The Community Foundation debuts $3M fund to aid nonprofits

Richmond-based nonprofit The Community Foundation is partnering with the Emergency Management Alliance of Central Virginia and PlanRVA to create a regional emergency response fund to support Richmond-area nonprofits responding to the impact of COVID-19.

The $3 million Central Virginia COVID-19 Response Fund was seeded with a $500,000 contribution from The Community Foundation and will be administered as a public/private partnership between philanthropy, local government and nonprofits.

Other fund contributors include Altria Group Inc., Atlantic Union Bank, Bank of America, The Cabell Foundation, Capital One Financial Corp., CarMax Foundation, Dominion Energy Inc., Genworth Financial, Mary Morton Parsons Foundation, Robins Foundation, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Wells Fargo and individual donors.

“We are fortunate to see the extraordinary generosity of our community at work every day,” said Sherrie Armstrong, president and CEO of The Community Foundation, “but we are especially proud of the quick and coordinated response of our cross-sector partners at a time of unprecedented need and uncertainty. By working together, we are in a great position to move resources quickly to organizations who need them most.”

Initially, funding will focus on proven community-based organizations who support the physical and emotional health of our most vulnerable residents—including children and seniors, immigrants, people with limited English proficiency and the homeless.

The fund will prioritize community-based nonprofits serving vulnerable populations, such as safety net clinics, food access providers, child and adult care organizations, and housing providers for the homeless. Secondarily, the fund will consider financial hardships that local nonprofit organizations have suffered due to the pandemic.