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Open Door Fund

The NCBA+NCBF are committed to recognizing, respecting, promoting and encouraging diversity in the legal community.

The NCBF Open Door Fund and Fellowship demonstrate our ongoing commitment to address inequities in access to legal services and participation in the legal profession experienced by historically excluded or disadvantaged individuals and communities in North Carolina. The Open Door Fellowship, launched in 2023, signals a collective commitment and desire to welcome all who want to serve the people of North Carolina through the legal profession.

The goal of $1 million by June 30, 2025 will secure the Open Door Fund and provide for the Open Door Fellowship for many years to come.  Your gift or pledge will move us closer to this goal.  The Open Door Fund of the NCBF Endowment is made possible through the generous support of law firms, legal organizations, corporations and individuals across North Carolina.

Help us reach the $1,000,000 NCBF Open Door Fund goal

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Lend your support as a Champion for Change, Advocate or Benefactor –
contact us at [email protected].


$100,000 | Open Door Champions for Change

Recognition as an NCBF Open Door Fellowship presenting sponsor for 5 years; Recognition through NCBF Impact Report, website and social media; Opportunity to name two NCBF Endowment Justice Funds; and Special invitations to participate in NCBF diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

$50,000 | Open Door Advocates

Recognition through NCBF Impact Report, website and social media; Opportunity to name an NCBF Endowment Justice Fund; and Special invitations to participate in NCBF diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

$25,000 | Open Door Benefactors

Recognition through NCBF Impact Report, website and social media; Opportunity to name an NCBF Lawyer Impact Fund; and Special invitations to participate in NCBF diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
At the Open Door Advocates level ($50,000) and above, a Justice Fund may be named to recognize a legal professional of your choice, bolstering the Open Door Fund while celebrating an individual who exemplifies the value of diversity, equity and inclusion. Donate to an existing Justice Fund that supports the Open Door Fund, the Charles Becton Justice Fund and the Rosemary Kenyon Justice Fund.
Three new North Carolina Bar Foundation Endowment Justice Funds were dedicated on Thursday, May 16, during a Named Endowment Funds Dedication Ceremony at the N.C. Bar Center. The Justice Funds were established in honor of Charles L. Becton and Rosemary Gill Kenyon and in memory of Judge J. Herbert W. Small, who died in 2022 at the age of 96.
In June 2024, a group of NCBA+NCBF Presidents supported the launch of the Open Door Fund with a $100,000 collective gift challenge. The collective gift will be realized upon reaching a $100,000 matching gift goal through the generosity of NCBA members.