RESPONSE AND RECOVERY IN OUR REGION
Emergency & Disaster Response Fund
Community Foundation of the CSRA created its Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund to accept and disburse funds supporting a regional response and relief efforts in Richmond, Columbia, McDuffie, and Burke counties in Georgia, and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina on September 29, two days after Hurricane Helene Ravaged our area. Funds ensure that surrounding nonprofits had the resources they needed for the critical early response, but most importantly, the continuing recovery that the CSRA is facing. Administrative fees are waived so that every dollar goes directly to assistance.
To donate by check: make your check payable to the Community Foundation for the CSRA and mail to 720 Saint Sebastian Way, Suite 160, Augusta, GA 30901; Please include HHCCF in the memo line. If you would like to contribute stock or make a wire transfer, Elizabeth Finch can help.
Our Collective Impact in our Region
distributed to non-profits in our region
contributed by donors
$229,153
Relief Reimbursement
$485,000
Infrastructure
$339,325
Lost Revenue
$2,439,000
Recovery Programming
$1,777,430
Increased Operating Costs
(over $3.5 million leveraged impact)
$2,400,000
Rapid Relief
Relief, Recovery, Resilience
A GRANTMAKING RESPONSE TO CRISIS
Within a month following the storm, the Community Foundation deployed grants to 24 organizations through two rounds of rapid relief grants to address immediate and pressing community needs such as access to food, water, and shelter.
Once critical needs were addressed, the Community Foundation developed a formal grant process to more formally support anticipated longer-term recovery efforts as well as the immediate needs of nonprofits and organizations who were themselves facing the impacts of the storm. In November, we began accepting applications for grants in 5 categories and began disbursing funds for the initial round of these grants in January 2025. To date, we have approved over $5.2 million in grants.
As HHCCF is spent down, program staff is currently considering grant requests on a case-by-case basis according to the availability of the funds, the severity of need in the community served, and other sources of support available to the applying organizations.
The Community Foundation for the CSRA is overwhelmed by the generosity and financial support for the relief, recovery, and rebuilding work taking place in the CSRA.
We have received donations from more than 10,000 of you from across the country. We are so inspired by this meaningful commitment of resources to support frontline nonprofits. We are honored that so many want to give and have chosen to do so through the Community Foundation for the CSRA.