February 2021
Paycheck Protection Program
Congress’ passing of the most recent COVID-19 stimulus package extended the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Organizations can apply for first time funding or for a second round of funding if they received a PPP loan in the first round. The Small Business Administration is coordinating this initiative and has several resources to address concerns and questions, such as this Frequently Asked Questions document. If you have any additional questions about navigating the PPP application or are interested in attending a workshop on PPP, please contact Technical Assistance at npassist@unitedwayglv.org and we can help connect you with the necessary resources.

If you have employees and are interested in an informational session presented by local accounting firms around the process, the qualifications, and the potential opportunities with banks here in the Lehigh Valley- fill out the brief form using the button below.
Community Conversations
The Strategic Response team has hosted four community conversations so far that have focused on food access, housing issues, COVID-19 trends and updates, CARES funding, legal concerns, and nonprofit resources. These highly productive conversations have led to new connections and initiatives, as well as a deeper industry understanding of community needs. We look forward to having you attend future community calls as we continue the critical and collective work of helping the Greater Lehigh Valley Community.

  • Monday, February 8th 4:00-5:30PM Meeting will focus on health network updates as well as hearing from several of the school districts. (Register using the link below)
  • Thursday, February 25th 4:00-5:30PM Meeting will focus on updates from legislators and the state budget- note this is not on a Monday (Registration link to come)
Grassroots Organization Technical Assistance
The Technical Assistance team is planning on hosting a series of workshops and training focused on the needs of grassroots organizations. The series is aimed toward organizations that either have a budget of less than $150,000, have been in existence for less than 3 years, or have a staff consisting primarily of volunteers. Grassroots organizations are disproportionately affected by the challenges of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Technical Assistance team aims to provide the training and knowledge that would help ease this burden. The sessions will be free of charge and topics may cover accounting and budgeting, board governance, grassroots fundraising, fiscal sponsorship, and legal compliance details. Please fill out the form using the button below to give us more details on your organizations and its immediate needs. 

If you know of any organizations this could apply to, please forward this newsletter on to them.
COVID-19 Vaccine
The Greater Lehigh Valley currently has several sites to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for eligible populations. As of the beginning of February, over 1 million people in Pennsylvania have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Both vaccines currently on the market require two doses to be fully effective at protecting people from COVID-19. The Center for Disease Control is providing up to date data on COVID cases and vaccinations, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health is the best source on who is eligible to receive the vaccine.
Strategic Response Team
Technical Assistance Working Group

The Strategic Response Team (SRT) launched in the wake of COVID19 to provide a rapid, informed, and coordinated approach to assessing community need and quickly allocating dollars to the areas of greatest need. Soon afterwards, the SRT spun out a Technical Assistance Working Group to ensure area non-profit organizations have the specialized resources, information, and support they need to continue operations and respond to rapidly changing community needs. The TA Working Group is a community collaboration consisting of representatives from funding organizations, local government, grassroots community organizations, health networks, community health and non-profit organizations who bring their varied perspectives to the table to create the most effective impact.