OUTREACH GRANTS
Email us to request that your organization to be included in the next grant application process or with questions about our Outreach Program
The Church of the Good Shepherd’s Outreach Program has given over $3.2 million to qualified organizations since it started its outreach program in 1987. In 2024, $343,113 was given to 42 organizations. A majority of this funding comes from our Bazaar Barn, an “upscale resale” shopping experience, offering gently used home furnishings.
Our Outreach Program offers financial support as well as many hours of service and support by parishioners to 501(c)(3) organizations focused on education, environmental protection, food insecurities, healthcare and wellness, shelter and housing, and other human services and primarily serving Cashiers-Highlands Plateau.
Outreach Grant Application Information
Guidelines for Applicants:

- Requests must be aligned with the teachings and philosophy of the Episcopal Church.
- Consider grant requests that are aspirational, ones that make a greater impact on the community or the constituents that are served.
- Requests may involve operational support or capital projects.
- Requests should not duplicate services already provided by other local agencies.
- Must demonstrate they primarily serve residents of the Cashiers-Highlands Plateau and provide what percentage of their client base resides on the plateau.
- Incomplete applications will not be considered.
2025 Outreach Grant Application Dates:
- April 1st: Applications available.
- May 1st: Completed applications are due.
- May-July: Organizations may be asked to give a 15-minute presentation on their grant request to the Outreach Grant Committee and / or to have a few Outreach Grant Committee members visit their organization.
- August: Organizations will be notified of the results of their request.
Please submit completed applications to OutreachGrants@GoodShepherdCashiers.org
2024 Grant Recipients

Environmental Protection:
Cashiers Historical Society
VISIT Cashiers Historical SocietyTheir mission is to preserve the history and heritage of the Cashiers Valley through stewardship, advocacy, and education.
Friends of Panthertown
VISIT Friends of PanthertownThe mission of Friends of Panthertown is to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to conserve Panthertown as a backcountry natural resource and to enable sustainable recreation
Highlands Biological Foundation
VISIT Highlands Biological FoundationTheir mission is to stimulate, promote, and fund biological research and education in the southern Appalachians.
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
VISIT Highlands-Cashiers Land TrustTheir mission is to protect valuable natural resources for all generations
HIGHTS, Inc.
VISIT HIGHTS(Helping Inspire Gifts of Hope, Trust, and Service) Their mission is to transform youth in Western North Carolina by inspiring trust in their own abilities, connection to a caring community, and hope for a better future.
Education:
The Bascom
VISIT The BascomThe Bascom creates visual art experiences that inspire and empower individuals and communities through seeing, thinking, and doing
Blue Ridge Early College
VISIT Blue Ridge Early CollegeEach day our mission is to engage, enlighten, and enrich the lives of students we serve resulting in the goal of our students being prepared to achieve their personal best as contributing members in their community.
Cashiers Valley Preschool
VISIT Cashiers Valley PreschoolTheir mission is to provide a stimulating atmosphere in which to develop social, emotional, intellectual, language, and physical motor skills through an integrated curriculum tailored to each child's individual and unique learning pace and style.
Conkle-Rowe Scholarship Endowment
VISIT Cokle-Rowe ScholarshipFor over twenty years the scholarship program has benefited many grateful students who would not otherwise have been able to continue their education beyond high school. Awarding over 100 scholarships in recent years.
Education Task Force Vision Cashiers
VISIT Education Task Force Vision CashiersTheir mission is to lead the Cashiers community in acting collectively to support, strengthen, and advance education, student achievement, and civic responsibility among area students.
The Hampton School, Inc.
VISIT The Hampton SchoolThe mission of Hampton Preschool and Early Learning Center is and has always been to create a rich and challenging emergent curriculum that cultivates life-long learning in a safe, healthy, and caring environment and that respects the uniqueness of each child.
Highlands Community Child Development Center
VISIT Highlands Community Child Development CenterTheir mission is to provide affordable, high quality preschool childcare and early childhood education to promote optimal cognitive, physical, emotional development, in a safe and loving environment to young children and their families, regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, age disability, religion or financial status
Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM)
VISIT Junior Appalachian MusiciansTheir mission is to provide quality traditional music instruction and cultural education for community children.
Literacy Council of Cashiers
VISIT The Literacy CouncilThe Literacy Council seeks to support and promote emergent literacy and literacy throughout Cashiers and the surrounding community from birth through adulthood
Muddy Sneakers
VISIT Muddy SneakersTheir mission is to awaken in children a deeply felt connection with the natural world - one that inspires curiosity, stimulates learning, and brings new life to classroom performance
Summit Charter School
VISIT Summit Charter SchoolThe Summit Community engages students in learning experiences that stimulate discovery, inspire excellence, and nurture a positive influence in an ever-changing world.
