Grants still available for nonprofits impacted by flooding, helping with flood relief

HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Grants are still available for nonprofit organizations in the mountains that are helping with flood relief or were impacted by flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred.

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) opened up the application process for the grants on August 25. Several businesses and organizations in the area have contributed to the fund for the grants, like Dogwood Health Trust, which contributed $500,000.

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So far, Tara Scholtz, the Senior Program Officer for CFWNC, said they've awarded grants to 9 nonprofits for a total award of about $142,000. She said they're trying to fill the gaps that federal and state aid won't cover. The grants are helping organizations serving a variety of needs, from mental health counseling to shelter.

"We've also had some significant organizations in the Canton community who were directly impacted such as the senior center, a childcare center, another childcare center in Transylvania, and the Community Kitchen. Those all received flooding themselves and we've done what we could to try to get them back operable so they can keep providing their services to the community," Scholtz said.

She said applications have been slow to come in so far, but about $500,000 still remains in funding for the grants. They'll keep the applications open until the money runs out.

"I'm expecting that the next week or two it'll pick up. It felt like people were finally starting to be able to sort through what support might be coming from other sources and where there might be gaps," Scholtz said.

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They're prioritizing grants for nonprofits in Haywood, Buncombe and Transylvania Counties. Scholtz says it's a quick turnaround; it only takes about a week for them to review an application and get the money out to the organization. Grants are typically $10,000 or less, but they are considering larger grants for certain organizations that are serving a variety of needs.

Head over towww.cfwnc.org to apply.