The Community Foundation Responds to COVID-19

The Community Emergency Response Fund was established on March 13, 2020, to provide flexible resources to households and organizations in Central Virginia that are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a region of interconnected people, we have the responsibility to care for one another, particularly those most vulnerable in terms of their health and finances. The Community Foundation is committed to responding in a way that is quick and equitable, partnering with those who are already doing good work, and leveraging the philanthropic spirit of Central Virginia.

Below, you can find more information on how we’ve responded, how you can still help, and where you can find additional resources. I am extremely grateful to the generous donors who have contributed to this effort so far. Philanthropy is well positioned to be nimble, responsive, and creative in times of crisis.

Brennan Gould
President and CEO

MAKE A DONATION
We are still accepting donations to the Community Emergency Response Fund. Your dollars will help support grants to nonprofit organizations seeking to recover, sustain, and build their services.

Donate using a credit card. Or, if you are a fundholder, email Katie Kling, director of advancement, at kkling@cacfonline.org.

WEBINAR
Watch our Learnings & Next Steps Webinar, hosted by Katie Kling on July 29, 2020, along with members of our Programs Team. You'll find updates on the Community Emergency Response Fund and how you can stay involved with this important community effort.

VOLUNTEER
Find more information about how to volunteer and/or provide support to your community.

THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Community Emergency Response Fund. We have been moved by the outpouring of support shown by community members. In the first twelve weeks, we raised more than $5 million from 830 donors of all means and from across the region, a large majority of whom had never given to the Foundation before. You helped us respond quickly and equitably, in collaboration with community partners.

Know, too, that this response is ongoing. We continue to accept donations as we award grants as part of the Community Recovery & Catalyst Grant round.

MAJOR GIFTS
Major gifts have been received from the following donors:

Adiuvans Relief Fund
Aerojet Rocketdyne Foundation
Alexandra Summer Fund
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Barbara Fried
Batten Family Fund
Bonnie and Wick Moorman
Charles Heiner
Crane Charitable Fund (Fidelity)
Crutchfield
Dave and Emily Luebke
Heiner Family Fund
Hilltop Foundation
James and Patricia Atkinson Charitable Fund (Fidelity)
Jeff and Jody Hesler
Lilly Anne Bechtel
Madwoman Project Fund
Manning Family Foundation
Micron Opportunity Fund at the Northern Virginia Community Foundation
Molly and Robert Hardie
Nicholson Family Fund (Fidelity)
Quad-C Management
Quantitative Foundation
Saraswati Fund
SEG Family Fund
Sterba Family Fund
University of Virginia
Wells Fargo Foundation

We have been moved by the outpouring of support shown by community members through the area. Contributors of all means have given to the Fund, demonstrating the neighbor-helping-neighbor spirit of the Charlottesville region. We are honored and humbled to be the place to facilitate this giving.

CONTACT
For more information about donating, contact Katie Kling, Director of Advancement, at kkling@cacfonline.org.

On March 23, 2020, the Community Foundation joined with Cville Community Cares, United Way of Greater Charlottesville, the City of Charlottesville, and the County of Albemarle to provide a mechanism to distribute funds to households experiencing hardship due to the pandemic. That mechanism was the COVID-19 Community Resource Helpline and associated online form, which operated until May 8.

The Community Emergency Response Fund at the Foundation provided $4.56 million to the Helpline, which over seven weeks aided 5,000 households and reached more than 18,000 people in Central Virginia. This innovative direct-aid program served as a bridge until state and federal help arrived, allowing families to pay rent and buy groceries.

On April 3 we opened a temporary grant program, using funds from the Community Emergency Response Fund, to support nonprofit organizations providing critical services such as food, healthcare, and rent-abatement during the pandemic. We designed the process to be low-barrier and provide quick responses. The program ended on May 7, having made twenty-eight awards for $847,196. More than half of that money went toward housing-related expenses, including rent for more than 900 households in the region. More than 22 percent went toward food relief.

Find a complete list of grant recipients.

COMMUNITY RECOVERY & CATALYST GRANTS
In July, the Community Foundation opened a new round of grants from the Community Emergency Response Fund in partnership with the Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band, Dorothy Batten, UVA Community Health, and Twice is Nice. These Community Recovery & Catalyst Grants, of up to $50,000, will support nonprofits as they recover, sustain, and build their organizations. Click here for more information.

The Community Foundation is only one source for assistance during the pandemic. If you are part of a household or nonprofit organization, consider these additional resources.

HOUSEHOLDS

Cville Cares Hotline: Grocery/prescription pickup for people who cannot leave their homes, and other material support; (434) 214-0454‬ or email cvillecares@gmail.com

Support Cville

Rural Food Distribution Sites

Charlottesville Covid Street Sheet (Eng)

Charlottesville Covid Street Sheet (Esp)

Albemarle County Covid Street Sheet (Eng)

Albemarle Covid Street Sheet (Esp)

NONPROFITS

Whole Foods Covid-Response Grant Program

Charlottesville Economic Development Authority Programs Updates

Sentara Covid Page

State Covid Policy Changes (RE: benefits)

Unemployment FAQ