Good Works: Tri-county nonprofits get grants for COVID-19 response
The Ventura County Community Foundation, in coordination with Ventura County, Amgen Foundation, Aera Energy, Southeast Ventura County YMCA, Give An Hour, and the Economic Development Collaborative, launched the Ventura County Rapid Response Fund on March 13.
The next day, the 805 UndocuFund COVID-19 Fund was activated with partners, including Future Leaders of America, CAUSE, Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, and the McCune Foundation.
The VCCF awarded the following grants:
• $25,000 to the Southeast Ventura County YMCA for their work in launching individual and family assistance grants available to residents meeting eligibility criteria in Ventura County.
• $25,000 to the Economic Development Collaborative to help support their direct business advising program to help local firms navigate through the economic slowdown and connect businesses with the full range of resources available, including low cost capital.
• $25,000 to Give An Hour to provide mental health and emotional wellness needs by launching daily online support groups in both English and Spanish.
• $120,000 to the Southeast Ventura County YMCA to help several hundred families with direct financial assistance grants. The first round of payments to families is being distributed on April 10.
• $300 to support critical programing for nonprofits on legal issues relating to COVID-19 provided by the Center for Nonprofit Leadership.
• $125,000 to Women’s Economic Ventures for a 1:1 matching grant to support the Quick Response Loan Fund for micro-businesses in Ventura County. These businesses are defined as those with fewer than five employees and less than $1 million in annual revenues, and generally do not qualify for SBA Disaster Recovery Loans.
• $50,000 to the 805 UndocuFund COVID-19 Fund to provide support to undocumented immigrants.
• $60,000 to Food Share of Ventura County for unrestricted support to support the logistics of delivering food and support the emergency need to purchase food for tens of thousands of people.
• $25,000 to Future Leaders of America to support staffing needs related to the 805 UndocuFund. Within the first 24 hours of the application being open, more than 1,700 applications were received. By the following morning, 300 additional applications were received.
• $40,000 to MICOP for general operating support to assist with a robust outreach and education effort and to ensure the indigenous community has resources they need.
DIAPER DEMAND SKYROCKETS
Oakview-based nonprofit Secure Beginnings has partnered with Meiners Oaks Elementary School in Ojai to distribute diapers and wipes to families in need with children up to 5 years old.
Diaper banks are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of the month at the school, which is located at 400 S. Lomita Ave.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the nonprofit formerly known as the Nan Tolbert Nurturing Center served about 10 families per diaper bank. Since then, the number has grown to 100 families per diaper bank and Secure Beginnings officials expect 200 families to be served at the April 15 diaper bank.
• The Good Works column is a monthly roundup of nonprofit and philanthropy news in the Tri-Counties. Submit items to Glenn Rabinowitz at [email protected].
