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← WNC COMMUNITIES

Form 990 for tax year 2023

Filed by WNC COMMUNITIES.

Totals

Total revenue
$2,021,113
Total expenses
$2,121,140
Contributions and grants received
$1,161,995
Grants paid
$578,041
Program service revenue
$783,011
Investment income
$54,056
Other revenue
$22,051
Total assets, end of year
$3,828,084
Total liabilities, end of year
$138,178
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$3,689,906
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$1,982,300
Management and general expenses
$126,098
Fundraising expenses
$12,742
Program service expenses (Part III)
$1,982,300

Program services were 93.5% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $1,070,142

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $91,853

  • 2a · Program service revenue: Brewers Yeast Income

    total $463,767 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 2b · Program service revenue: Brewers Grain Income

    total $170,807 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 2c · Program service revenue: Other Program Income

    total $148,437 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $51,904 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $51,904

  • 6a · Gross rents

    real property $9,600

  • 6c · Rental income or loss

    real property $9,600

  • 6d · Net rental income or loss

    total $9,600 · related or exempt $9,600

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $2,152

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities $2,152

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total $2,152 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $2,152

  • 11a · Other revenue: Other Income

    total $12,451 · related or exempt $12,451 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $12,451

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $246,978 · program services $246,978

  • 2 · Grants to domestic individuals

    total $331,063 · program services $331,063

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $78,607 · program services $77,332 · management and general $646 · fundraising $629

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $395,685 · program services $317,789 · management and general $67,771 · fundraising $10,125

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $36,622 · program services $30,367 · management and general $5,656 · fundraising $599

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $19,846 · program services $0 · management and general $19,846 · fundraising $0

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $1,292 · program services $0 · management and general $1,292 · fundraising $0

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $33,381 · program services $19,996 · management and general $12,878 · fundraising $507

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $14,923 · program services $8,633 · management and general $5,984 · fundraising $306

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $7,898 · program services $7,898 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $21,510 · program services $21,231 · management and general $243 · fundraising $36

  • 17 · Travel

    total $7,123 · program services $6,800 · management and general $281 · fundraising $42

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $81,405 · program services $80,474 · management and general $931 · fundraising $0

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $4,161 · program services $0 · management and general $4,161 · fundraising $0

  • 24a · Other expenses: Beef Commissions

    total $12,564 · program services $12,564 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 24b · Other expenses: Brewers Grain

    total $642,259 · program services $639,502 · management and general $2,466 · fundraising $291

  • 24c · Other expenses: Forestry Education

    total $110,773 · program services $109,422 · management and general $1,351 · fundraising $0

  • 24d · Other expenses: WNC Regional Livestock Center

    total $23,053 · program services $22,059 · management and general $994 · fundraising $0

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $51,997 · program services $50,192 · management and general $1,598 · fundraising $207

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $390,223 · end of year $364,120

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $986,826 · end of year $857,358

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $72,344 · end of year $253,628

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $89,501 · end of year $77,894

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $11,801 · end of year $54,012

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $3,240,304

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $1,215,597

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $2,080,741 · end of year $2,024,707

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $186,754 · end of year $196,365

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $34,244 · end of year $90,678

  • 18 · Grants payable

    end of year $47,500

  • 19 · Deferred revenue

    beginning of year $4,500

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $2,880,888 · end of year $2,370,552

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $898,558 · end of year $1,319,354

Mission and programs · 2023

Mission

WNC Communities empowers the people of Western North Carolina to cultivate the vitality and prosperity of mountain communities through collaboration and agricultural opportunities. This mission is accomplished through a program of work focused on community development, agriculture revenue, and forest health.

Activities or mission (Part I)

WNC Communities empowers the people of Western North Carolina to cultivate the vitality and prosperity of mountain communities through collaboration and agricultural opportunities.

