Little Rock, Ark. (June 5, 2020) – Arkansas Community Foundation has awarded the second phase of funding from its COVID-19 Relief Fund to help organizations statewide adapt to new and increased demands of the pandemic.
These grants of up to $25,000 totaled $1,947,788 made to Arkansas nonprofits. When added to the 678 $1,000 Phase 1 Mini-grants made to organizations in 67 counties in April and May, more than $2.6 million in grants have been made from the Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Fund in the 11 weeks since the fund was created.
“These Phase 2 Adaptation Grants help organizations who are adapting their operations to meet the ongoing needs of Arkansans affected by the pandemic and shore up critical systems like healthcare, education and food distribution,” said Heather Larkin, President and CEO of the Community Foundation.“
Grant recipients for Phase 2 were selected by a committee of reviewers based on criteria designed to determine the best use of COVID-19 Relief Fund assets. A list of the organizations that received grants is available here.
More than $3.4 million has been donated to the COVID-19 Relief Fund from the Community Foundation, other Arkansas foundations, businesses and individuals. A list of donors to the fund is available at www.arcf.org/covid19. The Foundation is currently determining the criteria for additional rounds of grants to be awarded later in the year.
“It was astounding to see the depth and breadth of need for operational change caused by COVID-19 described in these grant proposals,” Larkin said. “For example, one grant will allow a city to purchase supplies and provide training for local businesses to help them re-open in compliance with COVID-19 regulations. Another will help a nonprofit healthcare clinic modify its patient intake areas to allow for better social distancing.”
Priority for the Phase 2 Adaptation Grants was given to organizations addressing the following services:
- Adapt their operations to meet new needs in the community that have arisen from the pandemic or
- Deliver services in new ways to accommodate social distancing and other health and safety guidelines or
- Serve an expanded client base, i.e. reaching individuals who are experiencing new economic hardships due to the pandemic.
Uses of this funding also include:
- Modifying or upgrading technology systems to serve clients remotely.
- Modifying facilities to enable greater social distancing among essential personnel and clients.
- Implementing changes to operating procedures necessitated by COVID-19.
- Scaling up service delivery to support increased demand.
The COVID-19 Relief Fund was created March 18, 2020. Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the Community Foundation’s fund as a way for Arkansans to best help those in need during the pandemic. In addition, the Arkansas Republican and Democratic Parties jointly requested donations to the fund.
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Arkansas Community Foundation offers tools to help Arkansans protect, grow and direct their charitable dollars as they learn more about community needs. The Foundation typically issues about 2,500 grants totaling $20 million dollars each year to Arkansas nonprofits. By making grants and sharing knowledge, the Community Foundation supports charitable programs that work for Arkansas and partners to create new initiatives that address the gaps. Since 1976, the Community Foundation has provided more than $250 million in grants and partnered with thousands of Arkansans to help them improve our neighborhoods, our towns and our entire state. Contributions to the Community Foundation, its funds and any of its 29 affiliates are fully tax deductible.