#WNCRecovery Fund: 3 Focuses

Our nonprofit, Mad Genius Foundation, is launching a #WNCRecovery Fund to support our small business community in three ways:

1) Women Entrepreneurs & Leaders Week December 2-6:

We are curating a week of support through retail networking, panels, learning sessions, and the exclusive screening of Show Her The Money on December 4 and the Woman-Owned Holiday Expo on December 6, both postponed due to the storm. All events will be tied to raising money for the #WNCRecovery Fund and celebrating the resilient women of our community.

2) #WNCRecovery Boxes:

These boxes will feature products from small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene. The goal is to have boxes representing each county impacted by the storm, starting with our home, #OneBuncombe. While we are coordinating which products and partners, we will also be collecting stories from each county to create storybooks, children's books, and other content to share about the history and heroes of each Western North Carolina community navigating the aftermath of Helene.

3) $10,000 At A Time Grants

Our #WNCRecovery Fund is dedicated to raising $10,000 At A Time for small businesses in our community that have ideas for ways to generate new income streams for their business as well as startups that see a need in our decimated small business community. Everything we do will be tied to raising grant money to provide to small businesses as they have enough red tape to get through with so many sources of funding, even emergency funding.

If you’re interested in being considered for one of these grants, please create a YouTube video sharing these 3 things:

  • Your Pitch: share your idea for a new income stream for your business or your new business idea

  • Explain how your idea will help support the long road to #@NCRecovery.

  • Share your story of how you’;ve been recovering since the storm and supporting your community at the same time.

If you would like to get involved as a sponsor, venue, investor, speaker, or any other way you’d like to support these efforts, please email hello@madgeniussustudios.com.

Shawndra Russell