily lend their expertise, time and attention to inform our work.

programs and grants

Suzanne Landis, MD, MPH, Buncombe County
Dwight Mullen, PhD, Buncombe County

nominating

Rev. David Joyce, EdD, Transylvania County
Harris Prevost, Avery County

covenant compliance

John Ball, JD, MD, Buncombe County
Annette Staley, Polk County

investment committee

(Buncome County)
Robert Chandler, CPA
W. Scott Hickman
Lyle Johnson
Thomas Maher
James Mathews
Nathan Renfro
Henry Wilkinson

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grantees

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statement

financial position

assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Sales tax receivables

Investments, at fair value (Note N)

Program-related investments, net

Fixed assets, net

Other assets

Total Assets:

2021

$14,098,226

435,639

2,063,280,487

4,400,000

13,449,678

786,980

$2,096,451,010

2020

$34,852,791

266,802

1,652,927,563

1,400,000

8,760,102

1,852,130

$1,700,059,388

liabilities & net assets:

Liabilities

Grants payable

Accounts payable

Notes payable

Total Liabilties:

Net Assets with donor restrictions:

Net Assets without donor restrictions:

Total Liabilities & Net Assets:

2021

 

26,158,554

873,344

17,090,441

$44,122,339

$6,475,955

$2,045,852,716

$2,096,451,010

2020

 

—

1,030,855

14,750,539

$15,781,394

--

$1,684,277,994

$1,700,059,388

statement of

activities

revenues:

Contributions received

Investment returns, net.

Total Revenues:

2021

$177,004,804

300,407,788

$477,412,592

2020

$379,827,326

247,837,655

$627,664,981

expenses:

Compensation and benefits

Professional fees

Other expenses

Total Expenses:

2021

7,395,106

3,176,653

2,701,344

$13,273,103

2020

5,821,466

3,124,125

3,049,181

$11,994,772

grants approved:

Grants approved

Total Grants Approved:

Change in Net Assets:

Net Assets at Beginning of Year:

Total Liabilities & Net Assets:

2021

96,088,812

$96,088,812

$368,050,677

$1,684,277,994

$2,052,328,671

2020

29,610,391

$29,610,391

$586,059,818

$1,098,218,176

$1,684,277,994

dogwood health trust 2022 annual report

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