An update on PACE Members’ responses to COVID-19
Since COVID-19 hit communities across the United States, we have been keeping you updated on the innovative ways PACE members and funders are infusing resources with creativity, leading philanthropy’s response, and advancing the conversation of its impact on our democracy.
In our ongoing efforts to share how our members are responding, here are some recent updates and announcements from our members about how they’re helping communities respond to and recover from the ongoing impact of COVID-19:
Chicago Community Trust has launched Together We Rise, an initiative for an equitable and just recovery from the “twin epidemics” of COVID-19 and systemic racism. This collaboration is a partnership between the Trust, the Mayor’s office, and area businesses, philanthropies (including fellow PACE members, the Joyce and Robert R. McCormick foundations), and community leaders. It was created to increase funding, align business practices, and change policies to build a more prosperous Chicago for everyone.
The Delaware Community Foundation Strategic Response Fund has been managing COVID grants since March 18th; it was one of the first funds established in the early days of the pandemic. The fund has granted $3.4 million to date. In September, Governor John Carney announced an infusion of $25 million to the states’ response efforts, which would be split between DCF and the United Way of Delaware.
The Joyce Foundation has been contributing to city and state COVID-19 funds in an ongoing way, but also recently announced creation of its own $1 million special fund to assist with recovery efforts. Areas of focus have included broadband access, education equity, support for the arts, and amplifying stories of resilience from its grantees.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which invests in a culture of health, issued a call for proposals for its Systems for Action initiative, which seeks to supplement research on COVID response and recovery. Unique to this inquiry was a focus on aligning three critical sectors: medical care, public health, and social services. Grants will be initiated in November.
The Kresge Foundation continues to roll out grants dedicated to pandemic response — their announcements total $16 million from the onset of COVID through September. They also announced more than $800,000 in new grant funding to help support 25 local public health departments that are leading COVID-19 response efforts and working to solve issues of racial injustice. The foundation has curated an extensive thread of resources to connect partners to other efforts, information, and partnerships.
PACE’s updates on our members work are published on an occasional basis; all these updates are aggregated on our website in addition to the links in the introductory paragraphs above.
