Nantahala and Highlands Cashiers Health Foundations, along with Dogwood Health Trust, are collaborating again in 2023 to address the need for home repairs in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary.



Dogwood Health Trust is supporting Round II of the Healthy Homes Initiative with another $400,000 grant. The initiative is targeted to owner-occupied homes of individuals at 60 percent of the area median income, including a slate of USDA-qualified allowances.

This funding assistance is intended for homeowners who are unable to afford the repairs needed to maintain the health and safety of their home’s occupants, as well as home modifications required to address physical challenges, disabilities or barriers to aging safely in their homes.

When our Refresh Dillsboro grant submission deadline had passed, 15 small business owners found themselves eligible for up to $2,500 in renovation funds as part of Duke Energy Foundation's commitment to help small businesses across North Carolina – from restaurants to retailers – continue ongoing recovery from economic challenges initially triggered by the pandemic.

This marks the second year Duke Energy has provided targeted grants in support of improved economic stability for downtowns throughout the state and the second time the company has chosen to work with Nantahala Health Foundation to accomplish its goals. Final results should be available in December with projects to be completed in 2023.

Why would an organization with 'health' in its name work to support business owners in a seemingly booming mountain town home to a scenic railroad stop, an award-winning brewery, and one of the country's oldest craft co-ops? Because the entirety of a community's economic stability and its built environment significantly contribute to the health of its residents.

On average, *Americans spend about 1 hour/60 minutes a year meeting with their physicians. That leaves 8,764 hours/525,938 minutes for thousands of other factors to impact our health, including where and how we earn a living.

That's why providing support for far WNC's residents through improvements to economic stability has been identified as a priority by our governing board. Learn more about each of our priorities at the link below.

*Source: medicaleconomics.com/view/physician-patient-face-time-increases-over-40-years-but-not-necessarily-for-primary-care

Our Needs Immediately Met, or NIMble grant, of up to $5,000 per organization is intended to support an organization's one-time critical purchases, immediate needs for stabilization or crisis response, or small-scale opportunities related to work to address health and well-being as defined by our Priority Funding areas.

NIMble applications in 2022 will be accepted on a rolling basis, with notification of award status anticipated within 6 to 8 weeks of submission. The NIMble 2022 program will remain in effect until allocated funds are exhausted.

Partnerships = Lives Changed. We are grateful for the more than 150+ programs we have been a part of since our launch in 2019. Even more than that, we are thankful for the thousands of life-changing stories we have supported, like this one from Rolling Start:

A 2010 Hyundai Elantra purchased new was donated recently and refurbished with funds from Nantahala Health Foundation. It was presented to this young lady who is graduating from the one-year residential rehab program - Life Challenge of WNC - her sponsoring agency. She is one-year sober. She plans to remain in the area and will be employed full-time by Life Challenge as program director. The vehicle will give her the ability to perform this job and allow her to move on to the next level of her recovery and life, which includes becoming more involved in her son's life. This vehicle is a game-changer for her."

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Our grant-making priorities are designed to create a strong network of organizations by investing in your strategies to remove barriers to health.

At Nantahala Health Foundation, we build partnerships with forward-thinking organizations focused on improving the overall health of the region. 

Our Values Statement

Our values speak to who we are as an organization and how we intend to achieve our mission. Read our full statement of values and let us know what you think.

Financial information about our organization and a copy of our license are available from the N.C. State Solicitation Licensing Section at (919) 807-2214. The license is not an endorsement by the State.