LendingTree Foundation Powering Big HUGs

Charlotte Is Creative is Part of the New LendaHand Alliance Cohort

by Tim Miner on July 22, 2021

The LendingTree Foundation has announced the foundation of a new philanthropy program — the LendaHand Alliance Cohort.

LendaHand is a three-year program for Charlotte-based nonprofits designed to maximize community impact through trust-based philanthropy, collaboration and social capital. ⁣

“Our goal is for the Foundation to serve as the ‘angel funders’ of the nonprofit community by empowering emerging, founder-led nonprofits, as well as a few larger organizations that pivoted their philanthropy model to accommodate evolving needs post-pandemic,” said April Whitlock, executive director of the LendingTree Foundation.⁣

Inaugural LendaHand Cohort

Charlotte Is Creative, the publishers of The Biscuit, are part of the inaugural cohort along with nine other organizations. The inaugural 2021-23 LendaHand Alliance Cohort includes:⁣

Each of the organizations above will receive $125,000 per year through 2023 to support existing and new, community-facing programming.

HUGging more Charlotte-Based Creatives

While future initiatives will follow, Charlotte Is Creative’s is already using LendaHand funds to enhance the HUG (Helpful Unfettered Gift) Micro-Grant Program, which launched in 2017 awarding $250, unrestricted grants to creative projects in Charlotte. This program is sponsored by NoDa Brewing and Google Fiber.

LendaHand support will be used to extend the HUG program:

Bear HUGS: Using COVID-19 Relief Funds, Bear HUGs launched in fall 2020, allowing existing HUG recipients to apply for a $1,000 micro-grant for a new project. It was intended to be a one-time program. With the support of the LendingTree Foundation, this program will continue indefinitely, awarding at least one Bear HUG each month. Previous HUG grantees may apply for a Bear HUG here.
HUG Partnership with Charlotte ToolBank – Beginning Aug. 8, Charlotte-based creatives may apply for a credit worth $10,000 in market-valued tools and equipment at the ToolBank. One will be awarded each month.