Press release from The Leon Levine Foundation:
Dear Partners of TLLF:
Today we face a dire time of need as our neighbors in the path of Hurricane Helene are struggling for the most basic necessities of life: water, food and shelter. Although these services exist, thousands of Carolinians cannot access them and we need to circle around each other to help.
The Leon Levine Foundation has been a funder of these types of needs for many decades and that funding continues. From a funding perspective, our board has approved a $5 million commitment to support the efforts needed today and, in the future, resulting from Helene’s devastation. We’re committed to continued dialogue and we work to reach our partners to understand the specific challenges faced by those they serve. We don’t use the term “Partner” lightly as we endeavor to join our impactful grant partners in their critical work. Partnership comes with expectations as we support each other in all aspects of our collective work, celebrating life-changing interventions but coming together in times of need.
Our first grants, distributed today, start with $1 million to the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC). CFWNC has activated its Emergency and Disaster Response Fund to accept and disburse funds supporting a regional response and relief efforts in 18 counties of Western North Carolina including the Qualla Boundary. Funds will ensure that frontline nonprofits have the resources they need for the critical early response and continuing recovery. The extent of the damage and needs in the region is only beginning to be understood. Communication challenges and very difficult conditions on the ground continue to be a factor. Recovery will be a long process. People who wish to support aid to those affected can donate to the Emergency and Disaster Response Fund at www.cfwnc.org. Administrative fees are waived so that every dollar goes directly to assistance.
In addition, we are distributing additive unrestricted grants to all of our existing partners in Western NC to help bridge the immediate financial crisis and are accelerating our planned operating grant distributions for the remainder of Fiscal 2025 to this group of partners. We continue to work to understand the needs as they exist in our communities and how we can act as funders to be in support. We hope you will let us know if you have specific needs related to this terrible humanitarian crisis.
This is a time our broader community must come together to help those in need. We hope that everyone will choose to be engaged in some way. We will spotlight grants made through this program through our networks in the hope that it provides a resource for those seeking a way to invest impactfully in our communities.
Yours in partnership,
Tom Lawrence
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