Week 6 Donation Update: More Than $4.14 Million In Coronavirus Relief Disbursed to Individuals and Nonprofits by the Two Funds Administered by the St. Louis Community Foundation
110 additional nonprofits awarded funding by the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund
How to contribute to the funds: Visit stlgives.org/covid19.
ST. LOUIS (May 1, 2020) – More than 110 additional nonprofits received new grants totaling more than $1.2 million this week from the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, officials from the St. Louis Community Foundation announced today.
The Regional Response Fund Advisory Council, which is comprised of public health experts, foundation partners, and business and community leaders, selected the organizations, which include: Communities First, The Arnold Food Pantry, North Side Youth & Senior Services, and Join Hands East St. Louis among others.
“With these grants we are able to direct resources to nonprofits that are creatively serving vulnerable populations in the area, such as the elderly, children, those with food insecurities, the unhoused, and immigrants and refugees,” said Elizabeth George, director of Community Investment for the St. Louis Community Foundation. “Initially, we funded larger organizations that are providing services at a community level; most of the grants announced today are to nonprofits that work more closely with individuals and families. They know where the need is greatest and how to reach those ‘hard-to-reach’ people.”
Challenge Grant Met
The Community Foundation also reported that the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund and the Gateway Resilience Fund raised $150,000 and $100,000, respectively, to meet the terms of the challenge grant announced April 17 and funded by an anonymous Community Foundation donor.
Other Fund Updates
Now in the area’s sixth week of pandemic shutdown, St. Louis nonprofits and individuals continue to benefit from the two relief funds administered by the St. Louis Community Foundation: the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund and the Gateway Resilience Fund.
A combined total of $6.5 million has been raised to date for both funds and a total of $4.14 million has been granted to nonprofits, individuals and businesses. A fund by fund breakdown follows:
COVID-19 Regional Response Fund – The coalition of businesses, foundations, and individual donors has raised a total of $5 million, with a total of nearly $2.5 million granted to a total of 154 regional nonprofits working with vulnerable populations (numbers include the grants announced today).
Gateway Resilience Fund – The fund, which provides short-term financial relief to employees and owners of bars and restaurants, and other small businesses has raised to date a total of $1.68 million and delivered assistance to 3,077 individuals and 20 downtown businesses.
“Thanks to the generosity of businesses, foundations, and individual donors in the bi-state region, both funds are able to continue providing meaningful assistance to people in need throughout our area,” said Amelia Bond, president and CEO of the St. Louis Community Foundation. “This community has rallied in so many inventive and inspirational ways. Our area’s largest foundations and businesses including the Boniface Foundation, the Missouri Foundation for Health, Schnucks, Edward Jones, Ameren and NISA Investment Advisors, among many others, formed a broad coalition and stepped up, along with countless individuals who contributed and/or participated through local fundraisers.”
About the funds
The St. Louis Community Foundation created the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund and the Gateway Resilience Fund in March 2020 to assist those affected by the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
How to contribute to either fund: Visit stlgives.org/covid19.