Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust

10/16/2026

Trust is the foundation of a healthy local news and information ecosystem.

In this reflection, North Carolina Local News Lab Fund Director Cierra Brown Hinton explores why communities often decide what to believe based on who delivers the information—and why philanthropy must invest in the trusted relationships that help people move from awareness to action.

Trust needs to be treated like the infrastructure it is, and it belongs at the center of what we fund and how philanthropy approaches news and information.

10/14/2026

Federal cuts to public supports like Medicaid health care and SNAP food assistance, as well as federal threats to the health of immigrant communities, are bad for North Carolina.

We invite all of our partners and supporters to share these three facts sheets that highlight what is being cut, when cuts are happening, and what we can do collectively to respond to oncoming threats.

The federal budget bill, passed in July 2025, is bad for North Carolina. It disrupts and limits access to health care, cuts spending for food assistance, and harms the health of immigrant families.

10/13/2026

During each academic year, the Trust hosts a graduate student intern from the UNC Gillings Global School of Public Health. This position works in close partnership with the Director of Learning and Impact Dr. Kristen Naney to perform research and evaluation that intersects the Trust’s focus on health, racial equity, and systems change.

This academic year we are excited to welcome Natalie Locklear. Natalie is pursuing a Masters of Public Health with a concentration in health policy and plans to graduate in May of 2027.

As a native of Clayton, North Carolina, Natalie embraces her identity as a Lumbee Indian American woman. Her work experiences follow her immense passion to support the well-being of indigenous communities. This also includes her current service as a Graduate Assistant with the Southeastern American Indian Cancer Health Equity Partnership (SAICEP) at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this role she engaged directly with American Indian communities across North Carolina through health education and outreach efforts focused on cancer prevention, screening, and resources.

We are so excited to integrate her community engagement, data synthesis, and solution-focused skills into our ongoing evaluation work.

Welcome to the Trust team, Natalie!

10/12/2026

A little help can make a life-changing difference. MyFriendBen-NC helps North Carolinians navigate complex public benefit systems, identify the support they may qualify for, and connect with trusted local assistance, all in about five minutes.

Since launching in 2025, the tool has helped more than 43,000 residents find an estimated $795 million in eligible benefits.

Every year, billions of dollars in public benefits go unclaimed in the United States, leaving many families without tools that...

10/07/2026

New federal and state laws are making it harder for immigrants across North Carolina — regardless of documentation status — to access health coverage. H.R. 1 has stripped Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA Marketplace eligibility from many documented immigrants, while NC's House Bill 696 now requires the state to report undocumented residents to ICE.

Advocates like Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi of Duke University warn the fallout goes further than direct coverage loss: in mixed-status families, fear alone is keeping eligible children and relatives from enrolling. Programs like FIEL NC are working to cut through the confusion with trusted, culturally competent guidance on insurance and health-care access.

https://bit.ly/4h1KO3n?

Outreach voices in North Carolina worry that recently passed federal and state laws are restricting access to health insurance for immigrants of all documentation levels.President Donald Trump’s budget and tax

10/07/2026

Medicaid expansion has helped hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians gain access to care, but new federal requirements and added red tape threaten that progress. Most enrollees are already working, yet these policies risk coverage losses driven by paperwork, not improved employment.

This summer, we joined partners nationwide and across North Carolina to submit comments to CMS urging policies that protect access to care and support healthier communities. Read more below.

https://bit.ly/4yYPv4V

At the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, ensuring NC residents can access Medicaid is critical to our ongoing work to...

10/05/2026

Systems change lasts when it is rooted in local knowledge, shared power, and relationships built for the long term. This thoughtful piece from CEP explores what it takes for philanthropy to support communities as leaders of durable, locally-grounded change.

https://bit.ly/4cUXExx

Lessons from a Colombia education initiative on what it takes to keep multi-sector collaborations focused, locally owned, and built to last.

10/02/2026

Local journalism is essential to informed communities and a healthy democracy. In this latest episode of Scene on Radio, Les High, founder and publisher of the Border Belt Independent, shares how community centered media, partnerships, and new sustainability models can help strengthen local news.

Listen to “Making Media Democratic,” Scene on Radio: The News, Episode 8:

When local journalism is trusted, communities are empowered. Through our support of the Border Belt Independent, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust is helping to rebuild a news ecosystem that informs, connects, and strengthens residents across southeastern North Carolina—because reliable inform...

10/01/2026

Skipping investments in early learning comes with a cost.

NC Pre-K helps children build the foundation for school and gives families vital support—yet too many eligible children remain without access.

https://bit.ly/3Uv1tn0

By Amy Cockerham Public Ed Works RALEIGH (August 13, 2026) – It’s no secret that North Carolina legislators have been underinvesting in our public schools for years, as the state sits at the bottom of the list for funding effort. Youngest learners are suffering the consequences, and it could hav...

09/30/2026

Thriving Together Forsyth has launched a new Substack, creating another space to share stories, insights, and perspectives from across Forsyth County.

The platform centers voices that are too often overlooked and highlights how communities are building belonging, challenging injustice, imagining stronger futures, and working together to make thriving possible for all.

Get deeper insight on what’s happening in Forsyth County from leaders and residents.

https://bit.ly/3T75MUX

About What is Thriving Together? Forsyth County has always shown its capacity to come together to organize, care, resist, build, and spark change. Thriving Together carries forward that legacy with a bold, people-powered commitment: the future must be imagined and led by the community. Our work begi...