Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund partners announce recipients of third week of grantmaking

Community raises more than $7.1 million, grants to date exceed $2 million to support frontline nonprofit organizations in Greater Cleveland

 Release Date: 4.10.2020

CLEVELAND – The Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund coalition announced today its third round of weekly grants to support the Greater Cleveland nonprofit community, which continues to face unprecedented challenges during the ongoing pandemic. In total, $626,500 was awarded to eight organizations and groups serving Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties, bringing the overall grantmaking amount to just over $2.3 million in three weeks.

Food & Shelter

  • Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging ($100,000): To provide meals, telephone reassurance and wellness checks, and telehealth behavioral health services for older adults and caregivers in Cuyahoga County.
  • YWCA Greater Cleveland ($101,500): To provide basic needs, food security, and on-site and remote case management at Permanent Supportive Housing for formerly homeless and low-income women at two locations as well as Cleveland’s largest emergency homeless shelter for adult women.

Personal Protective Equipment

  • Case Western Reserve University + Yellowcake Shop ($50,000): To facilitate the production of 10,000 protective facemasks, which will be distributed to Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry for non-contact circulation within the Cuyahoga County Continuum of Care’s homeless service provider network.

Comprehensive Basic Needs

  • East End Neighborhood House ($70,000): To continue to provide meal deliveries to seniors and childcare services as a Temporary Pandemic Center in the Buckeye neighborhood on Cleveland’s east side.

Youth/Education

  • Community of Hope ($15,000): To provide funds for housing, transportation and basic needs for youth who have aged out of foster care in Cuyahoga County and are at a high risk for homelessness.

Other Vulnerable Populations

  • SMART Recovery ($70,000): To help facilitate nearly 400 online addiction support meetings free of charge, while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity for at-risk populations across Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.
  • Centers for Dialysis Care ($20,000): To provide personal protective equipment for staff and patients, and to help pay for transportation for patients across Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties in order to travel to the clinic for treatment.

Small Community Grants

  • Neighborhood Connections ($200,000): To provide grants ($500-$5,000) to small nonprofit organizations, faith-based congregations, and grassroots and neighborhood civic groups throughout Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties for a broad range of essential human needs such as healthy food and safe shelter.

Overall contributions to the Rapid Response Fund now total more than $7.1 million from 52 different corporate, civic and philanthropic partners, including more than $500,000 from individuals and families across the region. New funding partners (since April 3) include Citizens Charitable Foundation; The DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement; The Glenmede Trust Company, N.A.; The Higley Fund; Lowenthal Family Fund; Samuel H. and Maria Miller Foundation; David and Katharine Outcalt; Jane and Jon Outcalt Foundation; Judy and Bob Rawson, Bill and Pam Summers; and Margaret W. Wong. Funding partners urge other foundations, corporate entities, individuals and organizations to contribute to the fund via ClevelandFoundation.org/Response, where you can also view a list of partners to date. Donations of any amount are welcomed, and all contributions are tax deductible.

The partners plan to continue to make grants once a week through June, with the potential to extend grant opportunities as needed and as additional funding resources become available through new partners joining the effort. Frontline nonprofits that have pressing needs related to the COVID-19 crisis response should email covid19response@clevefdn.org to receive more information about the streamlined funding process. The funding collaborative will continue to identify potential grantee partners, solicit guidance on proposed projects from community advisors and recommend final awards. Organizations that have already submitted funding requests will remain in consideration for future grant distributions until further notice.

Based upon the charitable structure of the Rapid Response Fund, 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, such as schools, faith-based organizations and other public entities. The partners are not able to fund individuals or businesses directly, labor unions, or other 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5) and 501(c)(6) organizations.

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