Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Think NPC, David Pritchard examines the way response funds in the U.S. are battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

· How are these funds formed? How do these funds assist local nonprofits on the forefront of the fight against this virus? 

· Click here to learn more about the COVID-19 outbreak and different funds.

It is no surprise that the philanthropic community is springing into action to support local nonprofits. Congress is on the verge of passing its third stimulus bill, which includes $367 billion for small businesses that nonprofits can access as forgivable loans, meaning if they pass the assistance to staff they will not have to pay the loans back, effectively converting those loans into grants. But in the meantime, across the nation foundations and cities have already created local “Covid-19 Response Funds” to help local nonprofits and individuals weather the storm.

Candid, a source of information about foundations and grantmaking in the U.S., lists over 200 funds that have been created in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Most of these funds are to help nonprofits in specific geographies in the U.S. and are typically coordinated through one of two already existing local philanthropic coalitions, namely:

  • Community foundations. These are local grant-making charities that channel donations from local companies, churches and other organisations as well as individuals donors to local charities. There are over 750 of these in the U.S., and some of these may have set up Covid-19 response funds not yet listed on the Candid’s website.
  • Local affiliates of affiliates of United Way. These are similar to community foundations but operate under the umbrella of United Way, which has been collating funds and coordinating relief services in the U.S. for over 100 years and more recently in other countries too.

Read the full article about response funds in the US by David Pritchard at Think NPC.