Teppers’ foundation makes its single-largest donation for food banks in NC, SC
The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation announced Wednesday that it has committed $10 million in grants to help fight food insecurity across the Carolinas.
That $10 million is the largest single commitment in the foundation’s history. The foundation was established by David and Nicole Tepper — the owners of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and MLS’s Charlotte FC — in 2020.
The money will be funding each of the 10 food banks in North Carolina and South Carolina, according to a press release. It comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture told states in early March that it canceled the government’s Local Food Purchase Assistance program — yielding a multimillion dollar funding gap for food banks across the Carolinas, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
“When we learned of the growing strain on our partner food banks, it was important for us to respond and to do so quickly,” the Teppers wrote in a joint statement. “Our communities are facing a food crisis and each of these organizations are on the front lines addressing that basic need. We want to ensure they have the resources to continue to serve a growing community who rely on them day in and day out.”
The food banks that will benefit from the commitment: Food Bank of the Albemarle, Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Golden Harvest Food Bank, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and Bank, Lowcountry Food Bank, MANNA Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Second Harvest FoodBank of Northwest North Carolina and Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina.
The group has dedicated resources to funding food insecurities for years. The foundation announced $1.3 million in annual grants in February 2025. It also collaborated with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and Bank to upgrade their farm’s irrigation system, among other needs, and also committed $3 million to Nourish Up last year to launch “Hunger Hub,” a new facility in Charlotte.
To the outside, the David & Nicole Tepper Foundation has evolved a lot in its five years. The foundation has a stake in a lot of community initiatives, from food insecurity to disaster relief and more. Disaster relief efforts were especially on display after the devastation of Helene in Western North Carolina. The group pledged $3 million in relief efforts in September. The owners also put on Concert For Carolina — which saw 82,193 fans buy tickets and $24.5 million raised for storm relief.
Still, “evolved” isn’t exactly the word Nicole Tepper would use when describing the work.
“I think we’ve been more open about what we’re doing,” Nicole told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday, after the announcement. “Initially, we were a bit more private. I guess you can say everything evolves, but I think, you know, it took me a little bit of time for me to open up on what we do.
“I always was holding it close to my heart because I never thought it needed to be announced or told. We just did what we do because we wanted to, and that’s what we loved to do, and thought, ‘Why do we have to tell people?’ As I got more seasoned in the industry, I got the understanding that if we do tell people, other people will start helping as well.
“I think maybe it’s a little bit of a combination of both. I think we were always there, and always doing it, and we are growing. But I think it was more just me getting comfortable with being able to share.”
That comfort was aided by the fact that the foundation’s partners have told the Teppers that they love it when the foundation’s actions are publicized, Nicole said. It shines a light on the charitable organizations and encourages others to help alongside the Teppers.
An announcement like Wednesday’s is a furtherance of a mission from the beginning, when the Teppers first purchased the Carolina Panthers in 2018, Nicole said.
“Coming to Carolina and doing philanthropy, it went hand-in-hand with being the ownership of this team,” she said. “It wasn’t, ‘We’re going to buy this team, and we have to do philanthropic work.’ It was kind of the opposite. It was like, ‘Oh wow, this is going to give me the opportunity to do this even more.’”
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM.
