Canopy Housing Foundation awards $15,000 in Community Grants

July 26, 2022

Contact: Kim Walker, 704-940-3149

Charlotte, N.C. – As rising cost of living, inflationary pressures and an economy on the brink of recession continue to effect North Carolinians, and particularly the most vulnerable communities, Realtors® continue in their mission of outreach and service to the communities where they live, work and play. Through the work of Canopy Housing Foundation, Haywood County area Realtors® continue to support area nonprofit organizations who share in the mission of addressing unmet housing and education needs within the local community.

Canopy Housing Foundation’s Community Grants Program was launched in 2009 and awards funds to nonprofits in Mecklenburg, Iredell and Haywood Counties that work to address housing issues. Organizations with missions that closely align with the Foundation, are able to apply annually for grants, however each grantee must be supported by a letter of recommendation from an active Realtor®.

Through the Foundation’s annual Community Grants Program, area Realtors® awarded $15,000 to three nonprofits doing great work within the community and supported two young area scholars at their annual membership meeting, Opening Hearts, Opening Doors Celebration on July 26, 2022.

Due to overwhelming need within the community, the Foundation awarded:

Haywood Pathways Center
Received $5,000 to provide one month of rental relief for approximately eight families at an average cost of $600 per family, a continuation of their collaboration with the Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency.
Realtor^® referral: Pamela Williams & members of Beverly-Hanks & Associates Realtors® 

Mountain Projects
Received $5,000 to be used to provide rental assistance for approximately six or more families in Haywood County at a cost of $750.
Realtor^® referral: Michele Rogers, Select Homes 

Haywood Habitat for Humanity
Received:  $3,000 to help fund the purchase of appliances for a new home located on Sylvan Street in Waynesville, NC.  This is the same neighborhood that Realtor® volunteers worked in during the Realtors® Care Day project in April 2022.
Realtor® referral: Randall Rogers, Beverly-Hanks & Associates Realtors®

The Foundation has a mission of Realtors® creating housing opportunities through advocacy, education, funding and leadership. In keeping with the education partnership that area Realtors® have forged with Haywood County Schools Foundation, two scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each were also distributed.

Joshua Franklin is a senior at Pisgah High School in Canton, who has also been accepted at both Western Carolina University and East Tennessee State University received $1,000.  Joshua has already taken advantage of free classes at Haywood Community College and has completed a semester of his college courses.  After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, he plans on attending UNC Chapel Hill Medical School where he wants to be either a cardiologist or pediatrician.  His plan is to return to Haywood County and open his own practice. Joshua is ranked 11 out of 187 in his graduating class and has a GPA of 3.96

Abigail Jones is a senior at Tuscola High School in Waynesville, also received $1,000.  She has been accepted at UNC Greensboro and Western Carolina.  She would like to study Interior Design / Architecture and work in home remodeling and design. Amanda is ranked 7 out of 189 in her graduating class with a GPA of 4.0

Applications for the annual Community Grants Program are rated according to community impact, project feasibility, fiscal strength and Realtor® support.  Funds are restricted and must be used by December 31, 2022.  Funds cannot be used for capital costs, staff/administrative expenses or debt reduction.  Since the merger between Canopy Realtor® Association and Haywood Realtor® Association in 2020, area Realtors® have been able to return $44,200 to the local Haywood County community. 

To date, Canopy Housing Foundation has distributed over $740,000 through the Community Grants Program and the Habitat Support Program to community organizations and Habitats in the Charlotte region and now Haywood County over the past 15 years. 

Canopy Housing Foundation serves as the charitable arm of Canopy Realtor® Association and is dedicated to creating a community where all housing needs are met. The Foundation and its core of Realtor® volunteers work toward this goal through funding, education, advocacy and leadership programs that are focused on fair and affordable housing and workforce-housing initiatives. 

For more information about Canopy Housing Foundation, the Canopy Realtor® Association or Canopy MLS, visit www.CarolinaHome.com.