Duke Energy supports western North Carolina recovery efforts with $500,000 in grants to local nonprofits

• Funding will support home rebuilding, debris removal, mental health services and other community needs
• Grants of $25,000 each awarded to 20 high-impact local nonprofits focused on long-term recovery

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to supporting a full recovery in western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene, Duke Energy Foundation today announced $500,000 in new funding to 20 local nonprofits.

The organizations receiving funding are meeting expansive community needs, including completing structural repairs, building new homes and rebuilding damaged ones, removing storm debris, providing mental health services, rehabilitating waterways and more.

Making an impact

The Mountain Strong Yancey and Mitchell County Relief Team, which established a field hospital in the aftermath of the storm, is now meeting the community's long-term needs, including repairing private access roads damaged by flooding.

"This support will have a direct and meaningful impact on our community, allowing us to repair critical access ways and back roads that serve multiple families and connect residents to essential locations including grocery stores, schools and medical clinics," said Carol Tyler, who serves as the group's president. "Reliable infrastructure is the backbone of a resilient community, and with this funding, we will be able to ensure safer, more dependable routes for those who rely on them daily."

Asheville-based GreenWorks is helping property owners who do not qualify for traditional disaster assistance programs remove flood debris.

"Many property owners who still need help with flood debris removal do not have the resources needed to clean up their properties," said Eric Bradford, director of operations. "Duke Energy's support will help fill that gap and meet the needs of many residents who suffered damage from Hurricane Helene."

The big picture

Six months after Hurricane Helene's impact, Duke Energy continues working to rebuild  infrastructure, protect grid reliability and assist customers and communities as they recover.

"In the face of Helene's historic damage, we have been in awe of the resilience and teamwork of our mountain communities," said Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "As we work to restrengthen the electric grid in western North Carolina, we will continue joining together with nonprofit partners to help build back our communities piece by piece."

A video update from Bowman on Duke Energy's approach to grid restrengthening and long-term recovery in western North Carolina is available here.

Grant recipients

A list of all organizations receiving $25,000 grants can be found below.

• All Souls Counseling Center
• Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity
• Asheville Greenworks
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina
• Camp Grier
• Community Housing Coalition of Madison County
• Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
• Friends of the Land of Sky Regional Council
• Haywood Waterways Association
• Henderson Housing Assistance Corporation
• Mountain Aid Project
• Mountain Housing Opportunities
• Mountain Strong Yancey & Mitchell County Relief Team
• Riverlink
• Rutherford Housing Partnership
• Transylvania Habitat for Humanity
• United Way of Asheville & Buncombe County
• United Way of Haywood County
• Western Carolina Rescue Ministries
• YMCA of Western North Carolina

Duke Energy Foundation
Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious energy transition, keeping customer reliability and value at the forefront as it builds a smarter energy future. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including natural gas, nuclear, renewables and energy storage.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.

Contact: Garrett Poorman
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DukeEnergyNC 

SOURCE Duke Energy