Foundations and United Way organizations in North Texas have formed a collaborative to support nonprofits that work with people and communities most impacted by the coronavirus.
The online northtexascares.org is a web portal where 501©3 nonprofits can make emergency grant applications. Nonprofits fill out only one application, rather than applying to each participating funder. The web site allows participating foundations and United Ways to sort the applications by their interests. They’ll make decisions weekly, said Laura McWhorter, chief philanthropy officer for the North Texas Community Foundation, one of the funders participating. The web site went live as of Tuesday and had received 350 applications by late Wednesday afternoon.
“Each foundation will make their own independent decisions” on applications and report their decisions to the portal, to help ensure needs are being met, McWhorter said in an interview Wednesday. The foundations may fund approved requests individually, or a collective of funders may join to fulfill a proposal.
Nonprofits that provide “critical services to mitigate the short-term and long-term impact of the pandemic on the community may apply” at the web site.
This includes agencies that support individuals and families with food or healthcare; support for lost wages and/or housing costs; services for vulnerable populations such as seniors or those experiencing homelessness; and support for academic learning and distance learning for low-income, low-access students while schools are closed.
Nonprofits in this space have been plunged into a maelstrom as the spread of coronavirus has forced the shutdown of workplaces and schools, and sent the jobless rate hurtling up and families in search of childcare. Social services are being besieged with requests for help, agencies have had to dramatically change the way they interact with clients because of social distancing requirements, and volunteer resources have dwindled from shelter-in-place orders, forcing some to have to hire help.
Many are agencies that have existed for decades, Rose Bradshaw, CEO of the North Texas Community Foundation, said in an interview Wednesday.
“Big picture, these are organizations that have been doing well,” Bradshaw said. “Suddenly, they have twice as many clients, and they have to do their work with hands tied behind their backs.”
Compounding the effect of coronavirus, many nonprofits have been forced to cancel major fundraisers this spring, a peak season for events.
“The spring is heavy event season, that is a major source of their funding, and it’s devastating for these nonprofits,” McWhorter said.
Some number of nonprofits are “going to struggle to make payroll come April, and many of these are serving the most vulnerable areas of our population,” she said.
North Texas Cares grew out of long-existing dialogue and relationships in Tarrant and Dallas counties. In Tarrant County, a group of funders has met regularly for seven years, looking for ways to provide central access to data so agencies can get access to it in real-time. In Dallas County, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the Lyda Hill and Dallas foundations had already developed a system and were reviewing applications, and in some cases, co-funding them, together.
“We reached out to them over the weekend,” Bradshaw said. The United Way already had the web platform in use, so that became the platform for the joint North Texas Cares site. “It happened because everybody had such great relationships.”
North Texas Cares grants will range from $5,000 to $40,000, according to the web site. “However, larger amounts may be considered depending on the request and the amount of funding available.”
About 20 funding organizations are participating, including the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, Sid Richardson Foundation, United Way of Tarrant County, and Toyota.
“In urgent times such as these, it is imperative that we come together to simplify the process for submitting funding requests, for all of our nonprofit partners,” said Leah King, president and CEO of United Way of Tarrant County. “We applaud this effort by North Texas area funders, which allows organizations like United Way and our partners to remain focused on meeting the dramatically increasing demands for food, shelter and other basic needs.”
To apply, organizations must be 501©3s that provide services in North Texas, and address immediate response or long-term relief efforts in response to the coronavirus. According to the North Texas Cares web site, funding requests “focus on first responders and/or support for vulnerable populations– (examples could include seniors, children, homeless, low-income displaced workers, first responders, medical professionals, and those without other resources).”
Examples cited on the web site:
- Ensuring nutritious food access to high risk and vulnerable groups;
- Ensuring safety for high risk and vulnerable groups;
- Ensuring safe shelter and/or housing opportunities for persons experiencing homelessness or domestic violence (shelter or hotels);
- Addressing older adult healthcare and safety in order to lessen the impact of illness and cover costs related to medical treatment;
- Providing mental health supports and telehealth access for community members, especially for first responders and others whose work is considered essential;
- Providing medical and cleaning supplies and staffing for community clinics supporting COVID-19 response;
- Offering immediate, short-term financial assistance for those experiencing income disruption;
- Providing support to displaced workers, including connecting displaced workers with jobs that are open for immediate hire;
- Supporting academic learning and distance learning for low-income, low-access students while schools are closed;
- Providing distance learning options for career pathways program participants;
- Providing childcare for parents whose employment is critical, including first responders;
- Deploying strategies to engage clients during agency closures;
- Large system supports that could include improving food distribution systems, supporting schools/districts with kids/youth for mentoring and connection, or expanding meal delivery services for seniors and homebound populations.
