Preparing dinner at Union Station Homeless Services
Following the launch of its COVID-19 Response Fund on March 17, 2020, Pasadena Community Foundation announced today that it will proceed with a three-phase, rapid grantmaking strategy, beginning with immediate financial support for local organizations distributing food to vulnerable populations.
In the past week, PCF staff conducted in-depth interviews with more than 20 civic leaders, nonprofit directors, and community foundation colleagues across the U.S. to assess needs, identify gaps in existing resources, and develop an impactful response for this point in the pandemic.
In the first of its three strategic response phases, PCF will distribute emergency grant funds to organizations serving seniors, and distributing food and supplies to low-income individuals and families, including:
• $15,000 to Foothill Unity Center to provide meal delivery and support the needs of older adults.
• $15,000 to Meals on Wheels to support and expand meal delivery for homebound seniors.
• $10,000 to Armenian Relief Society to support access to food, emergency supplies and culturally sensitive comprehensive services for homebound seniors.
• $10,000 to Families in Transition to support increased food distribution, emergency assistance and comprehensive social supports for at-risk Pasadena Unified School District families.
• $10,000 to the Pasadena Senior Center to support expanded outreach and food distribution to older adults.
• $10,000 to Huntington Hospital Senior Care Network to provide emergency grants and support the essential needs of older adults, including tele-case management, medical information and other essential services.
• $10,000 to Friends in Deed to support increase in demand for food distribution for local residents.
• $10,000 to Union Station to help unhoused clients secure safe emergency shelter, support social distancing with motel stays and meal distribution.
• $10,000 to Salvation Army for help meet the changing basic needs of people living in poverty and disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
“As we spoke with community and nonprofit leaders, many themes emerged, but chief among them were immediate food insecurity, and concerns for low-income seniors who are now homebound,” said Kate Clavijo, Ed.D. and PCF senior program officer. “We expect needs to evolve in the coming weeks, and we will continue to gather feedback to guide our decision-making as we enter the short-term phase of our response in April.”
The PCF COVID-19 Response Fund was established to activate local philanthropy and provide direct relief to Pasadena-area residents. The fund was seeded with an initial commitment of $100,000 from PCF, and has grown with gifts from community members, including two matching grants from private donors. In order to further extend its grantmaking capacity at this critical time, the Foundation has also released restrictions on $200,000 in existing grants to allow the recipient organizations to use current grant funds for their most urgent needs.
“PCF now anticipates that the majority of our 2020 grantmaking will be directed towards easing the financial burdens of the COVID-19 crisis for local nonprofits,” said Jennifer DeVoll, PCF president and CEO. “We have developed strategic immediate, short-term, and long-term response plans, and are actively assessing how and where to deploy our resources in each phase for the maximum benefit to the Pasadena community.”
“I am honored to share that the COVID-19 Response Fund has grown threefold in the past week due to the enduring generosity of PCF’s donors and fundholders,” continued DeVoll. “It is one more example of our community’s extraordinary commitment to philanthropy, and to each other.”