PARTNERS

The French Broad Paddle Trail is a product of routine collaboration and partnership between a variety of non-profits and government agencies working across the watershed to collectively steward, restore, and celebrate the river. Listed below are the groups we work with the most.

  Non-Profit Organizations:

• MountainTrue & French Broad Riverkeeper
• Conserving Carolina
• FIND Outdoors
• Mills River Partnership
• RiverLink
• GreenWorks
• French Broad River Partnership
• North Carolina Paddle Trails Association
• Great Trails State Coalition
• American Whitewater
• American Rivers
• River Management Society

Government Agencies:

• Transylvania County: Parks & Recreation, Natural Resources Council, Soil & Water Conservation District
• City of Brevard
• Henderson County: Parks & Recreation, Soil & Water Conservation District
• Town of Mills River Parks & Recreation
• Buncombe County Parks & Recreation
• City of Asheville Parks & Recreation
• Town of Woodfin
• Madison County Parks & Recreation
• Town of Hot Springs
• North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources: State Parks, State Trails
• North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
• North Carolina Department of Transportation
• United States Forest Service: Pisgah National Forest, Cherokee National Forest

SUPPORTERS

The French Broad Paddle Trail is funded in-part by a growing list of local businesses, grantors, and donors. A special thanks to our major sponsors, listed below. Give us a shout if you're interested in financially supporting this work. We would love to have you on the team.

North Carolina State Trails’ Complete the Trails Fund: Historic legislation passed in 2021 provided an unprecedented level of funding for the planning, construction, promotion, and maintenance of state trails in North Carolina. This legislation created the Complete the Trail Program (CTP) with over $30 million in funding as of 2023. The legislation requires that the majority of CTP funds be distributed by the Division of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to a nonprofit or local government partner for each state trail. MountainTrue is the partner for the French Broad River State Trail.

MADE X MTNS' Outdoor Equity Fund: MADE X MTNS established a $125,000 Outdoor Equity Fund to empower community-led initiatives that address identified barriers to outdoor recreation access and economic opportunity, and help close these gaps in Western North Carolina. The first grantees of the Outdoor Equity Fund were announced on Wednesday, August 9th, 2023. The Outdoor Equity Fund provides micro-grants to non-profits, for-profits, community groups and sole proprietors located in Western North Carolina, with the focus on advancing equity and inclusion in outdoor recreation access and opportunity in the outdoor economy.  

Transylvania County TDA’s Transylvania Always Grants: In 2017, the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority (TCTDA) launched a sustainability initiative named Transylvania Always. Our mission is to be the leader in the effort to care for Transylvania County’s abundant natural resources and extraordinary public lands. In fact, over 50% of Transylvania County is made up of public lands which include over 250 waterfalls, hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, the French Broad, 3rd oldest river in the world and 176 named mountains.

Pirani: Pirani's mission is to empower everyday heroes in safeguarding our planet through raising eco-awareness and creating high quality sustainable solutions to single-use products. Every Pirani purchase translates to a direct contribution to the environment. We donate 1% of all sales to our non-profit partners through 1% For the Planet. Although we do our best in sustainable business practices, there is still a reality that all product based businesses create a carbon footprint. We consider 1% FTP as paying our taxes to Mama Nature!

Buncombe County’s Community Recreation Grants: The purpose of the Buncombe County Recreation Services Grants Program is to provide funding to qualified organizations within Buncombe County interested in partnering with our Department to carry out our mission through the promotion of recreational fitness, health and wellness initiatives as well as community based activities and capital improvements that increase recreational opportunities for the communities served. 

D.D. Bullwinkel’s Outdoors: At D.D. Bullwinkel’s, we love the outdoors, just like you do. And we are passionate about it. As Brevard’s premier outdoor retailer, we are committed to providing the best the outdoor industry has to offer.  Here, you’ll find affordable clothing, footwear and gear, rich in quality and design. And you’ll find knowledgeable staff to help you find it, tell you all about it and how to use it. Proudly serving WNC since 1994 as an independent retailer.