SBP Receives Over $1 Million from the American Red Cross to Strengthen Community Resilience in the Southeast

SBP has been awarded more than $1 million in grant funding from the American Red Cross to expand resilience and recovery efforts in communities hardest hit by Hurricanes Helene and Debby in 2024.

Through this investment, SBP is partnering with a network of local nonprofits to help communities recover, rebuild stronger, and better prepare for future disasters. The funding is supporting resilience-focused initiatives across North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee.

Through a FORTIFIED Roof program, SBP will provide training and resources to locally based 501(c)(3) organizations — equipping them to install FORTIFIED roofs that help homeowners better protect their homes from severe weather and preserve long-term stability and equity.

“This partnership represents an important example in how we support communities after disasters,” said SBP CEO Carol Markowitz. “With the American Red Cross, we are investing not only in helping families recover, but in building the knowledge, partnerships, and systems that help communities withstand future storms. Together, we’re ensuring that recovery doesn’t just mean getting back to where things were — it means being stronger for what comes next.”

“With the American Red Cross, we are investing not only in helping families recover, but in building the knowledge, partnerships, and systems that help communities withstand future storms.”

— Carol Markowitz, CEO, SBP

The grant will also support resilience and preparedness training for local organizations and residents, and the placement of an SBP Disaster Resilience Fellow in North Carolina to strengthen local coordination and capacity.

“Our long‑term recovery work is rooted in strong, collaborative partnerships,” said Carrie Norton, Senior Director of Long‑Term Recovery at the American Red Cross. “Since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the American Red Cross and SBP have worked side by side to support community‑driven, equitable recovery efforts that strengthen local capacity and center the leadership of disaster‑affected communities. That collaboration continues to this day. The shared trust, institutional knowledge, and commitment between our organizations enhances recovery outcomes over time and across disasters.”

The partnership builds on a longstanding relationship between SBP and the American Red Cross dating back to 2012, when the two organizations worked together to rebuild homes for residents in New York and New Jersey following Superstorm Sandy. That work earned SBP recognition as one of the first to complete the Red Cross Champions program. Over the past decade, the Red Cross has provided support for SBP’s long-term recovery work, including owner-occupied home repair programs across disaster-impacted regions. This latest investment expands that partnership into new territory — directly funding community resilience and community preparedness for the first time.

Learn more about how SBP supports local organizations: SBP Resource Hub

Acerca de SBP

SBP is a national nonprofit helping families recover faster and communities rebuild stronger after disasters. Founded in 2006 in response to Hurricane Katrina, SBP rebuilds homes for disaster-impacted families and partners with local leaders to strengthen recovery systems and build long-term resilience. By combining direct rebuilding with strategic advising and resilience programs, SBP helps ensure that communities—and the people within them—recover more quickly and fully after a disaster. Learn more at sbpusa.org

About the American Red Cross 

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on social media.