We could hardly wait to share the news: GSK has selected the Eno River Association as one of ten Triangle-area recipients of the 2025 IMPACT Award! With the award of the $50,000 GSK is supporting ERA’s work building healthy communities by protecting the nature, culture, and history of the Eno River basin.
Our organization was selected by a panel of GSK and community leaders through a highly competitive process. The winning nonprofits have demonstrated that they improve community health through innovative ideas, measured outcomes, collaborative partnerships, and accountable leadership. The Eno River Association previously received the award in 2013. To date, GSK has awarded more than $17 million in unrestricted funding across the Triangle, NC and greater Philadelphia regions (GSK, 2025). Unrestricted funding allows nonprofits to use the funds for any purpose to further our work.
Hillary Harrison, ERA’s Director of Education and Engagement, said: “This award provides essential support for the Eno River Association’s ongoing efforts to protect and conserve the Eno River and its surrounding lands. It strengthens our capacity to care for the river basin through thoughtful stewardship, land protection, and education programs. This investment helps ensure the long-term health and resilience of the Eno for future generations.”
At the award ceremony on November 19, 2025, staff members from ERA joined 10 Triangle area nonprofits that address a variety of community health factors such as education, social support, nutrition, and affordable housing. The name “IMPACT” derives from the focus that winners must have demonstrated in their application submissions: Innovation, Management, Partnership, Achievement, Community Focus, and Targeting Need.
“The Eno River Association is honored to receive GSK’s Impact Award and thankful for the recognition of our good work over the last year,” said Eno River Association Executive Director Ryan Fehrman. “Between the Occaneechee Speedway transfer, the impact of Chantal, our environmental education work bringing the Eno River into the classroom, and multiple land protection projects, it has been a historic year for the Association. We appreciate GSK’s support and look forward to doing even more in 2026.”
As part of the GSK IMPACT Awards, the Eno River Association benefited from GSK’s new skills-based volunteering program, where employees offered expertise to help award-winning nonprofits tackle key challenges.
“GSK volunteers worked with us to refine a clear, scalable communications strategy that reflects our limited staff capacity. Together, we identified high-impact platforms to prioritize and outlined a phased approach to growing future capacity through interns, volunteers, automation tools, and ambassador programs,” said Hsi Chen, ERA’s Director of Development and Communications.
Media
Please direct media inquiries to Hsi Chen, (919) 695-1815; hsi@enoriver.org
