A Wilmington program that has spent more than three decades helping pregnant and parenting teens stay in school and avoid a second pregnancy is now searching for new money after losing its biggest grant. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic's Adolescent Parenting Program currently serves 17 young women in the Wilmington area, and the $200,000 investment that helped sustain it has run out.
The New Hanover Community Endowment awarded Planned Parenthood $200,000 in 2024 — $100,000 a year over two years — to support the program, according to StarNews. That grant, which Amber Rogerson, the Endowment's communications director, confirmed was awarded to support the Adolescent Parenting Program, has since ended, and the Endowment has decided not to move forward with another application for the program at this time, according to Leigh Johnson, director of philanthropy for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic – Eastern NC. The Raleigh News & Observer also reported on the funding gap.
Johnson said staff at Planned Parenthood South Atlantic were disappointed by the Endowment's funding decision. She added, though, that the moment could create an opportunity for local and regional funders to step in and invest in the program. For now, Planned Parenthood is using general operating funds and unrestricted donations to keep the program running while it seeks new grants and individual donor support.
What the Program Actually Does
The Adolescent Parenting Program is designed to help pregnant and parenting teens stay in school, connect with services in the community, and access the education, support and resources needed to delay a second pregnancy until they are ready. Dana King coordinates the program, which is offered through Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. Grant funds from the Endowment specifically supported home visits, education, healthcare access and resource connections for participants, per Rogerson, and according to the Endowment's own grantee page, the money was intended to fund those same services.
Johnson said the program met or exceeded every grant goal and directly advanced the Endowment's social and health equity pillar, per an email cited by the newspaper. Under the grant, five teen mothers and one teen father earned their high school diplomas or equivalent, and the program also strengthened its partnerships with Cape Fear Community College, Johnson said.
A Three-Decade Track Record in New Hanover County
Planned Parenthood has run the program for pregnant and parenting teens in New Hanover County for more than 30 years. That history matters against a backdrop where, nationally, only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by age 22, compared with 90% of women who did not give birth as teens, the newspaper's reporting notes.
Johnson said the 2023 rate of repeat teen pregnancies in New Hanover County came in lower than the statewide average, a result she attributes in part to the program's focus on delaying second pregnancies. Statewide, North Carolina recorded 4,675 births to mothers ages 15 to 19, out of an estimated female population of 355,037 in that age group, putting the state's teen birth rate at 14.3 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19, per the same StarNews report.
No Clear Replacement in Sight
Johnson said no replacement funding source is currently positioned to match the Endowment's investment, a point echoed elsewhere in the StarNews reporting noting that no other funder is positioned to replace the Endowment's support at the same level. Rogerson said the Endowment does not comment on potential funding decisions, grantee discussions or future plans, but added that the organization remains committed to improving New Hanover County residents' well-being through strategic, community-informed investments.
The original reporting on the funding gap, by community engagement editor Renee Spencer, was produced in partnership with the Coastal Journalism Hub, which focuses on health and wellbeing in New Hanover County, and was first published by the Wilmington StarNews. For now, the 17 young women enrolled in the Adolescent Parenting Program continue receiving services as Planned Parenthood works to line up new grants and donors to keep the three-decade-old effort going.
