NC Community Foundation receives $7.5M gift from Lilly Endowment for Disaster Relief Fund
The North Carolina Community Foundation has received a $7.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support its long-term Disaster Relief Fund in the wake of the unprecedented devastation in western North Carolina due to Hurricane Helene.
The fund will provide grants to eligible organizations supporting recovery needs over the months and years ahead in western North Carolina communities.
The first grants will be awarded from the fund in early 2025. Grants will go to charitable organizations and government entities in western North Carolina communities that:
- Address long-term recovery and resiliency
- Meet unmet needs that are not being fulfilled by other resources
- Build stronger and more prepared communities
A key method for the distribution of funds will be through NCCF’s affiliate foundations in western North Carolina. Given the scope of the disaster, grants may also be awarded in communities not typically served by NCCF.
Grants may also be made to organizations that serve the long-term disaster recovery needs of multiple counties or that will conduct larger-scale projects in targeted areas.
More information about the grantmaking process will be released in early 2025.
“We are extremely grateful to Lilly Endowment for its investment in the recovery of western North Carolina,” said Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, NCCF President and CEO. “Our Disaster Relief Fund will complement efforts already underway and support unmet needs.”
In addition to the grant to North Carolina Community Foundation, Lilly Endowment made $15 million in grants to the American Red Cross ($5 million) and The Salvation Army ($10 million) to support their disaster response efforts in the wake of both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. For more than 75 years, Lilly Endowment has made grants to help select nonprofit organizations respond to natural disasters and other crises and to help them build their capacity to respond to disasters large and small.
Additional donations to the North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund have come from individuals, foundations and businesses, bringing the fund’s total to over $10 million.
That is the largest amount ever raised by NCCF in support of disaster relief. Approximately $5 million in grants have been provided by the fund to charitable organizations since it began after Hurricane Fran in 1996. After Hurricane Florence in 2018, the fund awarded 153 grants to nonprofit organizations totaling $3.25 million.
NCCF is still accepting donations for the Disaster Relief Fund. Donations are tax deductible, and no portion of the money raised will be used for NCCF’s administrative or operational expenses.
Donations can be made by:
- Mailing a check to NCCF at 3737 Glenwood Ave., Suite 460, Raleigh, NC 27612. Write “Disaster Relief” on the memo line of your check.
Those needing assistance with their donation can call 919-828-4387 or 800-532-1349 or email info@nccommunityfoundation.org.
Learn more about the NCCF Disaster Relief Fund and NCCF’s Hurricane Helene response at nccommunityfoundation.org/Helene.
About the North Carolina Community Foundation
The North Carolina Community Foundation brings together generous people and connects them to causes and organizations they care about, with a focus on inspiring lasting and meaningful philanthropy in the state’s rural communities.
With $460 million in assets, NCCF sustains nearly 1,300 endowments and partners with donors and a network of affiliates in 60 counties to strengthen our state. By stewarding and growing donors’ gifts, NCCF makes a powerful impact through a robust grants and scholarships program, awarding over $300 million since 1988.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.