Truist Foundation Western NC Recovery and Resiliency Fund

Hurricane Helene devastated communities in Western North Carolina. Thanks to Truist Foundation’s commitment to helping affected communities, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy will support housing and small business recovery and resilience in the region.

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm on September 26, 2024, near Perry, Florida, and moved quickly inland, bringing life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rains across the southeastern U.S. Some of the hardest-hit areas are in Western North Carolina, where flooding destroyed or damaged more than 250,000 homes across 39 counties, with economic impacts reaching $53 billion.

In response, Truist Foundation awarded CDP a $21 million grant as a part of its overall commitment to support and sustain Hurricane Helene recovery and resilience in Western North Carolina.

Through the Truist Foundation Western North Carolina Recovery and Resiliency Fund, CDP will address medium- and long-term needs to help strengthen the region’s housing and small businesses. Our grantmaking will be guided by our assessment of damages, systemic marginalization, community capacity and unmet needs to support the area’s equitable recovery.

(Photo: Damage from Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Truist Foundation)

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Housing & small business

The fund will support:

Housing repair and risk mitigation from extended displacement or homelessness for low-income and other populations.
Disaster navigation services specific to housing and small business recovery, including specialized support to manage the complexity of accessing resources equitably.
The unique and unmet needs of rural and other marginalized communities that are not receiving the level of attention or support that larger towns and cities receive.
Housing justice, including preventing post-disaster gentrification and the post-disaster displacement cycle that typically follow disasters, especially in tourism-heavy economies.

Resiliency support for thriving and sustainable communities

We will focus on:

Trauma-informed care for the people most frequently affected by disasters in these areas, as well as for those organizations charged with supporting recovery.
Legal services that allow survivors to access the full range of recovery services offered.
Replacement of critical infrastructure, especially those considered private or not maintained by government entities, to ensure rural and other underserved communities can access services and recovery organizations can access those most in need.

With support from the Truist Foundation Western North Carolina Recovery and Resiliency Fund, our grantee partners are addressing medium- and long-term needs in communities devastated by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina.

Meet our grantee partners

Connect with us

For more information about post-Hurricane Helene needs in Western North Carolina and to learn about available financial and non-financial resources, contact our Domestic Funds Team.

To learn more about the Truist Foundation Western NC Recovery and Resiliency Fund, please contact our Development Team.

Grantmaking

Grantmaking from this fund supports medium- and long-term recovery and resilience-building efforts in Western North Carolina communities affected by Helene. Grants are awarded to 501c3 organizations based in North Carolina or with a demonstrated affiliation or partnership and ongoing work in North Carolina, and with the ability to provide due diligence documentation.

We do not accept unsolicited proposals. The results of our assessments determine which nonprofit organizations will be invited to apply for funding. Learn more about our grantmaking process.