PHL COVID-19 Fund earmarks more than $2 million in first round of grants to nonprofits

The PHL COVID-19 Fund on Wednesday announced it has awarded grants totaling more than $2 million to 44 nonprofits in the Philadelphia region.

Formed on March 19, the fund has received more than $12 million in pledges and gifts from regional businesses, foundations, and more than 2,000 individual online donors. The fund is a collaboration established among the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Foundation, and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey to help nonprofits working to respond to the impact the pandemic is having throughout the area.

The fund is being managed by a cross-functional team of leaders from both the Philadelphia Foundation and United Way.

“The purpose of the PHL COVID-19 Fund is to rapidly deploy solutions and resources to help our community navigate the near-term impact of COVID-19,” Pedro Ramos, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Foundation, said in a statement. “We want to ensure that critical resources remain available and readily accessible for those in our community who have the greatest needs and are most disproportionately affected.

"The grants named today provide much-needed financial support for organizations that mobilized immediately. In the weeks ahead, hardships throughout the community will expand, and we plan to respond in real time to as many organizations as possible that are answering these unprecedented challenges. Right now, grant requests exceed the total Fund and we are continuing to seek support from donors throughout the region.”

With so many nonprofits in need, especially during the pandemic, choosing which ones receive grants is a challenge in itself.

“Whether it’s nonprofits or the individuals they serve, COVID-19 is placing strain on limited resources and forcing organizations to do more with less,” said Bill Golderer, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. “PHL COVID-19 Fund grants aim to provide vital dollars and resources to the nonprofits on the front lines that need the most support. This first round of funding helps fill immediate gaps facing our communities" — like ensuring access to food and other basic needs and supporting increased health-care demands — "that are so critical to the overall well-being of our region.”

Grants will be made weekly to community-based organizations that support residents in three primary capacities: food and basic needs, protection of vulnerable groups, and medical care and information.

The following organizations have received the initial funding:

Advocates for Homeless & Those in Need, $20,000; Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha, $100,000; Broad Street Ministry, $50,000; BSM/Prevention Point/Project HOME, $100,000; Bucks County Housing Group, $30,000; CADES, $50,000; Cathedral Soup Kitchen Inc., $50,000; Catholic Housing and Community Services, $40,000; Catholic Social Services, $25,000; Chosen 300 Ministries Inc., $50,000; Community FoodBank of New Jersey, $200,000; Community Volunteers in Medicine, $50,000; Hedwig House Inc., $10,000.

Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, $65,000; ICNA Relief SHAMS Clinic, $3,000; Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia, $50,000; Lutheran Settlement House, $50,000; Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA), $200,000; Mighty Writers, $50,000; Multicultural Community Family Services Inc., $48,000; National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, $15,000; and Neighborhood Center in Camden, $25,000;

Pathways to Housing PA, $25,000; Patrician Society of Central Norristown, $10,000; Penn Foundation Inc., $10,000; Philabundance, $200,000; Philadelphia FIGHT, $50,000; Phoenixville Area Senior Center, $40,000; Prevention Point Philadelphia, $50,000; Project H.O.P.E., $37,000; Puentes de Salud, $48,000; Saint John’s Hospice, $50,000; Saint Miriam Parish & Friary, $10,000; Share Food Program, $100,000; Silver Springs – Martin Luther School, $50,000; St. Ignatius Nursing & Rehab Center, $50,000.

The Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank, $25,000; The Sunday Love Project, $5,000; Valley Youth House Committee Inc., $25,000; Vetri Community Partnership, $45,000; Weavers Way Community Programs, $48,000; Why Not Prosper Inc.,, $48,000; Women’s Resource Center of the Delaware Valley, $35,000; Yardley Makefield Consolidated Emergency Unit, $50,000.

The Inquirer is owned by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, which operates under the auspices of Philadelphia Foundation. For more information on how to donate to the PHL COVID-19 Fund, visit phlcovid19fund.org.