PAHWF Launches COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund
POTTSTOWN, June 3, 2020—The Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation has launched a new fund that will allow members of the community to make a difference by contributing towards causes they care about the most, including social services, food insecurity, economic development, and education. Donations may be made online or by check.
Last week, the Foundation’s board approved a total of $100,000 towards establishing The COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund for Social Service and Micro Business at PAHWF. Taken together with recent community contributions, the board’s action marks a total commitment of $235,000 toward the goal of ensuring that the needs of the Tri-County community are met during the COVID-19 crisis.
The announcement of the fund follows on the Foundation’s support of community-led efforts including a $100,000 matching grant to the Foundation for Pottstown Education’s campaign for Chromebooks, a $10,000 matching grant to address food insecurity, and a $25,000 grant that helped establish the MontCoPA COVID-19 Response Fund
The dual nature of the Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund will bring resources to nonprofits that meet the needs of the area’s most vulnerable residents while also helping to establish a strong economic base for the region’s recovery.
“Leveraging the support of our community’s generous residents will be vital in the months ahead,” said Foundation president Dave Kraybill. “We are facing unique challenges, but by coming together now, we can ensure that the Tri-County comes through this stronger.”
Grants from the fund will focus on programs that will have an immediate impact on the community. Priorities include nonprofits serving the most vulnerable in our community, those with increased service demand, and those providing basic necessities.
“The current crisis has exacerbated pre-existing inequities in access to basic human needs, and we felt it was important to make a difference right now,” said program officer Howard Brown. “The structure of the fund will allow us to make a significant impact both now and well into the future by providing much needed assistance for historically underserved and marginalized populations throughout our service area.”
The fund will accept applications from nonprofits and micro businesses June 5-12, and grants will be given in amounts up to $2,500. Pottstown Area Industrial Development Corporation will assist in directing funds to businesses in need. Visit pottstownfoundation.org/COVID-19 for more information on applying for a grant. Also available at this link, the COVID-19 Organizational Capacity & Service Implementation (COCSI) Survey for Executive Directors will gather information about the needs of nonprofit organizations within the PAHWF service area. Results from this survey will assist in the prioritization of future initiatives, funding opportunities and collaborations.