More than $745,000 in Covid-19 Relief

Since May, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation has provided more than $747,250 in grant support to local nonprofits.

As the pandemic took hold in Northwest Connecticut, the Community Foundation quickly  established the Northwest Corner Gives: Covid-19 Rapid Response Fund. In May, the fund awarded $110,470 in Rapid Response Grants to nonprofits providing for basic needs to strengthen the local safety nets in Northwest Connecticut. View all Rapid Response Grants.

On June 15th, the Community Foundation launched Northwest Corner Gives: Covid-19, a crowdsourced gift matching program that enabled local nonprofits to set Covid-19 related fundraising goals to meet their immediate needs, including operational support.

More than 50 Northwest Connecticut nonprofits posted giving campaigns to raise funds to meet the challenges of operating amid social distancing and remote work requirements created by Covid-19.

The Community Foundation guaranteed each nonprofits a grant The Community Foundation guaranteed a grant for 50 percent of each nonprofit goal then matched dollar-for-dollar all gifts until each goal was achieved. Gift matches were made possible by generous gifts from community members, and anonymous, and discretionary Community Foundation funds.

With $635,280 raised through gifts and matches, all campaigns were successfully completed, and many nonprofits surpassing their fundraising goals. Visit Northwest Corner Gives.

The Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation Women & Girls Fund responded to a need to support childcare providers. Recognizing that local first responders need access to childcare, the Women & Girls Fund, awarded $2,500 to Winsted Area Child Care Center to help cover increased operating expenses needed for renovations, PPE, and cleaning supplies and to help offset a required reduction in enrollment in order to accommodate safer physical distancing in the facility. Canaan Child Care Center was awarded $2,500 in support of emergency gap funding for child care costs.

In September, the Community Foundation begins accepting grant applications for Covid-19 needs.