In the near-term, one-time operating grants can serve the following funding purposes:
To support an organization’s initiatives that serve those directly affected by COVID-19 and the practices of containment, such as:
• Residents without health insurance and/or access to sick days
• Residents with limited English language proficiency
• Healthcare, service industry, and gig economy workers
• Low to moderate income and diverse communities
• Other issues that may be defined as of critical importance as the situation rapidly evolves
To support organizations that serve those priority communities stated above who may require specific organizational funding needs in order to meet their missions during the pandemic.
These rapid-response grants can address:
• The economic impact of reduced and lost work due to the coronavirus outbreak
• Immediate needs of economically vulnerable populations caused by closures and cancellations related to COVID-19
• Increased demand for medical information and support
• Fear and confusion about the outbreak among the region’s most vulnerable residents
• Capacity support for organizations trying to respond to the needs in a restricted environment.
The NEPA COVID-19 response fund will disburse grants and funding support based on the decision of an advisory committee comprised of partner organizations from the funding, nonprofit, civic, and government sectors. The Scranton Area Community Foundation will administer this process in line with the fund language and under the guidance of this advisory committee. Together, advisors will proactively identify potential grant recipients, solicit guidance on potential recipients from community advisors, and recommend final awards. The NEPA Grantmakers Forum will continue to coordinate, convene, and update funders related to the regional response efforts. Established to be a rapid-response fund, the goal would be to move resources effectively, efficiently, and quickly as the need arises, and to not further burden organizations on the front lines of the pandemic with overly complicated, formalized processes. To that end, we suggest not hosting a traditional application process at this time, but instead releasing funds on a rolling basis throughout the outbreak and recovery phases of the crisis, moving resources quickly and adapting to evolving needs.
To learn more, please review the FAQ Sheet, which answers many common questions we are hearing from the community.
Timeframe
The Fund expects to begin fundraising and acquiring resources, and expects to make an initial round of grants within the next few weeks, in line with the guidance of the advisory committee.
Contact Us
• General questions & inquiries about the Fund can be directed to info@safdn.org
• For interested donors and partners, please contact Maggie Martinelli at maggie@safdn.org
• For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Communications Manager, Brittany Pagnotti at bpagnotti@safdn.org.
• To make a donation by check or other assets, contact us at info@safdn.org or 570-347-6203.
• To make a donation online, please click here:
To learn how you can make a charitable impact through a planned gift, visit SAFplans.org.
