FACT SHEET

For Immediate Release
Press contact: Jay Kelly, jaykellyPR@gmail.com or (312) 315-3935
Click here for photos and this backgrounder in Word. Click any image to link directly to it.
KEY FACTS ABOUT THE FOX VALLEY GRANTMAKERS
COVID-19 RESPONSE FUND GRANTMAKING PROGRAM
What It Is:

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, five Fox Valley community organizations – the Aurora Women's Empowerment Foundation (AWEF), Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (CFFRV), Dunham Fund (DF), Fox Valley United Way (FVUW) and INC Board  – joined forces in March to form the Fox Valley Grantmakers COVID-19 Response Fund.

The coalition’s focus was hyperlocal. And their mission was urgent: to award rapid response grants to greater Fox Valley nonprofits that support basic human needs such as food, shelter, safety, health and mental health, and have demonstrated sudden and significant need.

What It Supported: 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, priority was given to funding local organizations that support basic human needs such as food, shelter, safety, health and mental health.

Number of Grants and Grant Total To Date:

Since mid-March, the Fox Valley Grantmakers COVID-19 Response Fund has awarded $595,480 in rapid response grants to 50 nonprofits serving residents in the greater Fox Valley region.

Grantees to Date (alpha order):
(left) Hesed House temporary housing tents, courtesy Hesed House; (right)
Senior Services care bag delivery, courtesy Senior Services Associates, Inc.


Administer Justice
To support upgrades to better serve clients remotely with legal and social needs

Association for Individual Development (AID)
To facilitate remote continuity of care for adults with disabilities

Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry
To fund food purchases to meet sudden demand from newly food insecure families

Beautiful U Ministries
To support at-risk teen moms during the crisis by providing funding for food, baby items and other household items

Bethesda Lutheran Communities
To provide sanitary equipment to maintain safety within the residential homes where individuals with disabilities are quarantined

CASA Kane County
To support efforts to promote the safety of children who have been abused

CASA Kendall County
To support safe visits by volunteers to monitor the well-being of children who have been abused or neglected

Commitment2Community
To provide funding for meals and care packages for lower-income veterans and their families

Conley Outreach Community Services
To support short-term emergency assistance for families in need

Dominican Literacy Center, Aurora
To provide food and other basic essentials for immigrant families

DuPage Senior Citizens Council
To purchase and safely provide food for older adults during the pandemic

Elderday Center, Inc.
To support the continuation of remote therapeutic day services to connect senior citizens in a time of isolation

Equine Dreams, Inc.
To support the care of therapeutic horses involved in activities for children and adults with special needs

Family Counseling Service of Aurora
To fund expansion of family counseling services with new virtual technology and play therapy materials

Family Focus Aurora
To provide emergency food, rental/utilities assistance and hygiene items for struggling families

Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP)
To provide resource distribution to low-income Latino families

Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity
To provide for low-income individuals and families in need of a decent and affordable place to live

Fox Valley Hands of Hope
To help provide expert virtual support for children, families and adults who are experiencing grief, loss or life-threatening illness

Fox Valley Older Adult Services
To fund the purchase of PPE and cleaning services to maintain the safety of senior citizens

Gigi’s Playhouse Fox Valley
To provide virtual educational and therapeutic programs for people with Down syndrome, their families and community

Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley
To assist struggling families in need of emergency financial assistance to stay in their homes

Hesed House
To help relocate homeless residents to socially distanced housing and to fund medicine, food and supplies

Hope for Tomorrow, Inc.
To provide food, shelter, and safety equipment to homeless veterans and those recovering from substance abuse complications

Humanitarian Service Project
To purchase additional food for low-income children and families by bridging the “nutrition gap” caused by lack of school meal programs during the summer

Jennings Terrace
To provide PPE for staff and food service delivery to ensure senior residents remain safe in their rooms

Kendall County Community Benefits
To help fund rental assistance for Kendall County families experiencing increased need

Kendall County Community Food Pantry
To purchase food to meet increased demand from newly food insecure families

Lazarus House
To provide individuals with increased shelter space for social distancing purposes, as well as provide rental assistance to those struggling to stay in their homes

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
To help provide basic need items for foster care families and children with disabilities

Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry
To fund food purchases to meet the hunger needs of individuals and families in Aurora and surrounding communities 

Mutual Ground, Inc.
To support technology needs and enable staff to connect remotely with victims of domestic and sexual violence who are unable to stay in the emergency shelter

NAMI KDK (National Association of Mental Illness Kane-south, DeKalb and Kendall Counties
To provide remote mental health support in a time of crisis

The Neighbor Project
To provide rental assistance and increase financial stability for struggling families

Northern Illinois Food Bank
To support the organization’s food acquisition and distribution programs that now serve a greater number of neighbors in need

Quad County Urban League
To support emergency food, rent, and other financial needs for African-Americans and others in the Fox Valley

