Press release from the WNC Bridge Foundation:
WNC Bridge Foundation along with The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) and Dogwood Health Trust are combining resources to activate an Emergency and Disaster Response Fund to strategically disburse funds to address COVID-19 pandemic response and relief efforts in 18 counties of Western North Carolina including the Qualla Boundary.
With an official state of emergency announced by Governor Roy Cooper, demands on the healthcare system and nonprofits are already increasing, and we expect COVID-19 will have a serious economic impact on the region.
The Fund will provide flexible resources to organizations with deep roots in communities and experience addressing basic needs and filling public health gaps. The goal is to help regional front-line nonprofit organizations quickly meet increasing demands for help.
Some proactive grants will be awarded. Other nonprofits will use a simple, expedited process to access funds with grants awarded on a rolling basis, as fundraising continues throughout the outbreak and recovery phases of the pandemic.
WNC Bridge Foundation, CFWNC, and Dogwood Health Trust have committed funds to this effort and are working together to assess needs and mount a coordinated response.
“WNC Bridge Foundation is committed to the people and non-profits of WNC who may be facing unexpected hardships related to COVID-19,” said Scott Buchanan, President & CEO of WNC Bridge Foundation. “We want to continue our mission of being a catalyst for positive change throughout the 18 counties of WNC and see the importance the Emergency and Disaster Relief Fund will play in assisting the important work of our local non-profits.”
Learn More About the Emergency Disaster Fund
WNC Bridge Foundation has been serving the people of Western North Carolina for over 16 years. We are a community-based charity providing direct support to individuals and grants to carefully selected non-profits throughout the region who are working every day to eliminate the barriers in our communities that prevent our neighbors from reaching their full potential.
CFWNC works with families, businesses and nonprofits to strengthen communities through the creation of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking. A permanent charitable resource, the Foundation manages over 1,100 funds and facilitated $20 million in grants last year bringing total giving to more than $254 million since its founding in 1978.
Dogwood Health Trust is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation with the sole purpose of dramatically improving the health and well-being of all people and communities of Western North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust became operational upon the sale of Mission Health’s assets to HCA Healthcare and is the recipient of the net proceeds of the sale.
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