The Cemala Foundation Inc
Greensboro, NC · EIN 56-1528982. Reported 196 grants totalling $6,067,090 to 100 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. The Cemala Foundation Inc did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $15,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $10,000 and $25,000; the smallest was $2,000 and the largest $377,446. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ready for School Ready for Life | Greensboro, NC | $1,154,615 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Action Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $661,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Unc Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $393,420 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $300,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| United Way of Greater Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $250,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Action Greenbsoro | Greensboro, NC | $138,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Miriam P Brenner Children's Museum | Greensboro, NC | $135,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Artsgreensboro | Greensboro, NC | $120,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Greensboro Children's Museum | Greensboro, NC | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship | Greensboro, NC | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $97,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Guilford Education Alliance | Greensboro, NC | $95,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Uncg-Center for Youth Family and Community Partnership | Greensboro, NC | $90,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Greensboro Symphony Orchestra | Greensboro, NC | $87,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Salvation Army Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $85,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Greensboro Urban Ministry | Greensboro, NC | $80,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Nc Folk & Heritage Festival | Greensboro, NC | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Nc Inc | Winstonsalem, NC | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Unc Greensboro Excellence Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Backpack Beginnings | Greensboro, NC | $70,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Teach for America | Greensboro, NC | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Unc Greensboro College of Visual & Performing Arts | Greensboro, NC | $70,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Heart Association | Dallas, TX | $67,555 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Junior Achievement of the Triad | Greensboro, NC | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| YMCA Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Eastern Music Festival | Greensboro, NC | $50,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Forge Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Reading Connections | Greensboro, NC | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| YMCA Camp Weaver | Greensboro, NC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Stepup Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Uncg-Masters in Public Affairs Program | Greensboro, NC | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Community Theatre of Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art | Greensboro, NC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Arts Council of Greater Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters | Greensboro, NC | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Get in the Game | Winstonsalem, NC | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Women's Resource Center of Greensboro Inc | Greensboro, NC | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Downtown Greensboro Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Freedom House | Greensboro, NC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Greensboro Literary Organization | Greensboro, NC | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Greensboro Opera Company | Greensboro, NC | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Parents As Teachers Guilford County | Greensboro, NC | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Triangle Sports Commission | Morrisville, NC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Women Shoah-Jewish Placemaking | Greensboro, NC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Carolina Theatre of Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Community Foundation of Western North Carolina | Asheville, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Elsewhere | Greensboro, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Greensboro Cerebral Palsey Association | Greensboro, NC | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Greensboro Police Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Horsepower Inc | High Point, NC | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Invest Early Nc | Raleigh, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| North Carolina Community Foundation Inc | Raleigh, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| North Carolina for Community and Justice | Greensboro, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Reach Out and Read | Boston, MA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| She Built This City | Charlotte, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Voices Together | Chapel Hill, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| White Oak Legacy Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Beyond Sports Nc | Greensboro, NC | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Friends of John Coltrane | High Point, NC | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Greensboro Downtown Parks Inc | Greensboro, NC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Nc Folk & Heritage Festivals | Greensboro, NC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Nc Partnership for Children | Raleigh, NC | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Prevent Blindness North Carolina | Raleigh, NC | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Salvation Army | Greensboro, NC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Step Up Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Crossroads Pathway to Success Inc | Greensboro, NC | $17,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Black Child Development Insitute of Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Compass Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Junior League of Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Nc Early Childhood Foundation | Raleigh, NC | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Nc Institute of Political Leadership | Raleigh, NC | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Unc Greensboro Master of Public Affairs | Greensboro, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Youth Villages North Carolina | Greensboro, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| East Market Street Development | Greensboro, NC | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Eastern Musical Festival | Greensboro, NC | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Greensboro Symphony | Greensboro, NC | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Music for a Great Space | Greensboro, NC | $11,800 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Appleseed Early Childhood Education Inc | Salisbury, NC | $10,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Family Services of the Piedmont Inc | Jamestown, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Magnolia House Foundation Inc | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nc A&t State University Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| One Step Further | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Parents As Teachers | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Positive Direction for Youth and Families | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Sparrow's Nest | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Triad Stage | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Unc Greensboro Equipdhdfs | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Well-Spring Retirement Community | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Women's Resources Center of Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Oak Ridge Military Academy | Oak Ridge, NC | $9,200 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Dance Project Inc | Greensboro, NC | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Make-a-Wish Central and Western North Caroina | Charlotte, NC | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Noble Academy | Greensboro, NC | $7,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| 18 Reasons | San Francisco, CA | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Crossroads Pathways to Success | Greensboro, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mental Health Association in Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Strange Fruit Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Greensboro Jewish Federation | Greensboro, NC | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Nc Center for Nonprofits | Raleigh, NC | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Juma Ventures Inc | San Francisco, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
50 of 100 (50%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 56%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 122 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52 | $1,927,921 | $13,750 |
| 2022 | 39 | $1,283,125 | $15,000 |
| 2023 | 50 | $1,256,450 | $11,250 |
| 2024 | 55 | $1,599,594 | $15,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. The Cemala Foundation Inc has 134 of them, worth $7,743,474. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Ready for School Ready for Life | Greensboro, NC | $698,668 |
| Ready for School Ready for Life | Greensboro, NC | $503,294 |
| Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $500,000 |
| Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $425,000 |
| Ready for School Ready for Life | Greensboro, NC | $397,794 |
| Ready for School Ready for Life | Greensboro, NC | $312,500 |
| Action Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $300,000 |
| Greensboro Chamber Foundation | Greensboro, NC | $300,000 |
| Action Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $288,500 |
| Action Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $288,500 |
| Unc Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $250,000 |
| Action Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $238,500 |
| Unc Greensboro College of Visual & Performing Arts | Greensboro, NC | $210,000 |
| YMCA Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $200,000 |
| YMCA of Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | $160,000 |
Where its money goes
98% of its giving went to organizations in North Carolina. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $15,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in North Carolina.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Cemala Foundation Inc's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 1175 Revolution Mill Dr Ste 14, Greensboro, NC, 27405. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 56-1528982 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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