Image from Truist.com
Truist Foundation announced it will partner with Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) to provide more than $20 million in disaster recovery grants in western North Carolina as part of the Truist Cares for Western North Carolina initiative.
Flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which hit in September 2024, destroyed or damaged more than 250,000 homes across 39 counties in western North Carolina with economic impacts reaching an estimated $53 billion. The grants are intended to provide resources to help support and sustain housing and small business recovery and long-term resiliency in the region.
Nonprofits will be invited to apply for funding based on the results of CDP’s assessments. To learn more or to submit a nonprofit organization interest form, click here.
“Truist Foundation is dedicated to helping communities after disasters strike, and this collaboration represents a significant step forward in our effort to help western North Carolina recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene,” Lynette Bell, president of Truist Foundation, said via a statement. “By joining forces with Center for Disaster Philanthropy and other trusted partners, we can leverage our collective resources and expertise to address critical areas of need, including supporting families with rebuilding homes and entrepreneurs with restoring their businesses. Together, we are committed to making community-driven grants to create an even stronger, more resilient region.”
Through the Truist Foundation Western North Carolina Recovery and Resiliency Fund, CDP will provide grants during the next several years to address medium- and long-term needs to help strengthen the region’s housing and small businesses. Grantmaking decisions will be guided by CDP’s assessment of damages as well as community capacity and unmet needs to support the area’s recovery, according to information in the announcement.
“We are incredibly grateful to Truist Foundation for its commitment to the recovery needs of communities devastated by Hurricane Helene,” Patricia McIlreavy president & CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, said via a statement. “This significant investment in the people of western North Carolina allows us to strategically support the long-term needs of the area through comprehensive solutions that address the many aspects of recovery so that survivors can rebuild stronger. In taking this approach, we also ensure that communities are better positioned to withstand the next disaster.”
As part of the Truist Cares for Western North Carolina initiative, Truist Foundation will also provide grants to The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina for its Emergency and Disaster Response Fund, which will help nonprofits mitigate impacts of Hurricane Helene, and the American Red Cross for its long-term recovery program, which helps families and communities continue to rebuild in the months and years after disasters, including hurricanes.
For more information on this initiative, visit Truist.com/TruistCares.
