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COVID-19 Community Response Fund

How You Can Help Now

The COVID-19 Community Response Fund was established by the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and United Way Fox Cities, with additional generous donations from the community. Grants from this fund support nonprofit and other community organizations engaging in immediate basic needs relief, short-term response and longer-term recovery in Outagamie, Calumet, Shawano, Waupaca and the Neenah-Menasha area of Winnebago counties impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Grant Eligibility

Based upon the charitable structure of the COVID-19 Community Response Fund, grants are limited to 501c3 nonprofit organizations, groups fiscally sponsored by a 501c3 nonprofit organization, or other charitable organizations able to receive a tax-deductible contribution, such as schools and other public entities. We are not able to fund individuals or businesses directly, labor unions, or other 501c4, 501c5, and 501c6 organizations. Aid to individuals will be handled through nonprofit organizations in our region with established processes for determining need.

Granting Approach

The Community Foundation and United Way, in consultation and partnership with other community entities, will administer grants from the Fund in phases to help address immediate needs and short-term and longer-term impacts of the outbreak and recovery.

During Phase One, priority will be given to community-based organizations providing basic needs services to people who are immediately and disproportionately suffering from this crisis. This phase includes proactively identifying potential grant recipients and using input, guidance and research from organizations and others in the community to make grant decisions.

In order to move resources quickly and not further burden nonprofit organizations, during Phase One there will not be a formal application process for the fund. Agencies providing immediate basic needs relief can email United Way to share their needs so they can be considered during the granting process.

Grants will be released on a rolling basis as fundraising continues throughout the outbreak and recovery phases of the crisis, making it possible to move resources quickly and adapt to evolving needs in subsequent granting phases. Grants from the fund will be recommended by an advisory committee, consisting of representatives from the Community Foundation and United Way, and approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Recipients of grants will be asked to submit a brief summary of how the grant dollars were used related to the crisis relief, response or recovery efforts.

Grant Recipients

Approved grantees will be published on our website and United Way as grants are awarded.

How to support the COVID-19 Community Response Fund:

The Community Foundation is waiving all credit card and administrative fees for this fund. Every dollar donated into the fund will be put into action in the community.

Please use our Give Online donations page to make a gift.

Please make checks payable to “The Community Foundation/COVID-19.”
Mail to:

Community Foundation
4455 W. Lawrence Street
Appleton, WI 54914

Log in to the Donor Portal, or e-mail your donor services representative:

Ann Engelhard
Shelly Leadley
Carissa Kranz
Jill Muthig

Make grants payable to the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region designated for the COVID-19 Community Response Fund. (Foundation Tax ID Number: 39-1548450)

Make distributions payable to the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region designated for the COVID-19 Community Response Fund. (Foundation Tax ID Number: 39-1548450)

Please provide the following information to your broker to direct your gift to the Foundation’s account at Charles Schwab:

• Account Name: Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Inc.
• Account Number: 4033-7502
• DTC Number: 0164
• Foundation Tax ID Number: 39-1548450

Please email Ann Engelhard  or call her at 920-702-7627.

Frequently Asked Questions:

We understand many individuals and families have been and will be affected by the outbreak. While the Fund is not able to provide grants to individuals, we will be funding community-based organizations that have experience and a history of providing support to people and families. If you are looking for resources now, please call United Way’s 211 for assistance.

To ensure we move resources as efficiently as possible and respond to needs of communities most affected, we are not considering restricted donations to the COVID-19 Community Response Fund. If you wish to make a restricted donation and have a charitable fund established with us, you may e-mail your donor services representative:

Ann Engelhard
Shelly Leadley
Carissa Kranz
Jill Muthig

Or log into our online Donor Portal

This Fund is only one of many vehicles for providing financial resources to nonprofit organizations in the community. It was designed to help get targeted resources into the community where most needed during the coming days, weeks and months. This is a critical time for many in our region, including the nonprofit organizations that have benefited from your giving in the past, as well as those that have had to cancel their annual fundraising events or depend heavily on public gatherings. Please continue to give generously to organizations you regularly support, and those that need your help at this crucial time and in the near future as more is learned about the depth and scale of the long-term ramifications of the outbreak.

We anticipate multiple phases of granting to help address some immediate basic needs now for people who are disproportionately affected by the crisis, along with short-term and longer-term impacts of the outbreak and recovery on many types of nonprofit organizations. As the crisis and long-term impacts continue to unfold, we will continue to assess and evolve the granting strategies. The grants committee is meeting regularly on a weekly basis to understand needs and make decisions. Please see beginning of this page for more details about the granting process.

(For our latest updates and our response to this ever-changing situation, please visit Your Community Foundation and COVID-19)