In response to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, community members are collecting funds to help support local nonprofits on the front lines of responding to the crisis.
As of March 27, 121 people have donated to the Jefferson County COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, raising $142,000.
This fund is organized by the Jefferson Community Foundation, which formed a grantmaking team to distribute the funds.
“Right now our focus is local non-profits and need-serving government agencies,” said Siobhan Canty, president of the Jefferson Community Foundation. “But we expect over time the needs of the community will change.”
Nonprofits are on the forefront of preventing poverty and homelessness, and ensuring community members get the care they need during the coronavirus crisis.
Government agencies, such as schools and the public health department, are also providing critical care in the form of delivered meals and patient testing during this time.
Last week, Jefferson Community Foundation rolled out the first round of grant applications. By the time the grantmaking team met on March 27, five applications had been received.
The team considered all grant requests and all five were fully funded for a total distribution of $32,750.
The first round of grants includes:
Applications to receive grant funding are accepted on a rolling basis and available online at JCFGives.org. Those received by mid-day Wednesday will be considered by the weekly Emergency Response Grantmaking Team on Friday mornings. Allocations are then sent to grantees within two business days. Organizations can apply for grants multiple times.
“We are mapping out the landscape of services on a weekly basis and that information is being used to direct where these funds will go,” Canty said.
The grantmaking team includes: Meredith Wagner, former executive director of the Jefferson County Libraries District; Kathleen Kler, former county commissioner District 3; Jean Baldwin, former director of health at the Jefferson County Public Health Department; and Rose Lincoln Hamilton, chair of the Board of Jefferson Community Foundation.