Duke Energy invests $500,000 to strengthen storm preparedness across North Carolina

• Funding will help communities better prepare for severe weather, natural disasters and emergency response challenges
• Local nonprofit and government organizations can apply by April 30

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Foundation is awarding $500,000 in grants to support local storm preparedness and emergency readiness initiatives across North Carolina.

What's new: Funding will help organizations bolster natural disaster readiness through:

• Community preparedness training
• Emergency planning
• Local response collaboration
• Public education initiatives designed to help residents prepare for severe weather

Why it matters: North Carolina continues to face increasingly frequent and severe storms. These grants help ensure communities have the training, coordination and resources needed to prepare, respond and recover more effectively.

The details:

• Eligible organizations can apply for grants of up to $25,000 now through April 30, 2026 via Duke Energy Foundation's website.
• $11.4 million invested to support the state's storm preparedness and recovery since 2016, reinforcing the company's ongoing commitment to community safety, resilience and disaster readiness by Duke Energy and its Foundation.

What they're saying:

• Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy North Carolina state president: "Storm preparedness is really about people – making sure communities have what they need before disaster strikes. By supporting local partners who know their communities best, these grants help close critical gaps in readiness, improve coordination during severe weather and enable communities to recover faster."
• Don Mial, Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair (2025 grant recipient): "Emergency preparedness starts at the individual level. When all residents have access to the resources that will keep them safe during a crisis or natural disaster, our whole community becomes more resilient. We are incredibly grateful to our partners at the Duke Energy Foundation for supporting this important work by investing in equity and safety in Wake County."

Duke Energy Foundation
Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,100 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. 

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious energy transition, keeping customer reliability and value at the forefront as it builds a smarter energy future. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including natural gas, nuclear, renewables and energy storage. 

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center.

Contact: Madison McDonald
24-Hour: 800.559.3853

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SOURCE Duke Energy