PHL COVID-19 Fund Deploys Funds to Aid Pandemic Recovery Efforts

PHILADELPHIA, June 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The PHL COVID-19 Fund announced awardees of its Community Reopening Grants. In its seventh round of funding, the Fund awarded $2.1 million to 80 nonprofit organizations with specific needs pertaining to their transitions to recovery.

The Fund, launched on March 19 and led by the Philadelphia Foundation and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) was established in an effort to rapidly deploy aid to nonprofits serving on the frontlines of the coronavirus. In total, the Fund has awarded 548 grants totaling $17.5 million.

The Community Reopening Grants will support social safety-net organizations providing the infrastructure to enable individuals to safely return to work. Among those organizations receiving grants are It Takes Philly and Resources for Human Development (RHD).

It Takes Philly operates The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium (BDCC). BDCC provides education and COVID-19 testing in the African American community, a population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who is at disproportionate risk to the effects of COVID-19. The BDCC has created a mobile testing unit, serving residents in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, that does not require a car, appointment, primary care referral or insurance. The CDC points to mass testing as a critical prevention point in the spread of the COVID-19 virus, which makes BDCC's work a vital service as the region moves into the recovery phase.

"Thank you to the PHL COVID-19 Fund for acknowledging and supporting our work towards mitigating the spread of COVID-19 disease in the hardest hit African American community," said Ala Stanford, MD and Founder of BDCC. "This will assist in our efforts towards a sustainable equity center that works to improving health outcomes in all areas of health beyond the pandemic."

Serving some of the region's most vulnerable residents in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Camden, and Chester counties, RHD is a human services nonprofit that specializes in creating innovative, quality services that support people of all abilities. As the organization prepares for reopening, particularly its youth summer programs, funds are needed to ensure staff, program participants and the facility are equipped with proper supplies and materials to keep everyone safe.

"As we navigate these unchartered waters, we have to ensure that critical resources remain available and accessible to those who need it the most. As an organization who serves vulnerable populations, we are committed to the lives that we touch in each one of our programs," said Marco Giordano, CEO of Resources for Human Development. "We are immensely grateful to the response efforts provided by the PHL COVID-19 Fund. Funds from this grant will ensure that we are able to continue providing life-saving community services."

"The process to reopen our communities and meaningfully recover from this pandemic takes a marathon effort and the only way we can measurably move forward is by tackling these hurdles together," said Bill Golderer, President & CEO of UWGPSNJ. "The PHL COVID-19 Fund has quickly responded to emerging needs while stabilizing the safety-nets for those hardest hit by the virus and ensuring that the right resources are in place for our neighbors to safely return to work."

"The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we operate as community," said Pedro Ramos, President & CEO of Philadelphia Foundation. "What hasn't changed is our desire to work and play alongside one another. In order to do that, we need to carefully consider the health and wellbeing of our neighbors. That accountability calls for a higher level of resources, many of which are provided by the safety-net organizations serving our communities."

The PHL COVID-19 Fund prioritizes supporting people who are hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis, such as seniors, people experiencing homelessness, those with disabilities, low-income residents without health insurance, people with substance abuse disorder and survivors of abuse.

The complete list of grantees for the seventh round of funding can be found below and is available at www.PHLCOVID19Fund.org.  

For more information and updates, follow the Fund on Twitter at twitter.com/phlcovid19fund.

PHL COVID-19 FUND GRANTEES: June 25, 2020
Organizations that received funding in this round are:

About Philadelphia Foundation
Founded in 1918, Philadelphia Foundation strengthens the economic, social and civic vitality of Greater Philadelphia. Philadelphia Foundation grows effective philanthropic investment, connects individuals and institutions across sectors and geography, and advances civic initiatives through partnerships and collaboration. A publicly supported foundation, the Philadelphia Foundation manages more than 1,000 charitable funds established by its donors and makes over 1,000 grants and scholarship awards each year. To learn more, visit philafound.org.

About United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, serving communities in Pennsylvania's Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey's Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Cumberland counties, is part of a national network of more than 1,300 locally governed organizations that work to create lasting positive changes in communities and in people's lives. United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. In Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, United Way fights for youth success and family stability because we LIVE UNITED against intergenerational poverty. For more information about United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey visit www.UnitedForImpact.org.

Contacts:
For Philadelphia Foundation: Melissa Fordyce, 856-430-4661, [email protected]
For United Way: Abby Douglas, 215-665-2563, [email protected]

SOURCE Philadelphia Foundation and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey