The Friends of UNCW hosted the 2024 Grant Celebration on Tuesday, October 15 – a special recognition event and immersive exhibit experience for donors and grant recipients to actively engage in project outcomes that Friends of UNCW grants helped achieve.
Led by the Friends of UNCW Board of Directors – a dedicated group of volunteers who actively raise funds to support educational, scientific and charitable projects at UNCW – the 2024 grant cycle awarded $25,000 in funding to impact 16 projects and programs across campus.
From humble beginnings – starting in 1963 with efforts to raise funds to help Wilmington College achieve accreditation as a four-year institution – the Friends of UNCW has created a lasting legacy of philanthropy across campus, most notably with the launch of the grant program more than 20 years ago.
Over the past two decades, the Friends of UNCW Grant Program has raised more than $275,000 in support of 335 campus projects that directly benefit students, faculty and staff across campus. Program grant funds range from $250 to $2,500 and are distributed annually, after thorough review and selection by the Friends of UNCW Board of Directors.
“These grants are modest,” said Missy Kennedy ’01, Associate Vice Chancellor. “But it’s clear that even the smallest actions can have far-reaching and profound effects. Imagine the impact we can make if each of us commits to supporting just one more student, one more project through our support of the Friends of UNCW.”
View 2024 UNCW Grant Celebration photos and learn more about the 2024 grant recipients and projects below.
2024 Grant Recipients:
Betty Holden Stike Education Laboratory
Recipient: M.J. Giammaria and Brian Brinkley
Grant awarded to fund the Kitchen Classroom Kit Project and provide learning resources to children from the community who are tutored in The Betty Holden Stike Education Laboratory by a UNCW future teacher in Watson College of Education.
Campus Life
Recipient: Kyle Glover
Grant awarded to purchase and install two pieces of student art in the Ann Flack Boseman Art Gallery, allowing Campus Activities and Programs to grow their student art collection in Campus Life facilities.
Center for Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CESTEM)
Recipient: Michelle Hafey
Grant awarded to support science and engineering practices with STEM Story Time and expand the resources available in CESTEM's Technology Loan Program (appropriate for pre-kindergarten to grade 2 students) that connect literacy to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts Dean's Office
Recipient: Maggie Bannon
Grant awarded to support our diverse student population by creating an educational library focusing on the profession of academic advising and the professional growth of our advising team.
Department of Anthropology
Recipient: Leland Rogers
Grant awarded to expand the Hominoid Cranial Cast Collection to show the evolution of humans through the inclusion of important specimens currently lacking in the collection.
Department of Art and Art History
Recipient: Anne Lindberg
Grant awarded to purchase plaster models – which depict the muscular systems and help students visualize the human form – to help teach beginning and intermediate figure drawing and figure painting.
Department of Art and Art History
Recipient: Aaron Wilcox
Grant awarded to purchase a new electric kiln for the ceramics studio to facilitate small runs, and which is better suited to the specific demands of studio practice in a wheelchair.
Department of Biology and Marine Biology
Recipient: Alison Loftis
Grant awarded to purchase materials to eliminate participation barriers, facilitate equitable student learning opportunities and community education impact of the UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Program.
Department of Biology and Marine Biology
Grant Recipient: Lori Schweikert and Vanessa Moreno
Grant awarded to train students on techniques in calibrated biological photography for the purposes of data collection, course development, scientific communication and community engagement.
Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations and Secondary Education
Recipient: Angie Reed-Griffin
Grant awarded to support scholarships and equipment for the Junior Seahawk Academy, a platform for middle school aged students from economically disadvantaged and underrepresented populations to develop interests in STEM, health and education careers.
Department of World Languages and Cultures
Recipient: Amrita Das
Grant awarded to purchase eight dry-erase whiteboard film surfaces to encourage a collaborative environment, increase participation and foster communication in our language classrooms.
Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, Literacy & Special Education Department
Recipient: Christine Lao
Grant awarded to foster an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to STEAM education through an engaging, arts-based and social-emotional learning toolkit.
Randall Library
Recipient: Chris Robinson
Grant awarded to create a sensory-friendly study space tailored to the needs of neurodivergent and low-sensory students, faculty and staff – and position Randall Library as a welcoming and supportive hub for all members of our university community.
School of Health & Applied Human Sciences, Recreation Therapy Program
Recipient: Brent Hawkins
Grant awarded to increase the accessibility, inclusion, representation and visibility of and for students, faculty and staff with disabilities at UNCW and the broader community through adaptive recreation and sport programming.
Center for Academic Advising
Recipient: Patricia Schulz
Grant awarded to purchase study materials for UNCW's Pre-Law students to promote and increase the acceptance rate into law school.
UNCW Recycling
Recipient: Amelia Woodruff
Grant awarded to purchase a storm drain litter trap to capture debris escaping UNCW's public recycling facility – to help protect the Bradley Creek and Hewlett's Creek watersheds as well as the nearby Intercoastal Waterway.
The Seahawk community is invited and encouraged to get involved with the Friends of UNCW. Anyone can become a “friend” by making a gift to the Friends of UNCW Support Fund. To be considered for the Friends of UNCW Board of Directors, please apply online. Visit giving.uncw.edu/grants to learn more about how you can get involved and make your impact with the Friends of UNCW Grant Program.
Note: Grant applications are exclusively available for UNCW faculty and staff. The 2026 application cycle will be announced during the 2025 spring semester.