Jacob Pruitt
Fidelity Charitable president Jacob Pruitt prefers to keep a low public profile, rarely granting interviews. But as head of the nation's largest donor-advised fund and the biggest grantmaker in the U.S., his actions speak loudly in the world of philanthropy.
Donor advised funds are investment funds through which donors make philanthropic grants—donors get an upfront tax deduction but can disburse the money when and how they please—and the sums that Fidelity Charitable takes in and pays out are staggering and growing fast. As of June 30, 2024, it held about $66.8 billion in assets and last year it made nearly 2.7 million grants totaling nearly $15 billion—surpassing the Gates Foundation's 2024 $8.6 billion giving budget. That $15 billion represented a 25% increase in grants over 2023, and included nearly $50 million in disaster relief for Hurricanes Milton and Helene, with the greatest number of grants going to religious and human services organizations and the largest dollar amounts donated to groups that focus on education and benefits to society.
Pruitt, a former Marine who became president of Fidelity Charitable in 2021, has made technology a keynote of his tenure. Almost all its donations last year were processed digitally, and he has welcomed donations in the form of cryptocurrency. Last year Fidelity Charitable took in $786 million in crypto from donors—which, Pruitt said in the fund's annual report, unlocks a new way of giving.
Of the fund's banner year, Pruitt said: 'With the incredible acceleration of giving in 2024, donors demonstrated unwavering commitment to the communities and nonprofits they care about, reminding us of the power of kindness and shared humanity.'
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Asheville breweries win World Beer Cup gold, silver medals: Here's why they won
ASHEVILLE - In a global blind taste test, North Carolina breweries competed against breweries representing 49 countries, earning 11 medals in the prestigious World Beer Cup awards program known as "the Olympics of beer competitions." Four medals were awarded to Asheville area beer companies: Diatribe, Highland, Hi-Wire and Sierra Nevada. The Brewers Association received 8,375 entries from 1,761 breweries that were judged over 14 sessions by 265 industry experts. Winners were announced at the 2025 World Beer Cup award ceremony on May 1 during the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America in Indianapolis. The local brewing teams shared details about their award-winning beers and how bringing home the medals is a win for the Asheville area brewing community, particularly after a challenging season following last fall's Tropical Storm Helene. 1042 Haywood Road, West Asheville. Diatribe Brewing Co. won the gold medal in the Chocolate Beer category for its Chocolate Porter. Diatribe opened in 2023 with an American Porter that's been a taproom guest favorite and earned the West Asheville brewery a gold medal in the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Dave Byer, co-owner and brewer, said he began with that base to build the Chocolate Porter, using imported cocoa nibs, testing different techniques, and then introducing varieties to guests. "It's been a fun journey with us and with our customers, and everyone weighing in on what's their favorite, Byer said. "It's been a big group effort to create this beer, seeing what we love, and taking nibs that worked and putting them in our award-winning porter." Byer said he's witnessed Asheville's brewing industry strengthen for over a decade to compete on the world's stage. He said Helene was another example of the community's resilience. The Chocolate Porter was one of the first batches of beer Byer brewed after water was restored several weeks after the storm. He attributed the community's support to keeping the brewery open and thriving. Betty Dunajski, co-owner and taproom manager, said the brewery will be one of the participating locations, hosting events during AVL Beer Week, May 15-29. "We always have fun experiments and different ways for people to connect with beer, whether it's different ingredients or different ways of serving beer," she said." We like to get our customers and community involved." The Chocolate Porter is available exclusively served in the taproom. It's seasonal, and supplies are limited. 12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Asheville. Highland Brewing Co. won the gold medal in the German-style Kölsch category for its Daycation Gold. "The German-style Kölsch category is highly nuanced," said Nikki Mitchell, vice president of brand development. "It's such a delicate beer. To win for 'Gold' fills me and everyone at Highland with a huge amount of pride." Daycation Gold was introduced in 2021 as a small-batch Kölsch named Distance Driver, which won gold at the 2022 Best of Craft Beer Awards. It was designed to quench the thirst of disc golfers at Highland's East Asheville campus. Due to demand, it continued to be brewed. This spring, a revamped and rebranded brew version was released as Daycation Gold, under the same session beer umbrella as Daycation IPA. It's available in the taproom and for retail sale. Innovation Brewing Manager, Josh Jiles, said it's a technical, challenging beer to brew, but when done correctly, it should be refreshing and bright. "Daycation hits that perfect sweet spot," Jiles said. "It's clean, crisp, incredibly well-balanced." Jiles said Helene significantly impacted Asheville's brewery industry, as there was little to no water to brew. He commended the beer community for working hard to get back on its feet. "We're all pretty crafty. Asheville produces some of the world's best beers, and every brewer should be proud of that," Jiles said. "It's a good win for the community." Various locations, including 2A Hunstman Place, Biltmore Village. Hi-Wire Brewing Co. won the silver medal for its Hi-Wire Lager in the International-Style Pilsner category. This is the seventh World Beer Cup award the brewery, founded in 2013 in Asheville, has earned. "This one is different for us than the others," said Adam Charnack, co-founder. "The Hi-Wire Lager is the first beer we ever made. ... It's everything about our brand that we love." Charnack said the lager is the ideal representation of the brewery, describing the brew as timeless, classic, simple, complicated, and easy-drinking. It's the brewery's bestselling beer in its taprooms. He said winning the World Beer Cup award this year heightened the emotions from Helene, and it's a chapter-turner for Hi-Wire, as it recovers. In May, Hi-Wire will reopen its beer garden in the River Arts District, which was devastated during the historic storm. "We're beyond ecstatic," Charnack said. "We can't be more proud." 