Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation

The Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation awarded $6,630 to the following local nonprofits from their community grantmaking fund:

• $2,000 to Courage to Grow Food Forest for the Gadugi Veganic Food Forest and Agricultural Project
• $3,630 to Rolling Start NC Inc. for vehicles for those in need
• $1,000 to Snowbird Cherokees Tradition Corporation for Sounds of Our Ancestors: Cherokee Language Through Music

2026 Grants Awarded

In February 2026, NCCF awarded a total of $9 million in grants from the Disaster Relief Fund to 108 charitable organizations focused on long-term recovery from Hurricane Helene. Review the full list of grants, including those serving Swain, Jackson, Cherokee, Graham and Haywood counties.

2025 Grants Awarded

In conjunction with the Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation, NCCF awarded $180,000 in grants from our Disaster Relief Fund to the following local organizations to support long-term recovery, resiliency and unmet needs related to Hurricane Helene.

• $50,000 to Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
• $25,000 to Jackson County Schools for Smokey Mountain Elementary School backpack program
• $75,000 to Qualla Fire Department
• $30,000 to WNC Lighthouse

If an organization is unable to receive a grant, the affiliate will choose another charitable or government organization to receive the award.

2025 grants awarded

The Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation awarded $5,850 to the following local nonprofits from their community grantmaking fund:

• $1,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina for Igniting Potential in Eastern Band Youth 
• $1,000 to HIGHTS for healthy food for Restorative Justice Programs 
• $850 to Museum of the Cherokee People for HVAC Intervention Support 
• $2,000 to Rolling Start NC, Inc., for vehicles for people in need 
• $1,000 to Swain/Qualla SAFE, Inc., for general operating support

2024 grants awarded

The Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation awarded $5,240 to the following local nonprofit organizations from its community grantmaking fund: 

• $500 to HIGHTS for Fuel for Restorative Justice Services
• $500 to Junior North American Indian Association for Indigenous Women Gatherings
• $500 to North Carolina Symphony for music discovery for preschoolers in and around the Qualla Boundary
• $2,000 to Rolling Start NC, Inc., for vehicles for people in need. Funds will serve enrolled EBCI members or their first-generation descendants.
• $1,740 to Uwena, Inc., for Building Community Wealth

In response to disruptions Hurricane Helene may have caused to their work, NCCF offered flexibility to 2024 grantees of western affiliate foundations to repurpose funding awarded for specific programs or projects to best support their current needs. The programs and projects listed reflect the original awards.

2023 grants awarded

The Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation awarded more than $4,000 to the following local nonprofit organizations from its community grantmaking fund, including:

• $2,220 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina for Cherokee Central Schools high school “Bigs” program
• $2,220 to Rolling Start NC, Inc. for vehicles for people in need

2022 grants awarded

The board of advisors of the Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation awarded $3,380 to the following local nonprofit from its community grantmaking fund: 

• $2,000 to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina for Central Cherokee Schools high school “Bigs” program.
• $1,380 to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians for the Ernestine Walkingstick Domestic Violence Shelter.

2021 grants awarded

The board of advisors of the Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation recently awarded $2,430 to the following local nonprofit from its community grantmaking fund: 

• Reach out and Read for book purchase

2020 grants awarded

The board of advisors of the Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation recently announced $2,010 in local grant awards from its community grantmaking fund.

This year the board granted:

• $510 to the North Carolina Symphony for virtual music education for students living in and around the Qualla Boundary
• $1,500 to Swain/Qualla SAFE, Inc. for a security system for the SAFE Shelter

2019 grants awarded

The Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation awarded $1,810 through its community grants program to local nonprofit organizations, including:

• Fontana Regional Library
• Reach Out and Read

2018 grants awarded

The Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation awarded more than $1,600 through its community grants program to a local nonprofit organization, including:

• $500 to Fontana Regional Library
• $1,190 to Reach Out and Read 

2017 grants awarded

The Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation awarded more than $1,500 through its community grants program to a local nonprofit organization. Recipients were:

• Cherokee Cancer Support Group

2016 grants awarded

The Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation awarded $1,000 through its community grants program to a local nonprofit organization. Recipients were:

• Reach Out and Read