Member Spotlight

Uniting the Talent and Generosity of the Profession for the People of North Carolina Since 1960

The North Carolina Bar Foundation, the other “NCBF”, is the 501(c)(3) philanthropic arm of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA). It channels the talent, generosity, and leadership of North Carolina’s legal profession into statewide pro bono, civic education, and professionalism programs. Founded in 1960, it advances a vision of a vibrant North Carolina where legal services are available to all regardless of ability to pay, where lawyers provide community service and leadership that profoundly impacts the public, and where residents understand and have confidence in a legal system that serves them.

About the Foundation

NCBF’s mission is “Uniting the talent and generosity of our profession to be a power of greater good for the people of North Carolina.” Its values emphasize access to justice, service through the profession, education, professionalism, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Foundation owns the N.C. Bar Center in Cary and works closely with the NCBA (a 501(c)(6) organization founded in 1899). It operates pro bono and civic education programs that engage hundreds of attorney, paralegal, and law student volunteers to serve North Carolinians in every part of the state—from the mountains to the sea. In 2025-26, these programs served 19,951 individuals.

It’s been over eight years since we profiled the North Carolina Bar Foundation. Here us where they are now.

Key Programs and Impact

NCBF administers and supports flagship initiatives including:

• NC Lawyers on Call (4ALL): An annual statewide service day connecting callers with volunteer lawyers for free legal answers and resources. In 2025-26, 245 attorney volunteers and 119 paralegal/law student volunteers served 7,005 callers.
• Wills for Heroes: Free basic estate planning documents (wills, powers of attorney, living wills) for first responders and their families. 161 clients and 264 NC first responders were served, producing 1,016 legal documents through 10 clinics.
• NC Free Legal Answers: Limited-scope online answers to legal questions. 167 volunteers answered 2,195 questions.
• Lawyers in Schools: Career fairs and guest speaking to engage students. 43 volunteers reached 10,400+ students through 17 career fairs and 12 speaking opportunities.
• Open Door Fellowship: Competitive fellowships for first-year North Carolina law students from diverse or under-resourced backgrounds, providing hands-on experience, mentorship, and career development. Supported by a dedicated endowment.
• Additional efforts: Entrepreneurs Assistance Program (78 clients served by 27 volunteers), Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Clinics (55 clients), Middle School Mock Trial, McIntyre Youth Leadership Challenge, Disaster Legal Services, and support for NCBA section/division pro bono initiatives.

These programs are detailed at ncbarfoundation.org/our-programs. Full 2025-26 impact numbers appear at ncbarfoundation.org/impact.

Endowment, Open Door Fund, and National Recognition

The NCBF Endowment, established in 1987, has provided more than $6 million in grant funding to programs advancing access to justice, civic education, service, professionalism, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Grants are awarded competitively from endowment earnings.

A major recent achievement is the Open Door Fund campaign. Co-chaired by Past NCBA/NCBF Presidents Mark Holt (2020-21) and Caryn Coppedge McNeill (2017-18), the effort raised more than $1,016,630 to endow the Open Door Fellowship and related programming in perpetuity. The campaign responded to the 2020 Report on Relationships Between the NCBA and Systemic Racism and included founding donors, a Presidents’ Challenge, and Open Door Ambassadors.

In recognition of this leadership, Holt and McNeill received the 2025 NCBF Excellence Award—the first time anyone from North Carolina has received the honor. The award was presented at the 2025 NCBF Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Named endowment funds (Justice Funds, Lawyer Impact Funds, Liberty Funds), the Platt D. Walker Society for planned gifts, and Liberty Garden recognitions further sustain the work. Details are at ncbarfoundation.org/support.

Dedicated Leadership

The 2026-27 Board of Directors is led by President D. Beth Langley (Greensboro), President-Elect and Treasurer E. Brad Evans (Greenville), and Immediate Past President Rob Harrington (Charlotte). Executive Director and Secretary is Jason M. Hensley. Standing committee chairs include Endowment (Jon Heyl), Programs (Laura Davenport), and Development (Chris Browning). Full leadership and staff listings appear at ncbarfoundation.org/about-us.

Staff includes Foundation Senior Director Kim Bart Mullikin, Director of Programs Alex Rogers, Director of Development Michael Lowery, and others. Contact: 919.677.0561.

Looking Ahead

With strong volunteer engagement, a growing endowment, the secured Open Door Fellowship, and programs reaching nearly 20,000 North Carolinians annually, the North Carolina Bar Foundation continues to demonstrate the power of lawyer-driven philanthropy. It remains a vital member of the national bar foundation community.

Learn more, view impact reports, explore programs, or support the work at ncbarfoundation.org.

The National Conference of Bar Foundations proudly features the North Carolina Bar Foundation in this Member Spotlight. Thank you for more than six decades of service and for your lasting contributions to access to justice and the bar foundation community.