2026 Partnership Application
For 20 cycles, Enloe Charity Ball has raised funds and awareness for the work of nonprofits serving the greater Enloe community. Our student-led efforts have raised over two million dollars for 18 area nonprofits, each of which is selected through an annual grant application process. While the grant size varies based on the collaborative fundraising efforts of our students and the selected charity, grant size over the past three years has been between $180,000 and $214,000. Enloe Charity Ball grants are unrestricted but will require a brief grant report after one year of fund dispersal.
Our mission is to inspire student leaders and impact our communities through innovative, student-led solutions. Our vision is to inspire students to be alive with purpose.
Eligible Enloe Charity Ball beneficiaries must meet the following criteria:
- Be a 501(c)3 nonprofit in good standing or
- Have already applied for 501(c)3 status
- Be fiscally sponsored under a 501(c)3 nonprofit in good standing (please list fiscal sponsor in LOI)
- Serve the greater Enloe community
- Have the capacity to offer Enloe students meaningful volunteer opportunities during the engagement period
Enloe Charity Ball is unable to partner with organizations with missions focusing on direct religious ministry, suicide prevention, or political advocacy.
LETTER OF INTEREST
The 2026 Enloe Charity Ball application process will include a required Letter of Interest. All prospective applicants must submit a letter of interest in order to be eligible to apply for funding. Enloe Charity Ball will not consider any applications from organizations that do not submit a letter of interest. Past beneficiaries are welcome to submit a LOI.
Your letter of interest should be no more than one-page typed (single-spaced, 11-point font) on the organization’s letterhead; the letter should be signed by the organization’s chief executive officer or equivalent. Letters should address the following:
- Describe your primary mission statement and values.
- Describe your current and prospective impact in the Raleigh community, and how the grant will advance your goals.
- Describe how you will establish a relationship with the Enloe student body.
- What volunteer opportunities does your organization offer?
Submit a pdf of your letter of interest to info@enloecharityball.org. In your email, please include your organization’s point of contact for future correspondence.
Letters are due no later than 11:59 PM on April 2nd, 2026. Organizations will be contacted no later than April 10th, 2026, to be invited to submit a full application.
If you have any further questions, please contact the Director of Enloe Charity Ball Fund, Sarah Bailey via email at sbailey2@wcpss.net.
Timeline
March 2nd – April 2nd, 2026: Letter of Interest Period
April 10th, 2026: Invitation to Eligible Applicants
April 10th, 2026 – May 8th, 2026: Application period
June 2026: Selected beneficiary notified
August 2026: Beneficiary announced to public
December 13th, 2026: Charity Ball
**Dates subject to change
Enloe Charity Ball is a student-run organization that strives to inspire and impact our community through innovative, student-led solutions. Each year, we partner with a local nonprofit to raise funds and awareness for the charity. Students from the ECB team raise funds from friends, family, and the community, as well as volunteer with the charity. Past beneficiaries have included Note in the Pocket, CASA, and Neighbor to Neighbor. The campaign, led by Enloe’s Student Council, culminates in a ball, where the fundraising total is revealed and the check is presented to the charity.
We believe in a society that validates youth as capable of creating change for generations to come. We believe in a conversation embraced by inclusion and possibility. We declare our stories are just beginning.