  • Each year since 1949, WNCC has evaluated the applications of community centers across 20 counties in WNC and given cash awards to a network of over 70 community centers that have offered quality programs to serve their residents needs. Each November, the WNC Awards event brings these community clubs together to celebrate and receive recognition and cash awards for the work they have accomplished during the year. In 2023, 67 participating communities received over $64,000 (donated by WNC business and industry) in awards to recognize their hard work. These good deeds represented 7951 volunteers, clocking 28,456 volunteer hours, representing an estimated $5.6 million investment of time, talent, and money benefitting rural residents in WNC. These efforts include providing food pantries, meals, assistance with accessing medical care, affordable rental space for events, family- oriented social gatherings, free wi-fi, business incubation, afterschool programs, and more.

    Expenses $1,982,300 · Grants $578,041 · Revenue $783,011

  • WNC Agricultural Options Program: Since 2012, WNC Communities has managed a cost-share grant program to support small family farms in WNC. Funded by the North Carolina General Assembly, through the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, the mission of the WNC AgOptions program is to build sustainable farming communities in the mountain region by providing resources directly to farmers who are diversifying and expanding their operations. In 2023, WNC AgOptions awarded 32 farm businesses a total of $244,000 in $4,000 and $8,000 grants. Funded projects reflect the resiliency of WNC farmers as they adapt operations and respond to the dynamics of a world changed by COVID-19. Returns on initial farm investments are often immediate, as new farm income typically matches the size of the grants in the first year of the projects. Income continues to increase year after year, often doubling by the third year of the projects. Since the programs inception in 2004, 600+ farm businesses in WNC have received over $3 million in support.

  • Hemlock Restoration Initiative (HRI): The objective of HRI is to restore eastern and Carolina hemlocks to their native habitats throughout North Carolina and to mitigate damage to hemlocks caused by infestation of the hemlock woolly adelgid. More specifically, the goal is to work with a variety of partners and current restoration initiatives to ensure that eastern and Carolina hemlocks can resist the deadly hemlock woolly adelgid and survive to maturity on North Carolinas public and private lands. This involves Identifying and establishing hemlock conservation areas, educating landowners on how to economically treat and manage the hemlocks, increasing the number of trees being treated on public lands, implementing Integrated Pest Management and long-term biological controls and advancing the development of other control strategies and restoration techniques. In 2022, over 21,200 trees were treated in 16 counties in WNC, over 1450 predator beetles were released, 28 outreach events, educational hikes, and presentations were given, 5 management workshops/demonstrations were provided and 899 volunteer hours were utilized to support the HRI program.

As filed on the 2023 return.

Listed in Part VII

  • Jennifer L Ferre

    Executive Director

    Total calculated
    $76,098
    From this org
    $76,098
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • K Ray Bailey

    President Emeritus

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • LT Ward

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    5

  • Dean Kanipe

    President

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Jimmy Cowan

    Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Karen Hammett

    1st Vice Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Craig DeBrew

    2nd Vice Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Jeffrey Owen

    Secretary

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Bill Yarborough

    Treasurer

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Randy Rogers

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Chivous Bradley

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Sophie Dixon

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Lumpy Lambert

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Laura Leatherwood

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Harris Prevost

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Zeb Smathers

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Kaleb Rathbone

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Shelly White

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Tammie Whitlock

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Ross Young

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

  • Edie Cecil

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those.

Grants on this return

  • Haywood County Schools

    $177,818

    Tuscola High FAA facility and grounds

Taxable family on this return

Schedule R Parts I, III and IV, as filed. These record ownership and control, not shared board members or money moved.

Disregarded entities

Part I: entities that legally are the filer and file no return of their own.

  • WNC Regional Livestock Center LLC

    Farm Promotion · NC · income $92,776 · assets $2,250,510

    Directly controlled by WNC Communities

  • WNC Brewers Grain LLC

    Farm Promotion · NC · income $752,340 · assets $224,881

    Directly controlled by WNC Communities

  • WNC Forestry Education LLC

    Forest Promotion · NC · income $369,813 · assets $266,817

    Directly controlled by WNC Communities

  • WNC Communities Regional Support LLC

    Farm Promotion · NC · income $536 · assets $42,348

    Directly controlled by WNC Communities

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2023
Filed
6 June 2025
IRS schema version
2023v6.0
Source object
202541609349300244

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