$115,000 In Grants Made To Smithfield Selma High School

Fund has provided over $500,000 to Johnston County schools since 2018

JOHNSTON COUNTY – The Nan Ogburn Cullman Education Endowment for Johnston County, a fund of the North Carolina Community Foundation, awarded $115,240 in grants to Smithfield-Selma High School in Johnston County.

In 2024, grants of up to $10,000 each were awarded to 14 different programs or projects at the school. Grants ranged from the purchase of new instruments for the school’s band, to a business leadership program, to helping the IB Diploma Programme partner with a high school in Denmark, supporting women in STEM, and more.

The endowment supports public education in Johnston County in the areas of art, travel and leadership. For 2024, the applications were open to full-time teachers and staff of Smithfield-Selma High School. It was established through the estate of the late Nan Ogburn Cullman, a Johnston County native who led an extraordinary life as a professional singer and civic leader in Westchester County, NY, and was a worldwide traveler and explorer.

Since its founding, the endowment has awarded over $500,000 in grants to the school, funding experiences including an annual three-day leadership retreat for students, a field trips to the National Museum of African American History and Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC, and college tours.

“The leadership retreat has been the highlight of my high school experience. The first year of this retreat helped me realize I was not alone during a part of my life that I felt most isolated,” said a past student participant and retreat leader. “Being able to plan a whole weekend full of activities has helped me improve my social skills and leadership at work, in girl scouts, in student government and in just everyday life situations.”

Funds are awarded by a seven-member committee including one member each from the Board of Commissioners, Johnston County Principal’s Association, Johnston County Education Foundation, Johnston County Art’s Council, Smithfield-Selma High School Principal, Johnston County Community Foundation Advisory Board, and a representative from the Cullman family.

“We’re proud to have reached this milestone of half a million dollars awarded to Johnston County students and teachers and we look forward to providing support through this fund for years to come,” said Oliver Johnson, JCCF advisory board representative to the grants committee.

“My mother loved Johnston County, believing education was the key to dreaming big and going far,” said Cullman’s daughter and grants committee member Kate Hedges. “Working with NCCF, the grants committee and Smithfield-Selma High School to provide enhanced educational opportunities for students continues to be an inspiring way to bring my mother’s conviction to life.”