Duke Endowment commits $15 million to Hurricane Helene relief efforts | Philanthropy news

Charlotte-based Duke Endowment has announced a $15 million commitment to relief efforts in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina following Hurricane Helene.

Initial grants totaling $7.5 million will support two funds established to work with organizations across the Carolinas. Five million will go 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 to provide food, housing, and other relief in South Carolina. Staff will be vetting organizations that might receive the remaining $7.5 million in immediate relief funding.

“It has been overwhelming to see the devastation in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina,” said Duke Endowment board of trustees chair Charles C. Lucas III.  “Our hope is that these initial dollars will go toward addressing short-term and urgent needs for those affected. As the region transitions to recovery and rebuilding, this is the right way to start.”

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