Disaster Relief

Coastal Community Foundation serves an essential function in times of need. In the wake of natural disasters or other events with widespread ramifications, demand on nonprofit services tends to soar. And while charitable giving often spikes, too, donors don’t always know which organizations are serving the greatest needs at the time. Coastal Community Foundation helps bridge that gap by quickly setting up a link between donors and the specific causes that need them most.

With our Lowcountry Disaster Response Fund, Coastal Community Foundation has a unique ability to be responsive to our local service area if and when relief is needed in any of our nine coastal counties in South Carolina in the wake of a disaster. We are among the official Volunteer Organizations Assisting with Disaster Relief (VOADs), so we are always working in collaboration with and supporting organizations on the ground.

Coastal Community Foundation has been an integral part of the Lowcountry’s disaster relief since Hurricane Hugo in 1989, when Mayor Joe Riley designated all relief funds be managed by the foundation. The foundation disbursed more than $3 million in the aftermath. Since then, Coastal Community Foundation has had an active role in disaster relief across its nine-county coastal footprint. The Lowcountry Disaster Response Fund provided support following the South Carolina floods of 2015, Hurricane Matthew, and the devestation by Hurricane Florence in Horry and Georgetown counties in 2018. The fund also supports unexpected crises and granted more than $2 million in relief to organizations facing unprescedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This fund is designed to support long-term recovery efforts such as these, as well as immediate relief efforts. This fund will also be focused on long-term investments such as infrastructure and housing, which are critical needs for our coastal communities, especially for rural neighbors, families in poverty and senior citizens.

Apply for Disaster Relief and Recovery Grants

Coastal Community Foundation has activated its Disaster Response Fund to stand ready to deploy flexible resources to organizations that are working with communities disproportionately affected by Tropical Storm Debby and whose work is within the nine coastal counties of South Carolina: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, and Jasper. At this time, we are only accepting applications to support response efforts in Colleton County. Nonprofits that support disaster relief and recovery in this region can apply for grants here.

Donating to the Lowcountry Disaster Response Fund

Current Fundholders

Current fund holders, if you would like to direct a grant to this fund, contact Caroline Rakar at caroline@coastalcommunityfoundation.org.

Non-fundholders

Anyone can donate directly to the CCF Fund by entering the following information on our donation form.

In the “comments” section you may designate a specific location (northern SC counties) or you may designate to the Lowcountry Disaster Response Fund and your donation will be allocated accordingly.