Giving Compass' Take:

• Nan Roman, writing for the National Alliance to End Homelessness, describes the grants process as the Day 1 Fund allocates money to various organizations that are addressing homelessness. 

• Why is it important for philanthropists to seek advice on issue areas from local organizations?

• Read about an alternative viewpoint to the Day 1 Fund and Bezos' philanthropic efforts. 

. On Sept. 13, along with many of you, we saw Jeff Bezos’s announcement on Twitter that he and his wife were making a $2 billion contribution to support homeless families and preschools in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. With respect to homeless families, Bezos said in his tweet that his vision came from Marty Hartman, CEO of Mary’s Place in Seattle: “No child sleeps outside.”

Less than ten weeks after that announcement, the Day 1 Families Fund has made $97.5 million in grants to 24 organizations leading the way in ending family homelessness.

What will the grants fund the organizations to do?

  1. First, quickly move families that become homeless to a safe place to stay, or divert them into another housing solution.
  2. Second, provide supportive low-barrier shelter while their crisis is resolved.
  3. Third, help families move back into housing as quickly as possible, with short or long-term rental assistance if they need it.
  4. And fourth, make sure that they get the services they need to stay in their new homes and thrive.

Not all the grantees will do all these things. But they will partner with others in their communities to make sure all services are provided.

What will be the impact of these first grants from the Fund? Hopefully, it will be significant. The size of the grants — $2.5 to $5 million to each organization over a four-year period — is meaningful. In smaller communities or those where there are fewer homeless families, it will be a game-changer. In larger cities, the core support to key organizations will allow them to build their infrastructure and considerably ramp up their ability to act.

Read the full article about Day 1 Fund by Nan Roman at the National Alliance to End Homelessness