PHLove Variety Show Raises Over $1.5 Million For PHL COVID-19 Fund Rapid Response Effort; 6th Round of Grant Recipients Announced

PHILADELPHIA, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The PHL COVID-19 Fund is proud to announce PHLove, the variety show held on May 21 that featured performances and appearances from regional celebrities, raised over $1.5 million in support of the Fund. Presented by the Middleton Family, the PHLove Variety Show featured an All-Star Philly lineup headlined by Daryl Hall, Questlove and Patti LaBelle, and helped to spur widespread support from the region, enabling the Fund to continue its effort to respond to community needs through the work of local and regional organizations.

Additionally, this week the Fund awarded $2.3 million to 85 nonprofits serving on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis. To date, the Fund, led by the Philadelphia Foundation and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ), has secured $17.25 million in gifts and pledges and granted more than $15 million to 468 nonprofits. These organizations provide vital services to individuals facing the wide-ranging and urgent consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region, like Children's Crisis Treatment Center (CCTC) and Easterseals New Jersey – two organizations receiving grants this week.

CCTC is a non-profit agency that specializes in providing mental and behavioral health services to the most vulnerable children and families living in the Philadelphia region, many of whom struggle with issues related to poverty. With a staff of close to 500 working to address the impact of childhood abuse, neglect, traumatic events and other challenges, grant dollars will be used to help ensure frontline staff continues to provide critical services to families. Since mid-March, CCTC has continued providing its services through telehealth, serving over 2,200 children and their families weekly and enrolling new families who need assistance.

"At CCTC, we have been working on a daily basis to ensure extensive measures were taken to keep our staff and clients healthy, and to continue to provide services," said Antonio Valdés, Chief Executive Officer of CCTC. "These much-needed funds will allow us to continue to weather these challenging times and help us sustain our services for children and families that are in need of mental and behavioral health care services."

Serving youth, adults and seniors with a broad spectrum of intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities, Easterseals New Jersey is working hard to adapt its services to the current climate of social distancing. A portion of the clients the organization serve live in supportive housing residences and beyond the basic needs of food and supplies, around-the-clock care is also required to keep these individuals safe and healthy. 

"The current health crisis has impacted all of us but can have particularly dire consequences to our most vulnerable neighbors - the individuals we serve throughout the state living with disabilities and special needs, as well as seniors and those facing mental health challenges," said Yasmin Nielsen, Director of Advancement for Easterseals New Jersey. "The funds from the PHL COVID-19 Fund are vital in allowing our staff to provide a continuum of care that not only ensures emotional and physical well-being, but also helps to prevent placing any unnecessary burden on our already taxed healthcare systems."

"We are grateful to the Middleton family and the Philadelphia artists who lent their time and talents to the PHLove Variety Show, helping to elevate the needs of our neighbors and magnify the critical role nonprofits play in sustaining healthy communities," said Pedro Ramos, President and CEO of Philadelphia Foundation. "As we move from rapid response to recovery, the continued support of the entire community continues to be paramount."

"Seeing the community rally behind PHLove and their neighbors in need was truly humbling and inspiring," said Bill Golderer, President and CEO of UWGPSNJ. "For so many in our community, continuing to meet basic needs remains their number one challenge during this time. Because of the generosity of the Middleton family, the amazing talent from across our region and the support of our community, these much-needed funds will ensure regional nonprofits helping those most impacted by the pandemic are not only equipped to continue to meet immediate needs but are poised to address emerging needs as well."

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 sixth round of funding can be found below and is available at www.PHLCOVID19Fund.org. Additional details around future grant parameters will be announced next week.  

The Fund currently totals $17.25 million in pledges and contributions from more than 8,000 donors -- individuals, families, foundations, businesses, and institutions. Individuals and organizations can donate and find additional information about the PHL COVID-19 Fund via www.PHLCOVID19Fund.org.

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

PHL COVID-19 FUND GRANTEES: May 28, 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, 330-208-5554, [email protected]
To Make A Gift: www.PHLCOVID19Fund.org

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