Autism Society receives $4,500

Arts & Science Council, Charlotte, invested $50,000 among 20 regional performing and literary artists through Regional Artist Project Grant program.

SouthWood Corporation awarded $5,000 grant to Charlotte Rescue Mission for design, fabrication and installation of signage at its location at 907 West First St.

Wake Technical Community College awarded $555,680 by National Science Foundation for new five-year program to help meet region's growing demand for skilled workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Douglas G. and Edna Truitt Noiles of New Canaan, Conn., gave $1 million to Elon University to support  Elon Academy, university-run college-access program for Alamance County high school students.

Winston-Salem Foundation making $489,188, including $150,000 to The Children's Home; $93,750 to Senior Services Inc.; $35,000 to Shepherd's Center of Greater Winston-Salem; $10,000 to University of North Carolina School of the Arts; $125,000 to Winston-Salem Community Development Support Collaborative; $28,438 to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools; and $47,000 to YWCA of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County.

High Point University will donate to nonprofits any or all of 22 homes it has purchased in two-block area adjacent to campus for future Greek Village.

Triad Golfers Against Cancer giving $219,000 in research grants, raised at annual Triad Dinner for Cancer Research, to comprehensive cancer research centers at UNC-CH, Duke and Wake Forest universities, and to Brody School of Medicine at ECU.

Crisis Assistance Ministry, Charlotte, received record-high 15,600 coats and blankets donated by neighborhoods, faith and civic groups, school children, local businesses and others to help people in crisis this winter.

Teach For America and Leon Levine Foundation announced inaugural class of five Levine Fellows; foundation in June awarded $1 million to Teach For America to be distributed over next three years.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received $1.5 million from GlaxoSmithKline to convert Star Theater, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, from analog to fulldome digital video technology; theater to be renamed GlaxoSmithKline Fulldome Theater.

Cary Family YMCA received $5,000 from JCPenney Afterschool Fund for program for children at Briercliff Elementary School.

Arts & Science Council, Charleotte, and DonorsChoose.org will provide dollar-for-dollar match to donations from individuals to support arts, science and history-based projects submitted at www.donorschoose.org/asc by teachers in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Wake County Commissioners disbursed $50,000, second installment on $250,000 multi-year pledge to Wake Tech Foundation for program to help former foster children in Wake County earn degrees from Wake Technical Community College; foundation in December also received anonymous $10,000 check for the program, which has over $600,000 in total commitments, including from AT&T and SAS Institute.

Smart Start partnerships in Durham, Onslow and Sampson counties received total of $6.2 million in federal stimulus funding to help expand Early Head Start programs across North Carolina.

Triangle New School Foundation to receive $30,000 grants from CVS Caremark Charitable Trust.