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There are several ways to give and support emergency funding for COVID-19.
The Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund-Click Here to Give
Gifts to this fund will provide emergency grants to support increase to demand in direct services to people most adversely affected by this crisis and/or grants to support general operating expenses when revenues have been impacted by COVID-19 related closures. Gifts can also be made payable to the Community Foundation and mailed to 312 East Church Street, Frederick, MD, 21701, with “Community Foundation COVID Fund” noted in the memo line.
United Way COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund-Click here to give
Gifts to this fund will support nonprofit programs that help people adversely affected by this crisis and include but are not limited to utility and rent assistance, emergency shelter, financial stability programs, transportation needs, prescriptions and medical supplies, food and supplies for seniors, and behavioral and physical health services. Gifts can also be mailed to United Way of Frederick County, PO Box 307, Frederick, MD, 21705.
City of Frederick Economic Development Fund COVID-19 Emergency Relief-Click here to give
Gifts to this fund, a component fund of the Community Foundation, will benefit small businesses in the City of Frederick who have been impacted by the events of COVID-19, in the form of grants for rent, mortgage payments and utilities. Gifts can also be made payable to the Community Foundation and mailed to 312 East Church Street, Frederick, MD, 21701, with “Frederick Economic Development COVID Fund” noted in the memo line.
The Community Foundation is a member of the COVID-19 Philanthropic Funders Collaborative (COVID Collaborative), which includes United Way of Frederick County, Ausherman Family Foundation, Delaplaine Foundation, Inc., Helen J. Serini Foundation, Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County, The Kahlert Foundation, Our Heavenly Cause Foundation, The William Cross Foundation, The Mark and Susan Butt Saturday Mornings Fund, and others. We are working with our partners in the funding community to ensure that dollars are distributed appropriately in the most impactful way.
FREDERICK, MD – May 7, 2020: To support nonprofits that have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, The Community Foundation of Frederick County announces its fourth round of COVID-19 emergency relief grants totaling $50,600, bringing its combined total of emergency grantmaking to $336,100.
The Community Foundation is partnering with United Way of Frederick County, Ausherman Family Foundation, Delaplaine Foundation, Inc., Helen J. Serini Foundation, Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County, The Kahlert Foundation, Our Heavenly Cause Foundation, The William Cross Foundation, The Mark and Susan Butt Saturday Mornings Fund, and others as part of the COVID-19 Philanthropic Funders Collaborative (COVID Collaborative) to support nonprofits that directly help those adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
With its latest round of funding, the Community Foundation is providing grants to 14 nonprofits to support family sustainability, the arts, food insecurity, information and referral services, animal care, and behavioral health services.
COVID-19 emergency relief grants will be provided to:
Centro Hispano de Frederick: $5,220 to support essential staff and services during the COVID-19 crisis.
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry: $2,500 to support the provision of meat sources of protein to area food banks during the COVID-19 crisis.
February Star Sanctuary: $3,500 to support a cat and horse sanctuary for animals displaced due to housing instability, including homelessness or domestic violence.
Frederick Community College Foundation: $2,000 to assist current FCC students with emergency aid related to loss of employment and remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis.
Frederick County Government/Montevue Assisted Living: $6,578 for the purchase of meal trays and carts to provide timely and safe in-room meals due to the COVID-19 suspension of communal dining.
I Believe in Me, Inc.: $4,400 for providing a selection of quality groceries for food distributions in culturally diverse and heavily impacted populations within Frederick, in coordination with other food distribution providers.
Life & Discovery, Inc.: $6,602 for support of essential staff to address community health needs.
New Spire Arts: $2,000 to support general operating expenses while performance venues are closed due to COVID-19.
Other Voices: $2,000 to support general operating expenses while performance venues are closed due to COVID-19.
Project LIFELINE: $5,800 to support the recovery community during the COVID-19 crisis.
Spanish Speaking Community of Maryland, Inc.: $3,500 to support essential staff and services during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Delaplaine Arts Center: $2,000 for supporting general operating expenses while fee-for-service programs are closed during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Endangered Species Theatre Project: $2,000 to support the Teen Mentorship Production, rent, and the development of online platforms.
