Leadership, innovation & entrepreneurship

Prepare bold leaders and innovators to turn ideas into action and create positive change in the world.

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Your support fuels discovery and invention

Thanks to your support, students and faculty at Carolina are devising solutions to today’s most pressing needs. Through entrepreneurship, research, startups and industry partnerships, innovators are moving discoveries from campus to market to address real-world challenges and create lasting economic and social impact across North Carolina and beyond.

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Developing leaders

Help students emerge as leaders in their respective fields through extracurricular programming and resources.

Driving innovation

Connect students with the technologies that will help bring their ideas to fruition.

Cultivating entrepreneurship

Provide support to transform ideas into market products and services.

Investing in technology

Equip scholars with the emerging technologies that will deepen field knowledge.

Bringing research to market

Bridge the gap between research findings and market solutions.

Solving real-world challenges

Support initiatives that provide solutions to real-world problems.

A Thorpe Undergraduate Internship allowed D.J. Murphy to pursue a lifelong dream and passion

Through the UNC School of Education’s Human and Organizational Leadership Development (HOLD) program, D.J. Murphy built upon his academic and professional interests through interactive experiences that cultivated his leadership skills and knowledge in public safety.

Read D.J. Murphy's story

Your support in action

See related stories

Leadership, Innovation & Entrepreneurship

4 min read

Eyes on the brain

Carolina researchers use smart glasses to peer into the mind.

Person stands at a group of table with two others.

Arts, Culture & Humanities

3 min read

Carolina alum brings art and business together

Inspired by her own experience, Ami Patel founded Gallery Box, a company that hosts artist-led workshops where people live or work.

Five ACRED members stand behind a table.

Leadership, Innovation & Entrepreneurship

5 min read

Alumni Q&A with Oliver Pau

The founder of the plant-based food business Dojo Fresh shares his Carolina story and why he volunteers as a member of ACRED.

Support leadership, innovation & entrepreneurship

Your support can bring the innovation happening at Carolina to the next level. Help pave the way for students and faculty alike to bring ideas to the forefront of public conversation.

See related funds

Morehead-Cain Scholarship Fund

Provide support for the Morehead-Cain Program at Carolina, the first program of its kind in the United States. Morehead-Cain identifies the most promising young leaders across our state, nation and world, and invests in a transformational college experience at Carolina that prepares them for a lifetime of impact.

Innovate Carolina Social Innovation Collaborative

Supports students and faculty pursuing ventures to benefit the public good and address social issues.

Applied Physical Sciences Gift Fund

Provides flexible, unrestricted financial support for the Department of Applied Physical Sciences, helping the department address immediate needs, support student and faculty research, and fund educational priorities.

Edward G. Holley Student Research Fund

Provides support for student research awards, especially for expenses incurred for research on the master's thesis.

Contact us

Have questions or want to explore how your giving can make the greatest impact? We welcome the opportunity to connect and learn more about what inspires you. Reach out to start a conversation about your philanthropic goals and how you can support leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Send us a message