The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga announced that it has raised over $1 million for its Community Response and Relief Fund and has already awarded nearly $560,000 in grants to organizations working on the front lines to support individuals and families most affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
The Community Response and Relief Fund is supported by the generosity of individual donors and a cross-sector coalition of partners.
The fund reached the $1 million-raised milestone after a $100,000 commitment by the Lillian L. Colby Charitable Foundation. Partners also include the McKenzie Foundation, the Maclellan Foundation, the Robert & Katrina Maclellan Foundation, Unum, the Benwood Foundation, the Schillhahn-Huskey Foundation, the Weldon F. Osborne Foundation, and Truist.
“We have been inspired by the leaders at front line organizations in our community who have been responding to this challenge with full hearts and open arms,” said Maeghan Jones, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga. “They are demonstrating a powerful example that show how we—even as we’re living our lives further apart—can come together to lift each other up and support our most vulnerable neighbors.”
The Fund provides flexible resources to organizations serving communities who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the economic conditions of this outbreak. Grants fund organizations that have deep roots in community and strong experience working with our most vulnerable residents.
The Fund has approved three rounds of grants, with nearly $560,000 committed to 14 critical providers, which include the following grantees:
- Chattanooga Area Food Bank supplying 1,000 virtual food vouchers to be distributed through Chattanooga 211.
- Chattanooga Community Kitchen covering two months of increased capacity expenses and additional supplies for guests.
- Metropolitan Ministries supporting a two-fold increase in requests for support, providing emergency financial assistance (e.g. rent, utilities, medication, food, transportation) to families and individuals affected by COVID-19.
- Boys & Girls Club of Chattanooga supplying over 8,100 meals, academic support for the children it works with, and employment support and emergency resources for parents.
- Signal Centers covering the cost of additional expenses over a four-week period and providing families with necessities such as food boxes, diapers and wipes in addition to enrichment such as activity packs for parents and caregivers of adults with disabilities.
- YMCA of Chattanooga assisting in the facilitation of meal pick up at 25 community sites in our most vulnerable neighborhoods and offering breakfast and lunch at 90 school bus stop sites. While serving an average of 1,750 meals per day, these funds also assist in the provision of educational materials in both English and Spanish to support early childhood and school-age learning.
- Clinica Medicos supporting no-cost healthcare for uninsured patients affected by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Hamilton County Schools funding a cross-sector collaboration to address critical shortage of protective medical supplies through 3D printing, including the manufacture of face shields.
- La Paz supporting efforts to provide immediate financial assistance for Latinx families in our community.
- Northside Neighborhood House assisting with essential staff capacity to provide support for the increase in number of individuals and families in need of financial and food assistance.
- The Salvation Army covering the costs for temporary shelters for homeless individuals and families that are in need of immediate support due to the COVID-19 crisis.
- Soddy Daisy Food Bank covering the additional costs of food due to an increased number of individuals served and to bolster the organization’s funding as COVID-19 constraints impact regular donors.
- St. Alexius Outreach Ministries funding the additional supplies needed to serve a senior friendly food pantry and our homeless neighbors through the end of June.
- Tennessee United supporting the production and distribution of food boxes serving the Latinx community.
Grant decisions are made by the Fund’s community-led grant-making committee, made up of local leaders with a demonstrated commitment to serving our most vulnerable residents. As the COVID-19 situation evolves, the committee will meet digitally on a regular basis to approve grants and amplify needs and challenges from partners and frontline organizations.
The Community Foundation is coordinating closely with United Way, local government, and other philanthropic organizations to ensure grant-making decisions are timely, effective, and strategic.
Additional information about the fund, answers to frequently asked questions, and details on our community-led grant-making committee are available online at https://cfgc.org/crrf-faq/. The public can learn more about the Fund or make a donation of any size at https://cfgc.org/response-and-resilience-fund/.