The Frederick Center: $2,500 to support mental health needs of the LGBTQ+ community during the COVID-19 crisis.
COVID-19 has caused significant hardship for so many in Frederick County, but the Community Foundation has been working quickly and decisively with our partners to help bring relief to those who need it most.
Your support has and will help ensure the Community Foundation and COVID Collaborative can continue to respond to Frederick County's greatest needs not only now, but well into the future.
There are several ways to give and support emergency funding for COVID-19. Visit our COVID-19 emergency funding support webpage to learn more.
FREDERICK, MD – March 31, 2020: To support nonprofits that have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, The Community Foundation of Frederick County has announced its first round of COVID-19 emergency relief grants.
The Community Foundation is partnering with United Way of Frederick County, Ausherman Family Foundation, Delaplaine Foundation, Inc., Helen J. Serini Foundation, Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County, The Kahlert Foundation, and others as part of the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign to support nonprofits that directly help those adversely effected by the COVID-19 crisis.
In support of this campaign, the Community Foundation is partnering with The Kahlert Foundation to provide a total of $50,000 to four area nonprofits in support of essential programs such as food distribution and emergency shelter.
Centro Hispano de Frederick: $10,000 for sustaining essential programs for vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis, including information and referrals for basic human needs, check-ins for behavioral health, and assistance with medical needs.
Frederick Community Action Agency: $10,000 for increasing food bank distribution capacity for households and individuals who are food insecure.
Spanish Speaking Community of Maryland, Inc.: $9,000 for sustaining essential programs for vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis, including information and referrals for basic human needs and domestic violence issues, advocacy for children to access school programs, and advocacy for the provision of services.
YMCA of Frederick County: $21,000 to convert Camp West Mar to an emergency shelter for homeless families and individuals who are at risk or test positive for COVID-19 and cannot return to a regular shelter environment. The program is in collaboration with Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs.
The Community Foundation of Frederick County is a partner in the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign, a collaborative effort to support nonprofits that directly help those adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Programs most affected by this crisis include but are not limited to utility and rent assistance, emergency shelter, financial stability programs, transportation needs, prescriptions and medical supplies, food and supplies for seniors, and behavioral and physical health services.
To ensure maximum impact for this campaign, the Community Foundation is partnering with United Way of Frederick County, Ausherman Family Foundation, Delaplaine Foundation, Inc., Helen J. Serini Foundation, Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County, The Kahlert Foundation, and others. The Community Foundation is working with our partners in the funding community to ensure that dollars are distributed appropriately in the most impactful way.
Please help us support those in our community who need it most during this challenging time. The need is urgent. Learn more about the campaign and donate today by visiting www.unitedwayfrederick.org/COVIDRelief.
Donations can also be mailed to United Way of Frederick County, PO Box 307, Frederick, MD, 21705.
FREDERICK, MD – April 15, 2020: The Community Foundation of Frederick County announces its third round of COVID-19 emergency relief grants totaling $160,500 to local nonprofits, bringing its combined total of emergency grantmaking to $285,500. These new grants were made possible through Our Heavenly Cause Foundation, Truist Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. Howard Levine.
COVID-19 emergency relief grant from Our Heavenly Cause Foundation will be provided to:
Blessings in a Backpack: $16,300 for distribution of non-perishable food to Frederick County children in need.
The City of Frederick, Department of Economic Development: $10,000 for emergency financial assistance for small businesses severely impacted by COVID-19, such as rent, mortgage, and utility expenses.
Heartly House: $27,740 for a new phone system that will better serve survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and child abuse by ensuring hotline service access.
Claggett Center: $17,500 to support a non-congregate quarantine and isolation shelter for Frederick County first-responders and healthcare workers.
YMCA of Frederick County: $15,000 to support childcare sites for children of first-responders, healthcare workers, and essential employees.
Other COVID-19 emergency relief grants will be provided to:
Advocates for Homeless Families: $6,300 for utility and maintenance expenses to assist unemployed households in its transitional housing program.
