COVID-19 Grants & Response Funds
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The novel coronavirus and resulting COVID-19 disease is a rapidly unfolding situation in North Carolina and across the globe. The effects of the outbreak are likely to be widespread, and will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable among us. With this in mind, NCNG is compiling information and resources related to the outbreak, as well as philanthropy's response. If there are resources you suggest we add to this page, please let us know.
COVID-19 Grants
(August 7) The Outer Banks Community Foundation has awarded more than $65,000 in emergency funding to local nonprofits. The grants will help families in Dare County afford childcare and tutoring during the COVID-19 school closures. Grants were made to the Outer Banks Family YMCA, The Mustang Outreach Program, and the Interfaith Outreach Program.
(August 4) SECU Foundation is pleased to announce the third phase of its COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts, in which over $3 million in grants were awarded to thirty-four North Carolina non-profits to support their operational needs. Organizations across the state adversely affected by the crisis are in dire need of financial assistance to offset mounting expenses and to continue their mission of providing valuable services in communities of North Carolina. The grants, distributed over the past several weeks, provide much needed support to a diverse group of non-profits that SECU Foundation has assisted over the last 15 years. These organizations span all regions of our State and help meet essential needs in the areas of healthcare and human services. Examples include hospice care, healthcare centers, domestic violence and homeless shelters, and addiction recovery centers.
(July 8) Triangle Capacity-Building Network, comprised of a collection of local funders, has awarded $290,000 in new general operating support grants as part of their phase two response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants of $10,000, awarded to 29 local organizations, prioritize nonprofits led by and serving people of color. The general operating grants will support staff and leadership's ability to change business models as well as provide for technical upgrades in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.
(June 18) Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation awarded $650,000 to organizations working to address immediate impacts of COVID-19 in four areas - funding to direct assistance; workers' rights, safety, and conditions; fair, safe, and accessible elections; and innovative, equitable educational opportunities.
(May 12) The Duke Endowment awarded a $3.5 million grant to Feeding the Carolinas, a network of 10 food banks serving more than 3,700 charitable agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina. The funding will help Feeding the Carolinas respond to increased demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(May 5) Blue Cross NC Foundation will deploy $2 Million in Immediate, Flexible Funding to Respond to COVID-19 in NC. More Details Here.
(May 4) SECU Foundation has awarded the following grants:
$500,000 awarded to Meals on Wheels NC to help address increased food insecurities of senior adult population during the pandemic. The funds will expand the resources of the organization to deliver more nutritional meals to vulnerable seniors statewide. Details here.
$2.5 million awarded to the North Carolina Healthcare Foundation to assist in efforts to provide increased statewide support during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding is already helping to deliver much needed relief to healthcare and human services organizations providing key resources to the medical community. Support provided through this grant includes: collaboration with North Carolina Area Health Education Centers to provide online training and medical coaching for staff who deliver COVID-19 care; personal protective equipment; mental health resilience programs; childcare; and expanded telehealth services for acute healthcare employees. Details here.
(April 20) State Employees' Credit Union (SECU) and SECU Foundation (Foundation) committed up to $10 million to assist with COVID-19 disaster relief efforts across the state. The combined funding – $5 million each from the Credit Union and the Foundation – will provide grants to multiple non-profits to help meet basic needs statewide. The first two grants to assist with COVID-19 disaster relief are below
$2 million awarded to Feeding the Carolinas to be disbursed to all 7 regional food banks in North Carolina. The funds will allow the food banks to purchase items in bulk from wholesalers which can be used to prepare and distribute "disaster boxes" with food supplies. Details here.
$2 million awarded to Salvation Army of the Carolinas to support relief efforts in all 100 North Carolina counties. The funds will help provide food, shelter, and financial assistance for needs such as mortgage/rent and utilities. Details here.
(March 27) The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation has announced their initial response to support grantee partners during the coronavirus outbreak. They are starting with these four actions: Providing immediate cash for short-term needs ($10,000 to all current board-approved grantee partners), extending most grants by one year and frontloading them, contributing to place-based responses across the South (up to 10, $25,000 contributions to organizations with existing relationships), and bolstering community development financial institutions. Read more here.
(March 27) The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will contribute $500,000 to the COVID-19 Response Fund created to assist the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community.
(March 24) Golden LEAF Foundation is deploying $15 million in funding to launch a COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Loan Program that will provide loans of up to $50,000 with zero interest and no payments for six months. If not repaid in six months, the loan will convert to a term loan. More Details here.
(March 24) Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust will deploy $1.5 Million in Immediate, Flexible Funding to Respond to COVID-19 in NC. More Details Here.
