Hurricane Helene & Milton: How Funders Can Support Recovery
Hurricane Helene made a historic landfall as the first Category 4 hurricane to hit the Big Bend region of Florida, one of the most significant storms in the Gulf of Mexico in the last century. Helene was followed by Hurricane Milton, an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that became the second-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded over the Gulf of Mexico, behind only Hurricane Rita in 2005. With over 300 storm-related deaths reported and more than 3 million people left without power across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and southern Virginia, recovery efforts face considerable challenges.
The devastation caused by these storms is heartbreaking, and many of us are eager to help. As funders and philanthropic leaders, it is essential to support communities in need while ensuring effective and impactful contributions. If your donors are asking how they can help, below are local, state, and regional community foundations and philanthropic institutions establishing response funds to aid disaster recovery.
WATCH | Center for Disaster Philanthropy, How Funders Can Support Recovery
Local Funds
- Appalachia Funders Network | Appalachian Helene Response Fund
- Central Carolina Community Foundation | One SC Fund
- Collaboratory | Rebuild Southwest Florida - Coordinating a Resilient Region
- Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area | Helene Emergency Response Fund
- Community Foundation of North Florida | CFNF Disaster Relief Fund
- Community Foundation of Sarasota County | Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund
- Community Foundation Tampa Bay | Rapid Response Fund
- Community Foundation of Western North Carolina | Emergency & Disaster Response Fund
- East Tennessee Foundation | Neighbor to Neighbor Disaster Relief Fund
- Manatee Community Foundation | MCF Disaster Relief Fund
- North Carolina Community Foundation | Disaster Relief Fund
- Pinellas Community Foundation | Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund
- Spartanburg County Foundation | Disaster Relief Fund
- Waccamaw Community Foundation | WCF Disaster Relief Fund
- The Community Foundation of Collier County
- The Gulf Coast Community Foundation
Additional Resources for Funders
- Appalachia Funders Network | Note on the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene
Philanthropy Southeast | Helping Communities Recover from Hurricane Helene - Center for Disaster Philanthropy | 2024 Atlantic Hurricanes and 2024 US Severe Weather
- Council on Foundations | Disaster Grantmaking Resources and Response to the 2024 Storms