RAPID RESPONSE FUNDS
FPLG COVID-19 RESPONSE
RAPID-RESPONSE FUNDS
[UPDATE: May 25, 2020]
The rapid-response funds springing up at the outset of the COVID-19 crisis have attracted significant public attention and support. While the first set of such funds were geographically based and often hosted by a region’s community foundation, other – more specialized – funds have been established in recent weeks.
For instance, the Native American Community Response Fund has been set up to “deploy trust-based funding to urban and tribal Native -led organizations impacted by the pandemic.” Similarly, seven Jewish foundations have banded together to launch the Jewish Community Response and Impact Fund (JCRIF) to provide “more than $80 million in interest-free loans and grants to help maintain the infrastructure of Jewish life that advances Jewish education, engagement and leadership.” And TechSoup, which is a nonprofit network that helps organizations with technology solutions has launched a COVID-19 Response Fund “to help grassroots nonprofits make critical technology investments while continuing to serve the most vulnerable communities through the crisis and into the future.”
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[April 3, 2020]
Community leaders around the nation have quickly shepherded coalitions to provide emergency funding for nonprofit organizations as well as individuals impacted by the coronavirus outbreak and the government restrictions on movement and activities.
This trend began first in Seattle, where the virus first struck in force in the United States, and then moved to Northern California and nationwide. Generally, these funds are hosted by a region’s community foundation.
For example, The Seattle Foundation gathered “philanthropy, government, and business partners to create a fund that will provide one-time operating grants for ‘organizations in our region working with communities who are disproportionately impacted by coronavirus and the economic consequences of this outbreak.’”
The National Center for Family Philanthropy has compiled a map and listing of these rapid-response funds around the nation.
In these times, Native American families turn to trusted community organizations for support and resources. In turn, we want to generously support Native American nonprofits on the ground who are caring for our most vulnerable – relatives facing food insecurity, access to housing, and our low-income sacred elderly.
— Edgar Villanueva (4/20)
Nonprofits need to rapidly make technology decisions that will help them to manage through the coronavirus crisis. The TechSoup COVID-19 Response Fund will enable us to scale up services, online courses, and consulting to organizations that don’t have in-house tech support – ensuring their digital transition and ability to keep serving their communities.
— Marnie Webb, Tech Soup (4/20)
REFERENCES & RESOURCES
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Foundation Requests for Proposals for Covid-19 Relief (May 13- May 18) (May 19, 2020) M.J. Priest, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
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A COVID-19 Rapid Response Support for Native American Communities (April 2020) Edgar Villanueva, Decolonizing Wealth
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$80 Million Fund Set For Jewish Organizations (April 21, 2020) The Nonprofit Times
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TechSoup Launches COVID-19 Response Fund (April 21, 2020) The NonprofitTimes
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Coronavirus ‘Rapid Response’ Funds Proliferate as Threat Grows (March 12, 2020) Dan Parks, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
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Map of Rapid Response Funds in the U.S.
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