(March 20) Wells Fargo has announced comprehensive steps to help customers, communities and employees grappling with the impact of COVID-19. On March 20, the Wells Fargo Foundation announced it will provide $175 million in charitable donations nationally to help address food, shelter, small business and housing stability, as well as to provide help to public health organizations. For more details, read the news release. Across North Carolina, $7.8 million in charitable donations will be focused on these key areas: housing stability, small business sustainability, financial security and workforce development, and K-12 education support.
COVID-19 Response Funds
(July 9) North Carolina Community Foundation launches North Carolina Healing Communities Fund in response to COVID-19
The Fund will provide critical resources for nonprofit organizations in North Carolina that have been impacted severely by COVID‐19 through revenue loss and increased demand. The Fund's focus will be to support nonprofits in marginalized communities that have been disproportionately affected by the virus and its economic impacts and have been underserved by other sources of financial assistance, specifically communities of lower wealth, communities of color, mostly rural communities and where English may not be the primary language. More information on the Fund is available here. This page will be updated with further information on the Fund as it develops.
Foundation for a Healthy High Point Announces NEW Fluid Strategic Investment Program -
3rd Quarter Applications Due August 1, 2020
The Fluid Strategic Investment Program is intended to provide one-time grants to non-profit organizations serving the Greater High Point area to provide them with critical and flexible resources to weather, recover, and rebuild from the impact of COVID-19. Applications should describe how the funds will be used to support organization's response to COVID-19, either through efforts to support the organization internally or to support clients. For more information on the Fluid Strategic Investment Program, please click here.
2020 Deadlines for Fluid Strategic Grants:
3rd Quarter – August 1
4th Quarter – October 1
Applications must be submitted by 3:00 pm on the deadline to be considered for the current cycle. Applications submitted after 3:00 pm will be considered during the next review cycle.
To start an application, please click here.
The NC Humanities Council has launched the "NC CARES: Humanities Relief Grants" program, which will provide more than $600,000 in grant funding to humanities-focused organizations to maintain services or to innovate or adapt services affected by the outbreak. Priority will be given to organizations located in or serving rural communities, tranditionally under-resources groups, and organizations that do not receive significant public funding. Details and application here.
The North Carolina Healthcare Foundation has opened the Fill the Gap Fund to deploy resources to organizations working on the front lines of the crisis to address emerging, acute, and long-terms needs. The initial phase of proactive and responsive grants will focus on healthcare entities, and their community partners, responding to the crisis across the state. Learn more here.
Triangle North Healthcare Foundation has announced the launch of a COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund, available to nonprofit, local government, and educational organizations, serving the counties of Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren. Learn more here.
The North Carolina Local News Lab Fund, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, inspired by excellent work around the state to meet that crisis and the growing news and information needs of NC residents, has officially opened a new round of funding on May 4. Details are available here in English, with Spanish to follow soon.
Triangle Community Foundation, with the help of its fundholders, made $3.09 million in grants in the month of March to local nonprofits, mainly for COVID-19 relief. 631 grants were made and the $3.09 million total was a 53 percent increase in funding from the same time a year ago. There was a 157 percent increase in grants. $75,000 from the unrestricted Fund for the Triangle has been mobilized to immediately assist rapid response efforts, including United Way of the Greater Triangle's relief fund, Chatham County United Way's relief fund, and five of the region's arts relief funds. $160,000 in new donations has been raised by donors for its Fund for the Triangle in the past two weeks. Triangle Community Foundation is currently working with other local grantmakers and will partner with other community effort, to develop short-term and long-term funding strategies to support local nonprofits.
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, in partnership with the Dogwood Health Trust, activated its Emergency and Disaster Response Fund to accept and strategically disburse funds to address COVID-19 pandemic response and relief efforts in 18 counties of Western North Carolina including the Qualla Boundary. On March 25, the Foundation announced 38 grants totaling $286,800 from its Response Fund to nonprofits addressing COVID-19 pandemic response. The grants respond to immediate needs not currently covered by other emergency funding sources. They fall into broad categories including hunger mitigation, physical and mental health, emergency childcare and support for marginalized people. A complete list of grants is available at www.cfwnc.org.
The Outer Banks Community Foundation launched a COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants Program, with a first grant providing home internet access to every student in the Dare County School System. The foundation also awarded $56,050 in response grants to eigh local nonprofits for basic, urgent needs.
The COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County was established by a partnership between United Way of Forsyth County, The Winston-Salem Foundation, the City of Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, and Community Organizations Active in Disaster to support local community members impacted by the novel coronavirus. The fund will help not just those who get sick but also those who are economically impacted. As of March 24, more than $3,000,000 has been raised for the fund, with donations ranging from $10 to $1,000,000, from individuals, corporations, nonprofits, and foundations. Nonprofits can now access the COVID-19 grant application at wsfoundation.org/covid-19-grants. The fund awarded over $1 millioin to 15 local nonprofits on April 6. See more here.
United Way of Central Carolinas and Foundation For The Carolinas have partnered to launch the COVID-19 Response Fund. The fund will support a range of nonprofits assisting the people most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. As of March 30, nearly $3 million has been awarded to 14 local nonprofits in the first round of grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund. To date, more than $11 million has been raised for the fund from corporations, foundations, individuals and local government.
The Clemmons Community Foundation has established two COVID-19 local response funds to help the communities they serve – a fund serving Clemmons and Lewisville and a fund serving Yadkin County.
The Cumberland Community Foundation has created the Cumberland County Schools Fund for Emergency Student Needs. This fund was created to support the emergency needs of students of Cumberland County Schools, including but not limited to tools necessary to learn at home (Chromebooks, internet access, mobile hot spots in neighborhoods), emergency assistance for food and clothing, and other support for students in need. To learn more, please visit their website at this link.
The Gaston Community Foundation has established a COVID-19 Response Fund in partnership with the United Way of Gaston County, City of Gastonia, Gaston County, Duke Energy, and the Gaston Business Task Force to accept and strategically disburse funds to address the COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts in Gaston County.
The Community Foundation of Henderson County has established a COVID-19 Response Fund in partnership with the United Way of Henderson County. Grants were awarded on March 27 to 11 organizations totaling 63,000, on April 9 to 9 organizations totaling $64,000, on May 7 to seven organizations totaling $53,500 and on May 21 to 7 organizations totaling $45,416, and on Thursday, September 3, the Response Fund's ninth and final round of grants were awarded totaling $57,466. Over the past six months the Fund has approved awards totaling $439,236 to 41 nonprofits for food, rent, utility, and childcare assistance, sanitation supplies, protective equipment, medical services, senior care, mental health support, legal services, and more. These grant awards are over and above the usual grantmaking and allocations conducted at both UWHC and CFHC.
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point has established a COVID-19 Response Fund in partnership with the United Way of Greater High Point, Wells Fargo, and other local organizations.
Community Foundation of NC East started a COVID-19 Philanthropy Pledge inviting donors to contribute to its Disaster Relief Fund. Read more here.
The Community Foundation of the Dan River Region has launched a Coronavirus Relief Fund. Read more here.
The Community Foundation of Burke County, in partnership with Grace Episcopal Church Foundation, Huffman-Cornwell Foundation, Rostan Family Foundation and Western Piedmont Foundation, has launched the COVID-19 Community Emergency Response Fund. This fund will provide grants to tax-exempt organizations 501(c)(3) that have programs benefiting Burke County. Grants must address emergency services that include food, medical/mental health services, and shelter and housing. Funding guidelines can be accessed by going to www.cfburkecounty.org.
Cardinal Health Innovations established a COVID-19 Relief Fund, with a goal of having an immediate impact on the availability of social services and increasing the community's ability to serve those disproportionately affected in 20 specific counties.
The North Carolina Healthcare Foundation has created the COVID-19 Fill the Gap Response Fund to rapidly meet critical health system and health provider needs that are not being addressed by state or federal funds.
In partnership with United Way of Central Carolinas, United Way of Iredell County and the Iredell County Community Foundation, a regional affiliate of Foundation For The Carolinas, the Iredell County COVID-19 Response Fund was established to help those most in need through support to nonprofit organizations.The initial priority is to address the immediate basic human needs of Iredell County residents by deploying resources to trusted organizations that respond to, and are impacted by, the coronavirus outbreak. The Fund will respond to emerging and evolving needs.
Southern Vision Alliance has announced a Frontlines Leaders Fund: COVID-19 Community Response Grants. These are small grants of up to $500 to neighborhood-based and local organizing efforts in response to COVID-19. Priority will be given to efforts led by workers, LGBTQ people, youth and students, Black people and people of color, rural communities, disabled people, migrants, and families. The opportunity is open to grassroots organizations, groups of individuals, and individuals. You do not need to be 501(c)3 or 501(c)3 sponsored but funds must be used in compliance with 501(c)3 guidelines.
First Responders Children's Foundation has established a COVID-19 Response Fund to provide support to first responder families who are enduring financial hardship due to the coronavirus outbreak. Learn more and provide support here. Apply here.