Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund awards $184,480 in latest round of grants

Phase II has now eclipsed $3 million in grantmaking

Release Date: 3.23.2021

CLEVELAND – The Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund announced today its 10th cycle of biweekly grants as part of its Phase II efforts to support the Greater Cleveland nonprofit community during the ongoing pandemic. In total, $184,480 was awarded to five organizations and groups serving Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties. Since the start of Phase II in mid-November, partners have granted nearly $3.1 million.

The latest round of grant recipients includes:

  • Cleveland Clergy Alliance ($50,000): To supply meals, utilities assistance, technological devices, and PPE to low-income seniors in Cuyahoga County, while also providing navigators to help seniors register for, and gain access to, vaccines
  • DDC Clinic – Center for Special Needs Children ($25,000): To provide PPE, COVID-19 testing and contact tracing and basic needs and healthcare outreach for the most medically fragile Amish families in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties
  • MidTown Cleveland ($27,200): To distribute meals purchased from local Asian- and Black-owned businesses to immigrants, seniors, and non-native English speakers in AsiaTown
  • Senior Citizen Resources, Inc. ($32,280): To provide 4,800 meals to isolated low-income seniors primarily located in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood
  • United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland, Inc. ($50,000): To support the Khnemu Foundation’s Faith And Community Together Serving (FACTS) CLE initiative, including distribution of PPE and accurate COVID-19/vaccination information to underserved populations in Cuyahoga County via community distribution events

The Fund welcomes applications from nonprofits seeking support to address community needs in the areas of basic needs, housing, PPE, testing and vaccination access. Applicants are asked to demonstrate that the program or project will have a direct impact on reducing the spread of COVID-19. The Fund is especially interested in applications that help vulnerable populations access the vaccine.

Contributions to the second phase of the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund total more than $4.5 million. Funding partners urge other foundations, corporate entities, individuals and organizations to contribute to the Fund. Donations of any amount are welcomed, and all contributions are tax deductible.

Based upon the charitable structure of the Rapid Response Fund, the second phase is currently accepting grant applications from eligible organizations serving Cuyahoga, Lake and/or Geauga counties. The Fund is designed primarily to support human service nonprofits with operational budgets of less than $20 million. The Fund partners encourage collaborative proposals that involve multiple organizations within similar sectors or neighborhoods working on shared issues.

Grants during Phase II of the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund are awarded every two weeks and will continue for one year. Awards range in size from $5,000 to $100,000, with a maximum grant amount of $100,000 for any nonprofit organization throughout the current cycle ending Oct. 31, 2021. Organizations that were funded during Phase I (between March-July 2020) are eligible to apply for additional funding. Grants are limited to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, groups fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, or other charitable organizations able to receive a tax-deductible contribution.

For more information or to donate, visit ClevelandFoundation.org/Response.

# # #