AMY Wellness Foundation Community Investment Grant

AMY Wellness Foundation Community Investment Grant Cycle is a private foundation funding opportunity designed to support organizations improving the health and well-being of communities in Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties. The Fall 2026 cycle was developed in response to feedback from nonprofit partners gathered through a regional Recovery Listening Session and partner survey. That feedback emphasized the need for flexible funding that can support not only programs and projects but also staffing, organizational capacity, infrastructure, and day-to-day operations. The cycle therefore invests in both community impact and the organizations responsible for delivering that impact. Applicants select between two grant opportunities according to the purpose of their request. Disaster Recovery & Resilience Grants provide awards up to $75,000 for organizations addressing the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene or strengthening long-term community recovery and resilience. Community Impact Grants provide awards up to $50,000 for organizations improving health and well-being in the AMY region when the work is not specifically focused on Hurricane Helene recovery. Both opportunities may support program or project activities, unrestricted general operating support, and capacity building. Applicants identify the strategic priority areas advanced by their work, which may include housing and housing stability, food security, mental health, health access, education and youth development, transportation, disaster recovery and community resilience, or other initiatives that improve health and well-being in the AMY region. Program and project support may fund programs, services, or initiatives that directly benefit the community. Unrestricted general operating support gives organizations discretion to direct resources toward their missions and long-term sustainability, including staff salaries and benefits, rent and utilities, insurance and administrative expenses, technology and office operations, organizational infrastructure and financial management, communications, fundraising, volunteer management, and other operating expenses that strengthen mission delivery. Capacity-building support may cover strategic planning, technology upgrades, financial systems, board development, leadership training, fundraising or communications capacity, organizational assessments, and other organizational capacity expenses. When an applicant requests multiple types of support, the requested amounts must be broken out accordingly in the budget. Eligible applicants are government agencies and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, and organizations must have a physical location within Avery, Mitchell, or Yancey County. Grants to individuals, political purposes including lobbying, out-of-area projects or organizations, and grants prohibited by IRS regulations are outside the foundation's scope of support. Collaboration requests are permitted. An eligible organization may request support for its own organizational needs while serving as fiscal agent for a collaborative request. The lead applicant must have a physical location in the region and satisfy all eligibility requirements, while collaboration partners may be located either within or outside Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties. The work must benefit the AMY region, and the lead applicant is responsible for administering the funds and meeting the foundation's grant requirements. The Fall 2026 Community Investment Grants are not multi-year awards, and grant funds must be used during the grant period ending December 2027. The source does not state a required matching or cost-sharing contribution, a total amount available for the overall grant cycle, or a predetermined number of awards. Applicants should choose the Disaster Recovery & Resilience Grant when the request directly addresses ongoing Hurricane Helene impacts or long-term recovery and resilience. Applicants whose work improves health and well-being in the AMY region but is not specifically tied to Hurricane Helene recovery should choose the Community Impact Grant. The grant cycle opens September 1, 2026, and applications are due October 16, 2026. Internal funding decisions are scheduled for November 18, 2026, with grantee notifications, agreements, and funding expected before the end of 2026. No letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other required pre-application gating step is identified in the provided information. The source also does not identify a recurring annual or other regularly repeating schedule, so no future cycle is projected. Applicants with questions or those wishing to discuss an idea may contact Caitlin Trew-Johnson at c.trewjohnson@amywellnessfoundation.org.

Select the grant opportunity that best aligns with the organization's work and funding request. Use Disaster Recovery & Resilience for requests directly connected to ongoing Hurricane Helene recovery or long-term recovery and resilience; use Community Impact for health and well-being work not specifically tied to Hurricane Helene. Identify which AMY Wellness Foundation strategic priority areas the work advances, and clearly break out multiple requested support areas in the budget.