This week, the Community Foundation announced the second round of Phase Two COVID response, awarding $411,000 in grants to 27 organizations. Since the pandemic began in March, the Foundation has awarded more than $2.5 million in grants to support organizations that assist the most vulnerable residents of the region whose lifelines to food, shelter, medicine and employment are at risk due to the pandemic.
The 27 grants issued this month were made in two categories to nonprofits in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount and St. Clair counties:
- Sixteen grants totaling $279,000 to support programs and services to meet critical needs. These grants ranged from $13,000 to $25,000 and included funding for food, rent and utility assistance; mental health services; educational programs; and workforce development training.
- An additional eleven grants totaling $132,000 were issued for operating support to nonprofits. These grants, ranging from $8,000 to $25,000 were based on findings that most organizations have had to significantly modify services and operations to meet community needs during the COVID-19 crisis, and that organizations across the board are facing large financial shortfalls as CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program funding is expended and end-of-year donations diminish.
As in the first phase of COVID response grantmaking, Phase Two grants are providing support for groups disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including low-income residents, displaced workers, essential workers, residents with greater health risks, communities of color, immigrant populations, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, and people at risk of intimate partner violence. In addition, the grants are focusing on being inclusive and accessible to smaller organizations as well as those led by people of color. Click here to see a complete list of grants