Eulis Willis

Mayor of Navassa, NC

An elected public official representing the Town of Navassa for 40 years, Mayor Willis has served as  Mayor for over 18 years. Willis graduated from Lincoln High School in Leland, North Carolina in 1966 and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro in 1971. Willis was employed by the Union Carbide Corporation in Somerset, New Jersey from 1971 – 1976 and by Progress Energy Corporation at the Brunswick Nuclear Plant as well. Willis was a member of the Navassa Town Council from 1977 through 1999 and was elected as mayor of Navassa in 1999, a position he still holds! He is an active community leader who has served on many Brunswick County boards, as a member of the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department and as coach of adult and youth athletic teams. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has honored Willis as a champion for his community.

The town of Navassa has a rich cultural heritage supported by strong roots in the Gullah-Geeche culture. Gullah describes a group of African Americans along the southeast coast of the United States from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida. They have a distinct culture, language, and lifestyle that have been preserved since the early 1700s.

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Which characteristics is your community looking for in funding opportunities?

Disaster declaration
A Presidential Disaster Declaration unlocks a suite of federal programs that assist local governments with disaster recovery. This is a good filter for communities included in recent Disaster Declarations related to flooding.
Nature-based solutions
The program has a strong focus on providing assistance to promote a healthy ecosystem as a critical defense against flooding impacts. Eligible activities may include floodplain restoration, environmental stewardship, projects that use natural features to mitigate erosion, and living shorelines.
Encourages public-private partnerships
The program encourages or requires collaboration between government entities and stakeholders, including the private sector, to fund, develop, or implement projects.
Offers rolling deadlines
The program accepts applications on an ongoing basis with no fixed deadline.

Is your project in the planning, design, or construction phase?

Planning
The gathering of data and information regarding the extent and impacts of flooding. Eligible activities may include data acquisition, risk assessment, and environmental analysis.
Design & scoping
Covers pre-construction activities, such as defining project scope, developing technical designs, and securing funding to prepare for implementation.
Construction & implementation
Involves carrying out flood resilience projects, including building infrastructure and deploying solutions to reduce flood risks.

Are you looking for grants, loans, or technical assistance for your project?

Funding (grants)
A monetary award that does not need to be repaid. Many federal grants are reimbursable, meaning recipients must cover project costs upfront and then request reimbursement from the government.
Financing (loans)
A government-issued loan that must be repaid. These loans typically provide funding upfront, helping communities cover project costs before repayment begins.
Technical assistance
Assistance from the government in the form of services — such as project planning, engineering and design support, data analysis, training, capacity building, or collaboration through a cooperative agreement — instead of direct funding.

Some programs provide extra support for specific project types or communities. Do any of these apply to your project?

Small or rural communities
Programs that set aside funding, offer loan forgiveness, or adjust cost share requirements for communities with smaller populations.
Small or low-cost projects
Programs that offer reduced requirements for smaller projects, such as waived cost-sharing or exemptions from benefit-cost analysis.
Regional or watershed focus
Programs that support projects that take a watershed management approach or address flooding at a regional scale, requiring coordination beyond a single town or community.
Tribal communities
Programs that dedicate resources or adjust cost share requirements specifically for tribal governments or organizations.

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