how we work

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.

Dogwood Health Trust exists to dramatically improve the health and well-being 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, identity or ability.

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.

how we work

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.

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