Community Foundation for Southwest Washington CFSWW | SW Washington COVID Response Fund

We’re tapping the strength of collective giving to alleviate the public health and economic consequences of the coronavirus in southwest Washington.

About the SW Washington COVID Response Fund

Hundreds of gifts from community members, coupled with matching gifts from the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund and the All In WA campaign, have provided more than $5 million of flexible financial support to trusted nonprofit partners across our region. These are the essential organizations assisting families, students, workers and businesses whose livelihoods are at great risk due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). For them, our response matters more than ever.

DONATE

Grants are intended to sustain and develop vital community services for residents who stand to lose the most from this unfolding emergency. Our staff has identified the need for grants to organizations seeking assistance with or providing the following support:

- Housing stability efforts, services for people facing homelessness, physical and behavioral healthcare, emergency food programs and childcare support
- Community service delivery barriers, particularly around volunteer recruitment, retention and safety, and contingency planning
- Health and safety measures that range from basic cleaning and healthcare supplies to technology solutions for day-to-day operations

The SW Washington COVID Response Fund has attracted additional funding through our year-end campaign. Our team will be evaluating grant requests received since September and will resume grantmaking in January of 2021. Please check this page for further updates or subscribe to our nonprofit newsletter. For those seeking grant funding, learn more about the Community Foundation’s Focus Grant Program here.

Funding Partners

Early funding partners include the Apex Foundation, Columbia Credit Union, Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, Corwin Family Fund, Cowlitz Education and Arts Fund, Leslie Durst, Firstenburg Foundation, Donald and Margaret Fuesler Foundation, Goodwin Family Charitable Fund, Hansen Family Fund, Hatton GIBO Charitable Fund, Lee and Connie Kearney, Lematta Family, Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, David and Patricia Nierenberg, Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund, Joe Pauletto Jr. Charitable Fund, Perigee Fund, Southwest Washington Accountable Community of Health, Wells Fargo Bank, Umpqua Bank and many other generous contributors.

Contact Us

- If your nonprofit is facing challenges that align with the fund’s purpose, please send your organization name, contact information, amount of request and description of need to [email protected].
- Interested donors and funding partners can contact Chief Development Officer, Janie Spurgeon at [email protected] or 360.952.4313.
- For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact Senior Communications Officer, Maury Harris at [email protected] or 360.952.4306.

Frequently Asked Questions

My organization is interested in resources from this fund. Can we be considered?: We understand the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting nonprofits in many ways, including increased demand for their services, lost revenue due to closures and cancelations, as well as other challenges. To reduce the burden on organizations like yours, we are not opening a formal application process or requiring grant reports at this time. You may email us at [email protected] to make sure we are aware of your needs and can keep them in mind as the granting process progresses and needs become more clear.
How are grantee organizations identified and selected?: A grant committee comprised of community volunteers and Foundation staff will select recipient organizations. This committee will follow local developments on a daily basis and rely on an extensive network of community partners and public officials for on-the-ground information and perspectives.
I’m an individual affected by COVID-19. Can this fund help me?: We understand many individuals and families have been affected by the outbreak already, and more will continue to be affected. On behalf of the fund’s partners, the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington is working to move resources to nonprofit organizations that directly support local residents and families most affected by the emerging health, economic and social impacts. While the fund is not able to provide grants to individuals, it is funding nonprofit organizations that have experience and history of providing people and families with services and support. As we begin to award grants, we will post them here. Please check back for a list of the organizations that may be able to assist you. If you are looking for resources now, please consider 211 or your county health or human services departments.
I want to donate. Can I write a check or gift other assets such as stocks?: Yes. Checks noted for the fund can be sent to: Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, 610 Esther Street, Suite 201, Vancouver, WA 98660. Please include “COVID-19 Response Fund” in the memo line. If you would like to contribute a gift of stock or other assets, please contact Pam Cabanatuan at [email protected] or 360.952.4304. All gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by the IRS.
Can I restrict my donation to a prioritized grantee?: To ensure we move resources as efficiently as possible and respond to needs of communities most impacted, we are not considering restricted donations at this time. The SW Washington COVID Response Fund was created in hopes of providing a way to coordinate as many resources as possible.
Should I give to this fund instead of making other donations?: This fund was not created to be the only vehicle for getting needed resources into the community, but to help facilitate getting more targeted resources into the community. This is a critical time for so many, including the nonprofit organizations who’ve benefited from your giving in the past, as well as those who’ve had to cancel their annual fundraising events or depend heavily on public gatherings. Nonprofits are going to have an increased need for unrestricted funds immediately and long after this crisis subside. Now is the time to double down for our community.
What will not be included in the first phase of funding?: We anticipate multiple phases of funding to address the both the acute needs now and the long-term needs through the recovery. In this first phase, we are prioritizing nonprofit organizations that are serving communities and individuals who are immediately and disproportionately suffering from this crisis. In this first round, we are not able to prioritize organizations who have lost revenue or are likely to lose future revenue due to canceled events or programs, or larger public institutions that are strained by increased demand for services. We recognize these challenges, and as the crisis and long-term impacts continue to unfold, we will reassess our funding approach. Based upon the charitable structure of the SW Washington COVID Response Fund, our grants are limited to 501c3 nonprofit organizations, groups fiscally sponsored by a 501c3 nonprofit organization, or other charitable organizations able to receive a tax-deductible contribution, such as schools, faith-based organizations, and other public entities. We are not able to fund individuals or businesses directly, labor unions, or other 501c4, 501c5, and 501c6 organizations.
Is there a geographic area of focus for the Fund?: The SW Washington COVID Response Fund will prioritize nonprofit organizations that reside or operate programs in Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania Counties.
When will you share who you fund?: We anticipate making a first round of investments before the end of March and will publish the list of selected grantees on the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington website, along with short descriptions of the services and support they are providing. We hope that this will help the community navigate available resources.
Are you collecting administrative fees on gifts made to the fund?: No. One-hundred percent of each donation, minus credit card fees if applicable, will be sent to local nonprofits in the form of rapid-response grants.