Meet Our Truist Foundation Western North Carolina Recovery and Resiliency Fund Grantee Partners
The Truist Foundation Western North Carolina Recovery and Resiliency Fund supports critical housing and small business recovery and long-term resiliency in communities devastated by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina.
Appalachian Community Capital Development Foundation was awarded $1 million to advance small business recovery and resilience in Western North Carolina through connection to community development financial institutions (CDFIs) as well as direct small business grant opportunities. Funds will also support technical assistance and organizational infrastructure development to sustain operations and strengthen planning around future disasters.
Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Commission Inc. Foundation received $250,000 for long-term economic recovery and small business resilience in Ashe, Avery and Watauga Counties. The funding will support direct subgrants and recovery trainings for small businesses.
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association received $200,000 to support independent farmers through their Western North Carolina Food System Recovery and Resilience Initiative. Funding will support small business grant opportunities, technical assistance, and tools and resources for farms impacted by Helene.
Children and Families Resource Center received $100,000 to support long-term housing recovery and supportive services through their disaster case navigation program in Henderson County.
Colaborativa La Milpa, as fiscal sponsor for PODER Emma, received $500,000 for long-term housing recovery in the Carolina Wren Housing Cooperative in the unincorporated Buncombe County community of Emma. The funding will support mobile home replacement and refurbishment. It will also support first-time homebuyer education and economic recovery initiatives.
High Country Caregiver Foundation received $350,000 for housing repair and replacement in Avery, Mitchell and Yancey Counties. The funding will support dozens of families enrolled in the organization’s kinship care case management system by repairing heavily impacted homes, including mobile homes. The initiative aims to stabilize housing to allow families to remain together and more fully participate in the organization’s support programs.
Invest Appalachia received $1 million for housing and small business recovery and support for community resilience hubs. Invest Appalachia will provide assistance and support for disaster recovery throughout Western North Carolina in response to Hurricane Helene.
Madison Alliance for Rebuilding Communities, through fiscal sponsor Community Housing Coalition of Madison County, received $488,625 for its Rebuild and Fortification Program. The funding will support direct repairs, rebuilds and mitigation, along with associated case management services, in rural Madison County communities.
Mennonite Disaster Service was awarded $300,000 to support the renovation of a church into a dormitory to house cohorts of up to 40 skilled volunteers who will deploy throughout the impacted region to repair and rebuild homes and private-access bridges.
Mitchell County Development Foundation received $510,000 to advance small business recovery. The funding will support small business grant opportunities in Spruce Pine and throughout the county to allow businesses to reopen or sustain operations.
Mountain BizCapital Inc. (aka Mountain BizWorks) received $1 million to support the long-term recovery and sustainability of small businesses in Western North Carolina. It will provide $750,000 in direct recovery grants and strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by offering continued technical assistance. It will help small businesses navigate the recovery process, ensuring they have the capital, resources and backing needed to rebuild and thrive. Focusing on immediate recovery and long-term resilience, this program aims to foster economic growth and stability across the region’s most impacted communities.
Mountain Housing Opportunities was awarded $1 million to focus on housing recovery efforts, especially for Hurricane Helene-impacted low-income individuals and households that own or rent homes in Buncombe County, North Carolina, and surrounding areas. Grant funding will assist Mountain Housing Opportunities with providing emergency repairs, tenant recovery navigation services, staff wellness initiatives, infrastructure repairs, and access to other available housing recovery programs and funding.
MountainTrue was awarded $750,000 to support waterway cleanup in Helene-impacted waterways. The initiatives will support small businesses that drive the outdoor recreation economy, monitor and help restore river water quality and enhance resiliency.
National Community Pharmacists Association Foundation received $300,000 to support independent community pharmacies throughout Western North Carolina as they recover from Helene. This funding will support equipment, technical assistance, certification and access to workforce development resources that will increase community resilience.
Northwestern Housing Enterprises, Inc., also known as Northwestern Regional Housing Authority (NWRHA), received $750,000 for long-term housing recovery. Funding will support the development of two affordable-housing communities in Yancey and Avery Counties.
Pisgah Legal Services received $400,000 to provide no-cost disaster-related legal services to survivors and eligible disaster-impacted nonprofit organizations across 18 counties in Western North Carolina.
SeekHealing received $275,000 to support community-led emotional and practical support, mental health and social wellness training, and recovery navigation. The grant will allow SeekHealing to activate “community superheroes” to facilitate social health programs in Asheville and Waynesville, North Carolina, coordinate mutual aid matchmaking efforts, and provide accessible and regular mental health first aid to survivors in their communities, particularly those who cannot access traditional clinical mental health services.
Swannanoa Communities Together, via fiscal sponsor Asheville Creative Arts, Inc., received $300,000 for housing recovery, case navigation services and community-led disaster recovery initiatives for the unincorporated Swannanoa Valley.
Transylvania Habitat for Humanity received $585,000 for housing recovery and case navigation services in Transylvania County. The funding will support sustainable long-term housing by delivering disaster-resilient housing solutions and reinforcing community infrastructure.
New grantee partners will be posted as additional grant funds are awarded.