100 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. won the gold medal for its Weizenbock in the South German-Style Weizenbock category. It also earned the gold medal at the 2024 competition and the Great American Beer Fest in 2024. 'It's a wonderful example of the beer style," Brian Grossman, chief brewer and second-generation brewery owner at Sierra Nevada, said in an email. "It is brewed using traditional techniques, and it showcases an authentic German yeast strain that came from our long-time friends at a historic Bavarian brewery. It is a testament to our brewing team's hard work and dedication to premium quality craft brewing.' 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10 hours ago
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The Email Chain Heard 'Round the Corps: Top Enlisted Leader Makes Surprise Visit to Corporal's Graduation
Cpl. Andrew Hundley never expected fame, but after becoming a Marine Corps sensation overnight, he wields it with humility and gratitude. In mid-April, Hundley's staff noncommissioned officer attempted to route a military certificate he completed up the chain so he could get a spot in a Marine Corps program designed to give up-and-coming leaders the skills to take on greater roles within the service. But the email got sent forcewide, setting off a chain of hundreds of responses from Marines across the fleet and lighting social media ablaze with memes and fraternal adulation only members of the amphibious service can dish out. Read Next: Army Faces Backlash over Plan to Divert Barracks Funds to Border Mission On Thursday, Hundley, 24 years old and a cyberspace warfare operator from Colorado, graduated from that program, known as the Corporals Course, and the top enlisted leader of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. 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In the immediate aftermath, he said his leadership checked in on him, and then together they eventually leaned into the joke. "They took off with it and were super supportive about it," he said. "They didn't start making jokes or anything, they called me to ask if I was OK and they wanted to make sure I was doing OK." Soon, Hundley started getting requests to sign his certificate. The Marine Corps' official Instagram page got in on the joke in a post, declaring "take me off this distro" in the caption. Marines and veterans took to social media with memes, but ones that were wrapped in the congratulatory ribbing common to the Corps. "At least of my experience with the Marine Corps, we know when to be serious and that we know sometimes when it's a good time to not be serious," Hundley said. "It's a big community out there; everyone I've come across has been really motivational to talk to about [it], and I think it's a great way that we develop this because it's like friends and brother and sibling, how you have that humor with each other." After Ruiz posted to social media a video of his attendance at the Corporals Course graduation, Hundley said he started getting messages of support and congratulations from across the country, from Marines and veterans, too. He had heard rumors that Ruiz would be attending, but knew he had "so much stuff on his plate" that he wasn't certain. But he ended up being "completely amazed" -- and a little nervous -- that Ruiz attended and appreciated that he was there to celebrate with them. "To me, supporting our Marines in their endeavor to become [professional military education] complete was the win," Ruiz told through a spokesperson Thursday, referring to courses Marines take throughout their careers as they advance through the ranks. "We are Marines, and being a Marine can be difficult. As leaders, if we can take an opportunity like this and turn it into something positive that raises morale, then we should do it." Ruiz said that he too received the email chain and had "a good laugh" about a petition that received more than a thousand signatures to get the commandant of the Marine Corps to come to the graduation ceremony. Hundley said one his favorite replies to the email chain went something like, "I don't even breathe 8th comm air, why am I seeing this" in a request to get off of the distro list, referring to the 8th Communication Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where Hundley serves as a mission element leader in his platoon. He joined the Marine Corps in 2021, initially wanting to be a pilot in the Air Force. But a Marine Corps recruiter told him about opportunities in cyber after learning that Hundley enjoys building out computers as a hobby. Having worked with animals growing up, he said he intends to start volunteering at an animal shelter in North Carolina as part of his next steps and is looking forward to finishing his five-year contract in the Marine Corps, wanting to "give back … as much as I can" in that time period, before looking at other cyber opportunities in the government or private sector. "I didn't want this kind of thing to take away from the experience of all the other corporals that were going in that course with me, because they worked so hard," Hundley said. "They were amazing people, every one of them in their own different ways. And they were so inspirational. They deserved more fame than I ever got from it, even just that little bit." He was promoted to corporal last year and has thought a lot about the leader he is and wants to continue to be. Of the email saga, he said that he learned it's OK to not be "super serious all the time" and that part of being human is to "sit back and laugh" about the absurdities of life. "There's a lot of things I don't know, and I want to inspire growth in all of my Marines that I'm leading," he said. "I want them to know that they're amazing in their own ways, and that they have valued input and ideas. I want to inspire them to grow as their own human beings and leaders." Related: Marine Corps Releases New Details on Drone Competitions Coming to Bases Around the World
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N.C. Attorney General Wins Injunction to Support Western N.C.
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