Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity today announced a $180,000 neighborhood revitalization grant from the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity is one of 50 nonprofits to receive a total of $6 million in funding through the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation 2018 Priority Markets Program.

“We are humbled to have been selected as one of only 50 nonprofits nationwide to receive a Priority Markets Program award,” said Harold Tessendorf, executive director of Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity. “This grant solidifies our long-standing partnership with Wells Fargo and is a testament to the hard work of our local volunteers and donors here in Chatham County, as well as our collective track record of building affordable, workforce housing.”

The Priority Markets Program grant will be applied toward the cost of constructing three Habitat homes in Garden City’s Rossignol Hill neighborhood over the course of the next year. This grant award, along with additional support, will result in the construction of at least seven homes in the area at an approximate project cost of $1 million. These efforts will complement the ongoing owner-occupied repairs, which are being led by Habitat for Humanity’s Garden City Housing Team and are part of a larger effort to revitalize the Rossignol Hill neighborhood.

“These 50 nonprofits share our focus of strengthening communities through local neighborhood revitalization efforts in support of sustainable housing,” said Robert Horn, Wells Fargo region bank president. “The impact of each dollar invested through this program will be magnified by enabling nonprofits to combine funding with other community grants as the catalyst for their neighborhood revitalization work, serving as a powerful example of the positive impact that can be achieved with thoughtful public-private collaboration.”

Grant recipients were selected from applications submitted by nonprofits Wells Fargo identified as leading large-scale affordable housing projects. Recipients must be 501(c)(3) organizations with successful histories of supporting low- to moderate-income communities.