The New Hanover Community Endowment has granted $1.6 million to New Hanover County amid county budget talks centered around whether to increase taxes or not in the next fiscal year.

It's the same amount that could have been allocated to nonprofits through the county budget, coming from county coffers, in budget proposals this year. But members of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, who will consider the budget again during a workshop at 2 p.m. today, have asked for cuts in light of a recent tax revaluation. Those members have balked at any kind of potential tax increase that would be brought about by a tax rate that isn't revenue-neutral.

In May, the $488.5 million budget recommendation that New Hanover County's staff presented to commissioners included a proposed 10-cent property tax rate cut, from the current 45 cents to 35 cents. Because of the tax revaluation the county performed this year, the lower rate doesn’t equate to lower tax bills.

Commissioner Dane Scalise said in May that he doesn't think the county should be providing funding to non-county agencies, such as nonprofits, anymore because of the endowment, a more than $1 billion fund created from the county's sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health in 2021.

"We have established an endowment through the sale of our hospital that has a very large amount of money, and it's my estimation that the funding of programs, initiatives like this should be shifted entirely to the endowment," Scalise said May 19 during a board meeting that included a non-county agency funding discussion.

Thursday morning's announcement from the endowment stated that the county grant is one of $3.5 million in new grants.

"New Hanover County will receive a grant to support the nonprofit and community organizations, programs and services that the county determines are charitable and effective in service of county residents," the release stated.

The other grants are:

• Bread For Life Senior Pantry (BFL) – $100,000: To fund the purchase of a vehicle and increase access to food and essential non-food items for seniors in New Hanover County.
• Cape Fear Guardian Ad Litem – $44,000: To promote and support tutoring and extracurricular activities for youth in foster care and provide additional capacity building opportunities for Guardians.
• El Cuerpo – $440,000: To augment tutoring and enrichment services and provide academic support, mentorship, and social resources to students at Mary C. Williams and Myrtle Grove Middle School and their families.
• Good Shepherd Center – $800,000: To help fund development costs for one project comprising 30 units of permanent supportive housing and the expansion of homeless shelter and services at 812 Martin St.
• Soaring as Eagles Outreach Ministry Inc. – $125,000: To support Pre-K Jumpstart, Saturday Academy, Lunch and Learn Parent Empowerment and Inspired Minds STEM education programs for low-income families.
• Union Missionary Baptist Church – $400,000: To support the operation of the Union Missionary Baptist Church After School program.

“We believe that change happens when we invest in people and the organizations that support them,” said Dan Winslow, the endowment's president and CEO. “These grants reflect our commitment to basic needs and the well-being of New Hanover County and reflect our confidence in our local partners working every day to strengthen this community.”

Check back later for more on this developing story.