After the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, our community’s strength and unity have been on full display. We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of support from friends and partners near and far. Many of them have faced crisis and challenges in their own communities and are now pledging their aid to our travel and hospitality community.
Our organization has a long and proud legacy that started in 1983 and has inspired economic prosperity in Asheville, Buncombe County and Western North Carolina for nearly forty years. Since 2001, Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority have committed $96 million in grants to more than 50 community projects, as well as $5 million in grants through the Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund to nearly 400 small travel and hospitality businesses to reopen following the pandemic. Nearly 90% of those businesses were still in operation prior to Helene.
As communities across Western North Carolina, including ours, are beginning to recover after the devastating wind, floods and the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we aim to do the same to help sustain the hundreds of small, independent businesses that make our creative community so vibrant and support so many individuals here.
To that end, Explore Asheville, our 501(c)(6) nonprofit, has established the Always Asheville Fund to help our small independent travel and hospitality businesses throughout Asheville and Buncombe County recover from the devastating impacts and aftermath of Hurricane Helene. To seed the fund, Explore Asheville is transferring $300,000 from our earned revenue fund to the Always Asheville Fund. Assisting our small businesses with emergency grants, not loans, will aid in part to sustain this deeply rooted, creative community that we all love. This support is crucial: according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 40% of small businesses do not reopen after a disaster. We want to change that statistic for the area’s local entrepreneurs, ensuring their stories continue to shape our community’s future.
Now is the time to stand with Asheville’s resilient small businesses—the artists, chefs, brewers, makers and more who give our ever-evolving Blue Ridge Mountain community its character. Your donation—large or small—will aid in part to sustain this deeply rooted, creative community that we all love.
To learn more about eligibility, application timeline, evaluation criteria and how to apply, click here.
