Grants awarded by the Blue Ridge Energy Members Foundation this year focus on helping local communities continue efforts of recovery from the impact of Hurricane Helene—the most devastating natural disaster in western North Carolina’s history. Additional funding will support projects in the areas of health, wellness, education, youth, and economic and community development.
In Caldwell County, citizens will benefit from nine grants worth $36,000 awarded recently for the 2025 grant cycle.
The grants are examples of why Blue Ridge Energy established the Members Foundation in 2007 to support the work of community organizations providing services vital to the quality of life for the cooperative’s members. Since then, the Foundation has awarded over $2.02 million in community grants.
Local Caldwell County agencies receiving grant awards include:
- Caldwell Arts – a $2,000 grant will be used to provide old-time music instruction for children ages 8-17 regardless of whether they attend public, private, or home schools.
- Caldwell County Smart Start – a $3,000 grant will be used to help purchase specific formulas for infants with allergies in the Baby Essentials program.
- Caldwell Opportunities Inc – a $5,000 grant will be used to upgrade facility’s ceilings and walls with insulation boards to improve energy efficiency.
- Caldwell Pregnancy Care Center – a $3,000 grant will be used to help with the Fatherhood Advocate Program in Granite Falls.
- Collettsville Ruritan Club – a $10,000 grant will be used to upgrade the playground equipment. Children with disabilities will also be able to enjoy ADA-accessible equipment.
- Children’s Advocacy Center of Caldwell County, Inc., DBA “Robin’s Nest” – a $5,000 grant will be used to support the program: W5: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY – Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse in N.C.
- Foundation of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute – a $2,500 grant will be used to help the streambank restoration, CCC&TI seeks to perform storm cleanup in the wooded areas and safety/accessibility improvements along the greenway path that parallels Gunpowder Creek through the campus.
- South Caldwell Christian Ministries – a $3,000 grant will be used to assist families with rent, utilities, and food.
- Western North Carolina Sculpture Center – a $2,500 grant will be used to complete the renovation and conversion of a portion of the nearly 50-year-old sculpture center building (formerly Patterson School Gymnasium) into a ceramic’s studio.
A grand total of $175,000 was awarded to 33 organizations across the Blue Ridge Energy service area for the 2025 grant cycle. In 2025, the Foundation also provided crisis energy bill assistance to over 700 Blue Ridge Energy members who needed emergency help paying their electric and fuel bills.
Funding for Foundation grants and crisis assistance comes from members participating in Blue Ridge Energy’s Operation Round Up® and Operation Round Up Plus® programs and an annual contribution from profits of the cooperative’s subsidiaries, Blue Ridge Energy, LLC, and RidgeLink, LLC. Over 23,500 members are either rounding up their monthly electric bill with Operation Round Up or adding a dollar or more with Operation Round Up Plus. Members also contribute by donating some or all of their annual capital credits.
Anyone with questions about the Foundation or agencies interested in applying for grants may contact Tasha Rountree, director of community relations and economic development, at 828-759-8994 or trountree@blueridgeenergy.com.
Blue Ridge Energy is a member-owned electric cooperative serving some 80,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties and parts of Wilkes, Avery, and Alexander counties. It also includes a propane heating fuels subsidiary and a business-to-business telecommunications subsidiary. Learn more at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com.
