The East Tennessee Foundation Awards More than $6.5 million in Hurricane Helene Recovery Grants

Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene struck upper East Tennessee on September 27, 2024, the East Tennessee Foundation (ETF/Foundation) has awarded 145 grants totaling more than $6.5 million to 88 organizations supporting relief and recovery efforts. The funding has addressed immediate needs, including water quality, food security, and housing, as well as longer-term work in environmental restoration, infrastructure repair, and mental health services.

The response also shaped how ETF approaches its work beyond disaster recovery. As community groups mobilized after the storm, the Foundation saw how much more they could accomplish when nonprofits, houses of worship, government agencies, donors, and volunteers could connect and work with one another. ETF is now making those connections a greater focus of its work across its 25-county service area.

“Hurricane Helene tested East Tennessee and tested our organization, but it also demonstrated what is possible when neighbors choose to show up for one another,” said Dr. Keith Barber, president and CEO of the East Tennessee Foundation. “The Foundation was able to help turn generosity into resilience with coordinated, strategic action to help make lives better and communities stronger after devastation.”

ETF learned that “neighbors” across the U.S. and around the globe were ready to help, and that organizations whose missions did not include disaster response would step forward to serve their communities. By listening to, learning from, and leaning into nonprofits, community leaders, donors, volunteers, and even survivors of the hurricane, ETF helped identify opportunities to share resources and coordinate recovery efforts.

To make collaboration easier in the future, ETF is developing a searchable nonprofit directory covering its 25-county service area. The directory is set to launch in early October and is intended to help organizations find potential partners and connect around shared community needs.

As recovery continues, ETF will apply those lessons to its broader philanthropic work, connecting organizations and supporting the relationships that help East Tennessee communities respond to challenges and prepare for the future.

For more information about the East Tennessee Foundation, please visit easttennesseefoundation.org