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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is pleased to announce the creation of the NCHSAA Foundation, Inc., a new entity, designed to expand upon the Association’s history of giving back to its member schools.
The NCHSAA Board of Directors voted to approve the creation of the Foundation in the May 2023 Board Meeting after in-depth research by the Finance and Personnel Committee, discussion among the Board at large, and legal consultation.
NCHSAA President, Chris Blanton, Assistant Superintendent of Watauga County Schools, says, “The creation of a foundation that distinguishes between general operating revenues and expenses and endowment funds is needed to create the separation that will help avoid confusion and also ensure that the endowment is able to continue doing what it is designed to do. Our endowment has been and will continue to be a resource that funds scholarships and a number of other special programs. It is imperative that we protect and grow the endowment if the NCHSAA is going to continue to provide financial support to our membership. I’m thankful for those who had the foresight to know an endowment fund would be necessary and I’m proud to be part of an organization that has been able to give so much to our member schools and our student-athletes. Not only will the foundation allow us to continue to provide monetary support for education-based athletics in North Carolina, but it will also provide more understanding and additional transparency. This is an important step as we continue to seek ways to strengthen our organization.”
“The Board of Directors for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) recently created an NCHSAA Foundation. This new entity will manage the endowment funds associated with the NCHSAA. Through the creation of the NCHSAA Foundation, a distinct separation of duties with regard to the management of the endowment funds will exist. As a result, decisions regarding the use of the endowment funds will be largely independent of the actions of the NCHSAA Board of Directors and the NCHSAA staff members with the creation of a separate NCHSAA Foundation Board of Trustees. However, the members of the NCHSAA Foundation Board of Trustees will not consist of any members of the NCHSAA Board of Directors or any members of the NCHSAA staff with the exception of the Past-President and Commissioner,” adds NCHSAA Board Vice President Stephen Gainey.
The Foundation’s Board of Trustees will consist of up to nine (9) members, including the standing NCHSAA Commissioner, the immediate NCHSAA Board Past President, up to four (4) former NCHSAA Board of Directors members, and no more than three (3) non-education or business sector representatives. Current NCHSAA development and finance staff will perform daily tasks for the Foundation, including but not limited to managing the scholarship, coach awards, and education-based grant program as well as fundraising activities and donor record management.
This Foundation, a 501C3 entity, is established to serve and protect the integrity of high school sports and related activities in North Carolina for member schools by funding grants, scholarships, and programs that support the students, coaches, administrators, and officials engaged in those sports and activities. NCHSAA Past President, Dr. Rob Jackson shares, “I am extremely proud of all that the NCHSAA Endowment Fund has been able to accomplish for student-athletes and member schools. Establishing the NCHSAA Foundation is an important next step as the NCHSAA continues to model transparency and accountability to member schools. I foresee the NCHSAA Foundation becoming a national model for financial stewardship and service, just as the NCHSAA has been for 110 years.”
The NCHSAA joins a number of other state associations across the United States who have already formed separate foundations for similar purposes to benefit their respective state association members.
