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Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust was founded in 1947 by Kate Bitting Reynolds with a $5 million endowment sourced from her husband's R.J.
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust was founded in 1947 by Kate Bitting Reynolds with a $5 million endowment sourced from her husband's R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company fortune. Now based in Winston-Salem, it operates as a health-focused foundation that concentrates its entire grantmaking and investment footprint inside North Carolina, an unusual geographic lock for an endowment of its vintage. Strategy and deployment center on improving health outcomes and economic opportunity for financially disadvantaged residents. The trust makes grants across healthcare access, education, and economic mobility. Its investment approach includes a dedicated North Carolina Economic Opportunity Investment Strategy and a mixed-use real estate portfolio within the state. Active coalitions include the Simon Green Atkins Community Development Corporation in Forsyth County inclusive economy initiatives, signaling a program-related investing posture alongside traditional grantmaking. Operationally, Dr. Laura Gerald has shaped a team that embeds the trust deeply in philanthropic infrastructure. The organization maintains memberships in PEAK Grantmaking, the Council on Foundations, and Philanthropy Southeast. Gerald herself serves as Vice Chair of the Grantmakers In Health board, giving the Trust a direct hand in shaping national health philanthropy practice while its dollars remain strictly local. Recent activity centers on its Forsyth County commitments via the Simon Green Atkins partnership. The structural differentiator is the mandate itself: a private health foundation created by tobacco wealth that now openly uses a racial-equity lens to decide where money flows in the state where that wealth was generated. This creates a built-in tension and a clear, difficult-to-replicate governance identity that separates it from other health conversion foundations.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1947
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Winston-Salem
Corporate office
Winston-Salem, NC, United States
Principals
Dr. Laura Gerald
President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment and grantmaking decisions at the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust?
Dr. Laura Gerald has served as President of the Trust since 2016, overseeing all strategy, grantmaking, and investment decisions. She also represents the organization at the national level as Vice Chair of the Grantmakers In Health board. Operational decisions are executed by an internal team in Winston-Salem.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The Trust was capitalized in 1947 with $5 million from Kate Bitting Reynolds, whose wealth derived from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. This direct tobacco lineage makes the Trust one of the more prominent health foundations with a legacy-tied endowment in the American South.
Is the Trust a national or state-focused funder?
The Trust is strictly state-focused. Its grantmaking and mission-related investments target exclusively North Carolina communities, with a specific concentration on Forsyth County. It does not fund organizations or projects outside of the state.
Does the trust make direct investments beyond grants?
Yes. The Trust operates a North Carolina Economic Opportunity Investment Strategy and holds a mixed-use real estate portfolio in the state. These vehicles sit alongside traditional grantmaking and are deployed through local co-investor relationships such as the Simon Green Atkins Community Development Corporation.
How does the Trust incorporate racial equity into its work?
Racial equity is an explicit, publicly stated lens for all funding and investment decisions. The Trust centers outcomes for communities of color in its health, education, and economic opportunity portfolios, positioning itself as a health-equity foundation rather than a general-purpose healthcare grantmaker.
What philanthropic networks does the Trust participate in?
The Trust is an active member of the Council on Foundations, PEAK Grantmaking, Philanthropy Southeast, the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers, and Grantmakers In Health. Dr. Laura Gerald's board vice-chair role at Grantmakers In Health gives the Trust an unusual level of influence in federal and national health philanthropy conversations.
Is the Trust related to any other Reynolds family foundations?
The Trust was founded separately by Kate Bitting Reynolds. While part of the broader Reynolds family philanthropic landscape in North Carolina, it operates independently from other entities such as the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, which was established by her brother-in-law's children.
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