Editor’s note: This post was updated on April 6 to reflect additional contributions to the fund.
Region’s Largest Community Foundation has raised and committed $4.7 million to support disproportionately impacted communities
Across the region, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is rising and the situation is rapidly evolving. The health, social, and economic implications of this pandemic are already being felt and could continue to be staggering to our region.
Last week, The Community Foundation launched the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to support emergency preparedness and response efforts to help mitigate the impact on disproportionately affected communities in our region. Through this fund, we are focused on addressing lost wages, relief for small businesses and gig economy workers, expanding access to medical services, and meeting the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness, among other issues.
Since launching the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, The Community Foundation has raised and committed more than $4.7 million in contributions from both individual donors and institutional funders.
You can join this effort to ensure our region is prepared to meet the evolving needs and challenges associated with this public health emergency and economic crisis. Your contribution will help support and assist our nonprofit partners working on the frontlines to provide supplies and direct services to affected communities, especially low-income communities, hourly wage and gig economy workers, people of color, and people experiencing homelessness who may be disproportionately impacted.
“We know that missing one shift or even one paycheck can mean members of our community, especially the region’s low-wage workers, struggle to pay rent, afford groceries, and otherwise provide for their families,” said Tonia Wellons, Interim President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “The outpouring of support from our community has been nothing short of incredible! We are truly inspired by our community coming together to help each other out during a difficult time. Your support helps us deploy critical resources to our nonprofit partners responding to the urgent health and economic needs of our communities.”
In addition to The Community Foundation’s initial commitment of $150,000 to seed the fund, support for this effort has come from several individual, philanthropic, and corporate partners. Initial partners and contributions to this fund include:
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation has approved a $1 million grant, $750,000 outright and $250,000 as a 1:1 match
Thanks to a generous matching challenge grant from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, starting today all additional contributions to this fund will be matched up to $500,000
More than $750,000 in individual contributions from The Community Foundation’s donors and donations from community members ranging in size from $10 - $5,000
$350,000 from Amazon as part of a $1 million total contribution to four local community foundations serving residents of the Greater Washington region
$250,000 from Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation and Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
$200,000 from Public Welfare Foundation
$150,000 from Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda Gates company, and Wells Fargo Foundation
$100,000 from Philip L. Graham Fund, Richard E. and Nancy P. Marriott Foundation, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, and Target
$75,000 from Horizon Therapeutics and PNC
$60,000 from International Monetary Fund Giving Together
$50,000 from the Lois and Richard England Family Foundation, Prince Charitable Trusts, Washington AIDS Partnership, Weissberg Foundation, and the World Bank Group Community Connections Fund
$25,000 from Booz Allen Hamilton and Comcast
$10,000 from The Crimsonbridge Foundation and United Solutions
“During these challenging times, the Foundation is pleased to support the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund,” said Calvin Cafritz, President and CEO, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. “We want to ensure that nonprofits, and the communities they serve, are able to survive this crisis and thrive in the future. We are happy to work with the Greater Washington Community Foundation, and others, to help local organizations in both the short- and long-term.”
"In keeping with Mr. Clark's commitment to the Washington, DC region, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation believes that this is a time to come together as a community to provide resources to our neighbors,” said Joe Del Guercio, President and CEO of the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation. “The Greater Washington Community Foundation is uniquely positioned to respond to this evolving crisis and address the immediate and long-term needs of the region. We are proud to partner with them on this effort.”
“Right now, our nonprofit partners need flexible resources in order to fill critical gaps and meet increased demand for their services, while they also grapple with their own fundraising and volunteer shortfalls,” said Tonia Wellons, Interim President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “The Community Foundation is committed to addressing both the immediate needs of people in our region and we’re planning for the longer term needs of communities to ensure our region remains strong and resilient.”
“The Wells Fargo Foundation is appreciative of the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s leadership as our region – and the world – faces unprecedented challenge,” said Anna Bard, Senior Vice President and Community Affairs Manager for DMV at Wells Fargo. “We have chosen to provide a $150,000 investment because we trust The Community Foundation to exercise their convening power and work collaboratively to identify the best means of supporting vulnerable members of our community.”
“Thousands of World Bank Group staff and retirees call the Washington, DC region home and they are eager to help their local communities’ response to the COVID-19 virus,” said Lindsey Buss, Senior Officer, Community Outreach at The World Bank. “Through this emergency grant, from staff/retiree donations and World Bank Group matching funds, to The Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, we are happy to be a part of an ongoing and flexible support system for our community and neighbors.”
The Community Foundation will administer grants in cooperation with our local government advisors and philanthropic partners. In order to move resources quickly, funds will be released on a rolling basis throughout the outbreak and recovery phases of this crisis, making it possible to adapt to evolving needs in subsequent funding rounds.
With a mission to Build Thriving Communities, The Community Foundation brings together people and resources to tackle critical community issues and leads community impact initiatives to ensure our region is healthy and thriving. The Community Foundation is best known for establishing and managing the Survivor’s Fund, which from 2001-2008 raised and deployed $25 million in support for emergency services to families and victims of the 9/11 Pentagon attack. In 2008, The Community Foundation also created the Neighbors in Need fund and raised more than $5 million to support local residents hit hardest by the economic crisis. More recently, The Community Foundation’s Resilience Fund helped workers displaced by the partial Federal Government shutdown in January 2019 by funding nonprofits providing emergency cash and food assistance to our neighbors.
More information is available at www.thecommunityfoundation.org/covid-19.