Tornado Recovery Grants

Arkansas Community Foundation’s Disaster Recovery Fund was activated in the wake of the tornados that hit central Arkansas and Wynne on March 31, 2023. The Central Arkansas Tornado Recovery Fund (for Pulaski and Lonoke Counties) and the Cross County Tornado Recovery Fund (for Wynne,) were established to support nonprofits serving these communities’ long-term needs.

Thanks to the generous support of donors statewide, we were able to raise more than $1.2 million dollars for Central Arkansas and Wynne.

We are distributing grants in central Arkansas and Wynne to 42 nonprofits working on long-term tornado recovery. Criteria for these grants are listed below.

Grantees were selected by committees of local leaders who live and work in the affected communities, in partnership with the communities’ long-term disaster recovery committees and representatives of Arkansas Community Foundation.

In Central Arkansas, grants were made to the following organizations:

  • Arkansas Baptist Children & Family Ministries
  • Carters Crew
  • Center Ridge Mouth House Ministry
  • Central Arkansas Library System Foundation
  • Central Arkansas Master Naturalists
  • City Connections
  • City of Cammack Village
  • City of North Little Rock
  • City of Sherwood
  • Convoy of Hope
  • Equal Justice Works
  • Family Resource Services
  • FEED First USA
  • Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center
  • Giving Others Ambition Together
  • Little Rock Air Force Base Historical Foundation
  • Salvation Army
  • Sheep Dog Impact Assistance – Central AR
  • Shelby’s Pantry (Carlisle FUMC)
  • Small Wonders Foundation
  • Transforming Life Ministries Care Center
  • Five Porches

In Wynne, grants were made to the following organizations:

  • Arkansas Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries
  • Bridge Church
  • Cherry Valley Food Pantry
  • Christian Fellowship Church Wynne
  • Cross County Foundation
  • Cross County Sheriff’s Department
  • Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas
  • Good Shepherd Center
  • Legal Aid of Arkansas Inc.
  • Miss Polly’s Day Care Center
  • O’Dell McCallum Center
  • Salvation Army
  • Second Chance
  • Union Valley Outreach Ministries Inc
  • Wynne Church of Christ
  • Wynne High School
  • Wynne Intermediate School
  • Wynne Junior High School
  • Wynne Public Schools
  • Wynne Relief and Recovery

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Grant criteria

Grants were awarded to nonprofits serving Pulaski, Lonoke and Cross counties only. 

Who was Eligible? 

  • 501c3 nonprofits  
  • Schools 
  • Churches/synagogues/mosques/religious congregations   
  • Government/quasi-governmental entities  
  • Based in or have an on-the-ground presence actively working in Pulaski, Lonoke and/or Cross County. 

Program areas for funding

Grants were considered for organizations actively participating in intermediate or long-term recovery by providing:  

  • Case management, case work, or other forms of assistance to people navigating insurance, FEMA and social services  
  • Shelter/housing/rebuilding assistance  
  • Debris removal or infrastructure repair
  • Financial assistance and/or basic needs to those affected, but not limited to food/meals, household products, clothing, water, and medicine
  • Legal aid  
  • Mental health aid  
  • Re-establishing programs or educational services that experienced significant disruption as a result of the tornado or directly sustained damage 
  • Other unmet needs  

Other funding uses:

  • Provide direct support to individuals 
  • Purchase supplies/materials  
  • Pay for staff time, contract labor, or other personnel needs  
  • Rent heavy equipment necessary for clean-up efforts 
  • Pay for mileage, per diem, office space, or other needs of personnel as they carry out disaster-related duties  
  • Purchase technology (including computers or software) necessary to manage and track disaster efforts  
  • Other needs not described above  

Grants were not awarded to the following programs

  • Direct funding to individuals
  • Support for capital campaigns
  • Projects that address sectarian religious purposes
  • Proposals for political advocacy or lobbying