LendingTree Foundation Powering Big HUGs

By Tim Miner

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.