The River Counties Community Foundation (RCCF) has created a regional disaster response fund, COVID-19 Response Fund, to support immediate needs and eventually long-term economic recovery efforts in the community, including Lancaster, Middlesex and Northumberland counties.
This fund represents a coalition of philanthropy, business and community members joining to ensure that resources will be available to help local nonprofit organizations meeting the critical needs of our most vulnerable residents and neighbors.
“We understand that this situation is rapidly changing. It is hard to predict the full impact of COVID-19 in our region and beyond,” said foundation director Margaret Nost. “That is why this fund is designed to address both urgent and immediate needs, as well as the long-term effects as our community recovers.”
RCCF is working closely with both its funding and nonprofit partners, and monitoring needs, changes, and developments daily to ensure it is providing the most effective support possible to our community.
In addition, RCCF has temporarily paused its 2020 grant-making cycle to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Nonprofit partners have been notified.
RCCF has developed a Frequently Asked Questions document to answer questions on how one can apply for COVID-19 grants. This document can be found on its website: www.rivercountiescf.org/Our-Impact/-COVID-19-Response-Fund-Nonprofit-FAQs.
The fund will initially focus on organizations providing essential services in health care, childcare, senior services, and crisis behavioral health care and/or requests that serve the following populations: children and youth, seniors, low-income families, individuals experiencing homelessness, and people with disabilities. The fund does not support requests for individual support, business support, or business loans. If you are an individual in need, please dial #211 for local resources available to support those needs.
RCCF encourages current fund donors, community members, and other funders to join the foundation in its efforts.
“We anticipate the needs will be many, and while RCCF is positioned well to respond with grant funding, we know it will take the entire community coming together to provide the resources necessary to face this challenge head on,” said Carolyn Norton Schmalenberger, RCCF Advisory Board Chair.
Existing fund donors can make a grant by using Donor Connect. Choose “Community Foundation for a greater Richmond” as the grantee and enter “River Counties COVID-19 Response Fund” as the grant purpose.
To make a gift by credit card, click www.rivercountiescf.org/Donors/Give-Now and enter “River Counties COVID-19 Response Fund” as the grant purpose. Checks may be mailed to P.O. Box 54, White Stone, VA 22578. Please write in the memo line “River Counties COVID-19 Response Fund.”
If you have questions or concerns, call the foundation office at 436-1600, or email Margaret Nost, RCCF Director, at mnost@cfrichmond.org or Lincoln Boykin, RCCF Grants Officer, at lboykin@cfrichmond.org.