RITAS Ministry
To support mentoring and mental health services for former offenders during this time of increased need

Rebuilding Together Aurora
To support the completion of critical home repairs for low-income families who must stay in their homes now more than ever

Salvation Army Aurora Corps
To support the emergency food needs of new and existing clients, as well as provide rental assistance

Salvation Army Tri-City Corps
To provide food for struggling families via the food pantry, as well as PPE so staff can safely interact with clients

Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Center, Inc. dba SamaraCare
To provide emergency funding for counseling and other services for those with increased mental health needs

Sanjeevani 4 U
To support continued free mental health services for an increased number of isolated and distressed individuals

Senior Services Associates, Inc.
To fund emergency food and supplies to meet senior citizen needs

Serenity House Counseling Services, Inc.
To provide nutritious food and implement telehealth for individuals completing a recovery program

St. Vincent de Paul Society – St. Anne
To provide emergency assistance for needs exacerbated by the pandemic, such as food, rental assistance, and medical supplies

Tri City Health Partnership
To expand programs including tele-medicine and tele-dental services for members of the community without the ability to pay for services

TriCity Family Services
To provide counseling services that can be accessed remotely including therapy and psychiatric services

Turning Pointe Autism Foundation
To continue providing quality educational support for children and young adults with autism who may be especially struggling during this time

VNA Health Care
To help fund PPE, telemedicine and COVID-19 testing to benefit low-income individuals in need of emergency health care

Wayside Cross Ministries
To sustain recovery and long-term transitional living programs to hungry men, women and children who have lost their housing due to addiction, abuse or financial crisis

World Relief DuPage/Aurora
To help pivot to virtual classes and activities to continue providing services offered to local immigrants and refugees including assistance with rent and utilities
Click here or above to screen and download this 2-minute video with drone footage of areas served by the Fox Valley Grantmakers and photos of COVID-19 Response Grant recipients.
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More press links:

Read the Fox Valley Grantmakers funding announcement (June 29, 2020)

Case studies: how Fox Valley Grantmakes Covid-19 Rapid Response grants helped World Relief DuPage/Aurora, Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry and Lazarus House

Meet the Fox Valley Grantmakers
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(left) VNA Health Care pediatric care, courtesy VNA Health Care;
(right) Salvation Army food drive courtesy Salvation Army Aurora Corps.
Average Grant Amount:

$11,909


How the COVID-19 Response Fund Worked: 

In mid-March, 2020, as concern about the COVID-19 pandemic was mounting, five Fox Valley foundations recognized the need to combine their unique areas of expertise and collaborate to create a one-stop resource for dispersing emergency funds to Fox Valley nonprofits focused on serving basic human needs.

Together, they pooled together initial seed money of $280,000 to launch the Fox Valley Grantmakers COVID-19 Response Fund. The coalition also raised and redistributed an additional $320,000 in state and local relief aid along with donations from more than 60 area individuals. Local businesses and foundations that contributed to the fund through Fox Valley United Way include Associated Bank, Earthmover Credit Union, First National Bank, Huntington Bank, My Advisor and Planner (MAP), Mars Wrigley Foundation, Meijer Foundation and Pentair Foundation. 

As a long trusted source to accept donor funds, the five partners agreed that the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley would be the appropriate partner to administer the Response Fund. A committee of representatives from each organization conducted weekly Zoom meetings to review together new applications and determine allocations. One hundred percent of funds raised were redirected back to the local community,


The Fox Valley Grantmakers - Five Partner Foundations:

Aurora Women's Empowerment Foundation (AWEF)

Mission: to accelerate programs making an impact and ultimately advance the mission of the YWCA to enhance women’s economic empowerment and lead racial justice initiatives in our region.
Kris Machajewski, President; Amy Baudouin, Chair

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

Mission: to administer individual charitable funds from which grants and scholarships are distributed to benefit the citizens of the Greater Aurora Area, the TriCities and Kendall County, Illinois.
Julie Christman, President and CEO

Dunham Fund

Mission: to support nonprofits in the Aurora, Illinois area in the areas of education — birth through college — as well as community development and social well-being of individuals living in the greater Aurora area.
Vicki Morcos, President and CEO

Fox Valley United Way

Mission: to fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in our community.
Michael Meyer, CEO

INC Board 

Mission: To support mental, intellectual and developmental health and well-being for residents of the seven townships in INC's alliance by responsibly using these local resources to fund, plan, coordinate, monitor, advocate, educate and lead collaborative efforts for a local system of care that provides services to any resident with mental health concerns, developmental/ intellectual disabilities and/or substance use disorders.
Dalila Alegria, Executive Director


More information about COVID-19:

State of Illinois Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Illinois Department of Public Health

Kane County Health Department

American Public Health Association

World Health Organization
who.int             

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July 1, 2020
Click here for all photos and press materials in Word format.

Note: This fact sheet is issued on behalf of
the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley by
or
(312) 315-3935