Boys & Girls Club of Frederick County: $15,000 for essential staff and general operating expenses.
Brunswick Main Street: $10,000 for its emergency micro-grant program to provide financial assistance to existing downtown businesses.
Frederick Arts Council: $5,210 for essential staff and general operating expenses.
Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley: $3,000 to support its job development and coaching programs for persons with disabilities.
Maryland Ensemble Theatre: $2,000 for essential staff and general operating expenses.
Mental Health Association of Frederick County: $12,450 for continuity of services related to its COVID-19 response.
Second Chances Garage: $10,000 for essential staff and general operating expenses.
Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership of Frederick County (SHIP): $5,000 for hotel stays for homeless families unable to access other family shelters.
The Arc of Frederick County: $5,000 for essential staff and general operating expenses.
This funding is part of the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign to support nonprofits that directly help those adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The campaign is led by the COVID Collaborative, which consists of the Community Foundation, United Way of Frederick County, Ausherman Family Foundation, Delaplaine Foundation, Inc., Helen J. Serini Foundation, Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County, The Kahlert Foundation, William E. Cross Foundation, The Mark and Susan Butt Saturday Mornings Fund, and others. These organizations are working together to respond quickly and decisively to local nonprofits' needs.
Family, faith, friends, violets, poetry and coffee are just a few of the things that were important to Viola Marie Robinson, pictured. As Mrs. Robinson aged, her mobility decreased, and she progressed from using a cane to using a walker and then a wheelchair. She never wanted to be a burden on anyone, and one day received a gift of a scooter, which restored her mobility and independence. “My wheels are my wings,” she told her daughter Jeannie. Mrs. Robinson frequently “drove” to the drugstore not far from where she lived, buying cards that she loved to send.
After Mrs. Robinson’s passing in 2003, her daughter and son-in-law, Jeannie and Jack Brunk, decided to create a fund in her memory to help seniors who need assistance to stay independent and in their homes. To date, The Viola Marie Robinson Give Them Wings Fund has helped local nonprofits and government agencies provide dozens of seniors with lift chairs, stair lifts and lift repairs, wheelchair ramps, portable showers, walk-in tubs, hearing aids, eyeglasses, dentures, utility payments, medical supplies and prescriptions, and even a stove and refrigerator. “Mom would love that we are helping other people maintain their independence,” said Mrs. Brunk. “She found such joy in the little things in life and was able to continue doing those little things because her independence was extended with the help of the scooter.”
Numerous nonprofits and county agencies have worked with the Community Foundation to secure grants from this fund to help seniors. Recently, the Frederick County Department of Human Services (DHS) Senior Care Program made a grant request. This department works with seniors who are 65 years or older and moderately to severely disabled with limited income. The client’s stair glide in their home was not working, resulting in loss of family and socialization time due to their inability to access the second floor. The grant made the repair possible and helped return some of the client’s independence. “The Community Foundation is quick in responding to these needs,” said Leslie Hagerty, senior care case manager, from DHS. “Without their help, Senior Care Program clients would not be able to acquire things like ramps, lift chairs, and stair glides which greatly improve the quality of their lives.”
Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County’s A Brush With Kindness program provides home repairs to local home owners who cannot afford them, with 80 percent of the applications received from seniors. A local couple needed bathroom plumbing and water damage repairs, grab bars, and more. Habitat for Humanity was able to have all the repairs handled, including critical repairs to floor joists and subflooring, and with a recent Viola May Robinson Fund grant, a tub cut was made to their combination tub/shower. The tub cut allows the couple step-in access, reducing the risk of falling.
The “Give Them Wings” Fund, as it’s fondly referred to, will be assisting those who need it for many years to come. With more than $76,000 in grants since 2006, the Brunks are committed to helping seniors maintain their independence and stay in their homes as long as possible. “We want seniors to know there is help for those who need it,” said Mr. and Mrs. Brunk. “We are doing a little bit to pay it forward, in the spirit of Mom’s loving and generous nature.”
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