The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) has awarded three new grants totaling $1.65 million to support Hurricane Helene recovery services across Western North Carolina. These latest disbursements bring the total aid distributed from CFWNC’s Emergency and Disaster Response Fund (EDRF) since October 7 to $37,278,515.
The first grant of $50,000 was awarded to the First United Methodist Church of Waynesville to assist in home repairs and provide temporary housing for individuals whose residences were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene.
A second grant of $100,000 was provided to Lake Junaluska Assembly for the replacement of a debris collection boom at the Richland Creek inlet. The new custom-designed boom will enhance the area’s ability to manage debris in future high-water events, contributing to disaster mitigation and environmental protection.
The largest grant—$1.5 million—was awarded to the Southwestern Commission Council of Governments. This funding will be used to contract engineering firms to produce Preliminary Engineering Reports (PERs) for local governments. These reports are essential prerequisites for accessing funds under the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) FY 2025 Disaster Supplemental program. The PERs will assess the feasibility, scope, and costs of proposed infrastructure and workforce development projects, helping small and rural municipalities—many of which lack technical or financial capacity—to apply for long-term resilience funding.
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