Shelter & Housing:
Haven of Transylvania County
VISIT The HavenTheir mission is to provide shelter to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in a safe, secure shelter
HERE in Jackson County, Inc.
VISIT HERE in Jackson Co.(Housing Equity Resources & Education) Their mission is to empower diverse individuals and families across North Carolina's Jackson County and far western counties by providing compassionate housing services to eliminate homelessness and overcome multiple barriers to housing
Jackson Neighbors in Need (Mtn Projects)
VISIT Jackson Neighbors in Need (Mtn Projects)Their mission is to ensure that all residents of Jackson County would have access to adequate warmth during the cold weather months
Food Insecurities:
Community Table
VISIT Community TableTheir mission is to provide nutritious meals to our neighbors in need in a welcoming environment.
Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry
VISIT Fished & LoavesTheir mission is to provide free food to people in Jackson County and surrounding areas in order to help alleviate hunger
Healthcare & Wellness:
AWAKE
VISIT AWAKE(Adults Working & Advocating for Kids Empowerment) They are a nonprofit that coordinates and advocates services for abused children in Jackson County.
Blue Ridge Health Good Samaritan
VISIT Blue Ridge Health Good SamaritanTheir mission is to improve Health, inspire Hope, and advance Healing through access to Compassionate, Affordable, and Quality Care
Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic
VISIT Blue Ridge Free Dental ClinicTheir mission is to provide equitable emergency, restorative, and preventative dental care to people who cannot afford these critical services.
Community Care Clinic
VISIT Community Care ClinicTheir mission is to provide quality healthcare to the underserved.
Counseling Center of Highlands
VISIT Counseling Center of HighlandsThe Counseling Center strives to strengthen families and individuals by providing access to quality mental health services regardless of financial ability
Four Seasons, the Care you Trust
VISIT Four SeasonsTheir mission is "co-creating the care experience" for people who have been diagnosed with life-limiting or terminal illnesses.
Free Rein Center
VISIT Free Rein CenterTheir mission is to serve the community by strengthening the spirits, minds and bodies of children and adults through interaction with horses
Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad
VISIT Glenville-Cashiers Rescue SquadThey provide emergency medical and search and rescue services to southern Jackson County.
Vecinos, Inc.
VISIT Vecinos, Inc.Their mission is to provide culturally appropriate health and wellness services for the uninsured Latinx community
Other Needs:
Big Brothers/Big Sisters WNC
VISIT Big Brothers/Big SistersTheir vision is that all youth achieve their full potential by working to ensure that every child within our area has an enjoyable, long-term relationship with a caring adult who believes in them and sees their potential
Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau
VISIT Boys & Girls Club of the PlateauTheir mission is to enable all young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.
Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society
VISIT Cashiers-Highland Humane SocietyThe Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society rescues, provides compassionate care, and finds forever homes for abandoned and neglected animals, reunites lost pets with their families, and makes a positive difference in the lives of people and pets through community outreach programs including low-cost and free spay/neuter, free food pet pantry, low-cost rabies vaccinations, and humane education for local schoolchildren
Center for Domestic Peace (Reach)
VISIT Center for Domestic PeaceTheir mission is to eradicate interpersonal violence in the community through prevention, intervention, and educational services
Friends of the Library (Cashiers Albert Carlton Library)
VISIT Friends of the LibraryTheir mission is to ensure our Library has the resources necessary to meet the needs of our community in every way
International Friendship Center
VISIT International Friendship CenterTheir mission is to build cross culural relationships that foster well-being and self-sufficiency
Ministry of Hope
VISIT Ministry of HopeTheir mission is to raise funds to support, provide, and advocate for the chaplaincy ministry and programs at Western Correctional Center for Women.
Pisgah Legal Services
VISIT Pisgah LegalThey seek to pursue justice by providing legal assistance and advocacy to help low-income people in Western North Carolina meet their basic needs and improve their lives.
Rolling Start NC, Inc
VISIT Rolling Start NCTheir mission is to transform donated vehicles into safe, reliable, presentable transportation for presentation to local financially disadvantaged, deserving residents at no cost to them
United Christian Ministries
VISIT United Christian MinistriesTheir mission is to serve Christ by being a voice for and a help to Jackson County residents in crisis.
The Village Green
VISIT The Viliage GreenTheir mission is to preserve and enhance the land for civic, spiritual, academic, recreational, and cultural activities to maintain the quality of life for residents and visitors to the greater Cashiers area.
Questions: OutreachGrants@GoodShepherdCashiers.org
Phone: 828-743-2359