The Duke Endowment is pledging $15 million to help meet immediate relief needs in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina following Hurricane Helene.
Initial grants totaling $7.5 million will support two funds, the Charlotte-based endowment said. It will send $5 million to the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Emergency and Disaster Response Fund, which serves 18 western N.C. counties through local nonprofits. Another $2.5 million will go to the Central Carolina Community Foundation’s One SC Fund, which works with nonprofit organizations in South Carolina.
“It has been overwhelming to see the devastation in Western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina,” endowment board chair Charles Lucas III said in a release. “Our hope is that these initial dollars will go towards addressing short-term and urgent needs for those affected. As the region transitions to recovery and rebuilding, this is the right way to start.”
The endowment staff will be studying groups that may receive the other $7.5 million, including for longer-term recovery and rebuilding, says Rhett Mabry, the endowment’s president.
“It is not hyperbole to say this is a once-in-a-century disaster,” Mabry said. “With so much work ahead to respond, recover and rebuild, our team continues to be in conversation with partners and other funders about how we can best work together to address the devastation in these communities.”
Many corporations and nonprofit groups have committed resources related to the Hurricane Helene recovery. The Duke Endowment pledge is among the largest to date. The Asheville-based Dogwood Health Trust has pledged $30 million.
Tobacco and textiles magnate James B. Duke formed the endowment in 1924. It has provided $4.8 billion in grants since then, much of it to universities and churches. The endowment had assets of $4.9 billion as of Dec. 31. It is distinct from Duke University, which has assets topping $12 billion.