Why It Matters
Resilience refers to the ability of a community or system to withstand and recover from a traumatic event or “shocks”. These shocks may reflect natural or human caused disasters, like hurricanes, floods, or the gas explosion in Durham in 2019. They also include economic recessions, and as we have experienced most recently with COVID-19, public health crises. We know that such shocks are inevitable, and we want to help strengthen Triangle communities now so they can weather and bounce back from future events.
There is growing consensus that climate change poses a threat to the environment and the people and assets in communities across the globe. Locally, the Triangle is experiencing an increasing number of climate-related threats including more frequent flooding; increasing temperatures; increasing drought conditions; and population growth which leads to more development and demand for resources.
Access to these resources is not equitable. Thousands of our region’s residents have difficulty meeting basic needs such as housing, food, healthcare, and employment. Without access to opportunities, these individuals and families cannot thrive. The impact of poverty goes far beyond those directly affected; it extends to their neighborhoods, their communities, and the region as a whole.
For nearly a decade, Triangle Community Foundation has invested in area nonprofits that are protecting our environmental and community assets through our Environmental Conservation and Community Development programs. We have also mobilized philanthropic response to support disaster relief and recovery efforts.
The Sustainable Communities Impact Area reflects a natural evolution of our programming in these areas, and takes a holistic approach to supporting strong, resilient communities in the Triangle so that we can move toward our vision of a vibrant Triangle that works together to ensure everyone thrives.
Current Partners
The following list of nonprofit organizations represent the partner grantees of the Foundation in conjunction with our focus areas; fundholders are not limited to granting to these organizations.
View a list of Sustainable Communities nonprofit partners since 2013.
Environmental Resilience
- City of Oaks Foundation
- Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
- Eno River Association
- Environmental Educators of North Carolina
- Extra Terrestrial Projects
- Haw River Assembly, Inc.
- Keep Durham Beautiful
- Partners for Environmental Justice
- Piedmont Conservation Council
- Toxic Free North Carolina, Inc.
- Triangle Bikeworks
- Triangle Land Conservancy
- Triangle Native American Society
- Urban Community AgriNomics Catawba Trail Farm
- Urban Sustainability Solutions
- We Plant it Forward
Economic Resilience
- Club Nova Community, Inc.
- Community Empowerment Fund
- Communities in Partnership
- Community Success Initiative
- Durham Community Land Trustees, Inc.
- Haven House Services
- NC Congress of Latino Organizations
- Pee Wee Homes
- Rebuilding Together of the Triangle
- Refugee Community Partnership
- StandUp-SpeakOut of North Carolina
- StepUp Durham
- Transplanting Traditions Community Farm
- White Oak Foundation, Inc.
- Youth Education for Savings (YES) Consortium
Featured Story: Urban Community AgriNomics | Growing the Roots of Service

Urban Community AgriNomics (UCAN) is improving the health and wellness of our community through their work at the Catawba Trail Farm. The Foundation recently highlighted their story. Read about UCAN below!
Supporting Families Ineligible for Federal Aid During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated and deepened inequities that already existed in our community. Federal and state laws disqualified undocumented residents, agricultural workers, and others in our community from receiving stimulus checks, continued unemployment benefits, and additional resources. In April 2020, Triangle Community Foundation granted $25,000 from our Fund for the Triangle to five local nonprofits focused specifically on direct aid for these families, and our donors rallied, raising an additional $109,000 that was mobilized for this cause.