Community Development

Triangle Community Foundation is the leading expert on local philanthropy, giving trends, and critical issues. We strive to be clear and informative about the work we do to enhance life in the Triangle, and we pride ourselves on being a trusted resource for media and other community partners.

Care for all: Vidas De Esperanza

We all want to go to the doctor when we’re sick, injured, or for regular checkups, but not everyone has access to medical care due to resources, lack of access to healthcare, or circumstances. It was with this in mind…

Confronting Poverty by Honoring Human Dignity

Up the stairs and around a corner, a hallway echoes with a child’s chatter and a mother’s hushed tones. Members sit waiting to get groceries, checking in with each other, and chatting with volunteers, who come to offer a hand.…

Winning the Lottery: Connecting with Barker French

W. Barker French is perfectly at ease sitting in a blue plastic school chair at East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI). His comfort is understandable; for the past eight years, French has spent lot of time with EDCI, volunteering first as…

The Gift of Land

“I am sure everyone can find their equilibrium between enjoying life and philanthropy,” says Ish Sud. It’s about making choices. It’s differentiating between what is important and what is not. It’s perhaps spending judiciously on larger items, sacrificing symbols of…

Busting Myths and Making Change

It’s a gray Friday morning, but the East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI) halls are bright with color and song. Over the muffled chorus of the children’s song “Baby Shark”, David Reese and Barker French share the core beliefs that steer…

20/20 Sisters of Vision: Improving Quality of Life for All Women

20/20 Sisters of Vision have never hesitated in helping the women and families of their community. As a giving circle of women of color, their mission is to empower women and families in local and global communities by enabling them…

Tackling Systemic Homelessness Together

With your help, we have granted $642,450 to community development organizations through Fund for the Triangle since FY 2013-2014Lack of affordable housing, financial insecurity, and systemic unemployment are intersecting crises of global proportions. While Chapel Hill and Durham’s dearth…

RACE: Fostering Empathy

What does the word “race” mean to you? At the start of summer, Foundation staff and board members spent an afternoon reflecting on that question and more, as we toured the RACE exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Natural…

Mental Illness: The Person Behind a Diagnosis

Mental illness was a barrier that kept Brent Parrish from reading fluently. His childhood education didn’t address his mental health and kept him from reaching his full potential. Parrish, who is in his 50’s, watched President Barack Obama’s farewell address…

Giving Young Parents a Brighter Future

Parenting a child while in high school makes college seem out of reach. But Beth Harrington got a boost when she needed it most — a scholarship that opened doors to higher education and a better life for her son,…