BOONE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION DISTRIBUTES $344,500 IN FIRST ROUND OF BUSINESS RESILIENCY DISASTER GRANTS

BOONE, NC – After receiving nearly 150 requests in the first offering of its Hope for the High Country: Hurricane Helene Business Resiliency Disaster Grants, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation has awarded $344,500 to a total of 86 High Country businesses in its opening round of funding.

Since late September, the Chamber Foundation has distributed $550,500 in raised funds to local businesses. That includes $206,000 for October tuition payments made to local licensed early childhood development centers and in-home care providers in partnership with The Children’s Council of Watauga County.

"Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors, we have been able to distribute these grant funds to businesses quickly in order to give them much needed cash flow and some sense of financial relief," said David Jackson, President and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. “The needs are great, and much larger than our initial round of funding could possibly satisfy. We continue to work with individual donors, foundations, and other potential funding providers to keep this program going as the needs continue to escalate. For many of our small, local businesses, additional loans are not an option until revenue streams can become more stable. We remain thankful to the hundreds of donors who have helped stabilize childcare and provide this timely funding to businesses in need.”

While working to fund its own grant program, the Chamber Foundation is also working to provide information on additional grant programs available for small businesses. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is taking applications for its Small Business Hurricane Recovery Grant Program through Sunday, November 17th.

The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation remains focused on helping with community and business relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s impact on the High Country. The 501c3 non-profit organization anticipates reopening its grant application window as soon as funding thresholds are met. Additionally, the organization remains a collaborative partner on several disaster relief fundraising projects throughout the community, including the upcoming Hello from the Holler live-music event at Booneshine Brewing Company on November 16th. 

The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Commission, Inc. (BACC EDC, Inc), also known as the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, is a 501(c)3 organization created to solicit, manage, and distribute funds and resources to further the development and welfare of the Boone, NC and Watauga County, NC, area through activities which are exclusively charitable, educational, or scientific.