Community Foundation COVID-19 Response Grants Total More than $309,000 To-Date; Additional Funds Available

These grants have been distributed through two programs: the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (ICRF) and the Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Nonprofit Response Fund. 

The COVID-19 Nonprofit Response Fund was established in March in response to the challenges individuals, families, and organizations are facing due to the COVID-19 crisis and resulting social distancing guidelines.

To date, the Community Foundation has distributed nearly $60,000 in rapid response grants from its COVID-19 Nonprofit Response Fund. Thirty nonprofit partners have received grants up to $2,500 throughout the Community Foundation’s 12-county service area. The Community Foundation continues to distribute funds for food, supplies, child care, transportation, health and mental health needs, and more. For a list of nonprofits and programs receiving grants, please visit https://www.mycommunityfoundation.org/covid19grants. 

To assist with the fund’s efforts, several individuals and organizations have contributed to increase the Community Foundation’s ability to direct resources to regional nonprofits responding to and impacted by the public health crisis. These contributions include:

• Compeer Financial Fund at the Chicago Community Foundation: $10,000 to support Illinois efforts.

• Tracy Family Foundation: A second $25,000, for a total of $50,000, to support emerging Illinois nonprofit and community needs.

• United Community Banks: $4,000 to support efforts throughout the region.

“Grants from the COVID-19 Nonprofit Response Fund help keep our nonprofits healthy so that they can keep our communities healthy. Nonprofits are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response and are experiencing both an increase in demand for services and a decrease in revenues due to canceled fundraisers, closed doors, and lessened donations,” said Catherine Bocke Meckes, Community Foundation Chief Executive Officer. “The Community Foundation is blessed with many generous donors who are invested in maintaining our nonprofits who are the heart of our communities and we are honored to utilize their gifts and our own funds to provide relief through this crisis.”

In April, the Community Foundation received $250,000 from the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (IRCF) and strategically distributed the funds to nonprofits serving individuals and families in Adams, Brown, Hancock, and Pike Counties, Illinois. On May 20, the Community Foundation was awarded an additional $50,000 from the IRCF for efforts specifically in Brown County, IL.

The IRCF is a statewide fund established by the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations and the United Way of Illinois, in collaboration with the Office of the Governor, to disburse funds to nonprofit organizations across the state serving individuals, families, and communities hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

“The Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund is an example of the power of working together. Donors from across the state have pooled resources to efficiently get dollars where they are needed most,” said Meckes. “We are proud and grateful to have been selected twice to receive and steward these funds for the four Illinois counties we serve.”

For a list of local grants made through the IRCF in April, visit https://www.mycommunityfoundation.org/community-foundation. Grants in Brown County through the most recent round of IRCF funding will be determined in collaboration with Tracy Family Foundation and the United Way of Brown County and announced in June.

Funds are still available for nonprofits experiencing challenges or an increase in demand for services due to the pandemic. Organizations providing vital basic needs, services, and resources to disproportionately impacted individuals and families and vulnerable populations will receive first priority for funding; however, requests to support other nonprofit organizations experiencing financial hardship or providing other support services to individuals and families will also be accepted and considered as funding allows

Grant funds must be used within the Community Foundation’s service area, including Adams, Brown, Hancock, and Pike Counties in Illinois; and Clark, Lewis Marion, Ralls, Pike, Knox, Shelby and Monroe Counties in Missouri.

Community members are encouraged to continue supporting their favorite nonprofits directly during this time. However, those who want to support nonprofits but aren’t sure where to give or how best to help can give directly to the COVID-19 Nonprofit Response Fund. As grant requests are received, they will be summarized on the Community Foundation’s website to provide the community and donors with up-to-date information on the evolving needs of our nonprofit community. Requests may be viewed at www.mycommunityfoundation.org/covid19needs. 

Tax-deductible donations to support the grants program can be made to the Community Foundation online at www.mycommunityfoundation.org/give-now or by mail, 4531 Maine Street, Suite A, Quincy, IL 62305.

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The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri builds permanent charitable funds to assist area nonprofits and communities. 

Its mission, “connecting people who care with causes that matter,” is achieved by gathering funds, growing them through investments, then granting to nonprofit organizations, causes or communities that mean the most to its donors.   

Since 1997, the Community Foundation has made more than $8 million in grants. It serves 12-counties: Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike in Illinois and Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike, Knox, Shelby and Monroe in Missouri.  

The Community Foundation has IRS 501(c)(3) status, and contributions made to the Community Foundation generally qualify for the maximum allowable deductions for income and estate tax purposes.  

For more information, call 217-222-1237, email info@mycommunityfoundation.org or go to mycommunityfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/mycommunityfoundation.