NC Community Foundation Continues Emergency Response Investments

Press release from the New Canaan Community Foundation:

Dec. 20, 2020

New Canaan Community Foundation announced the fifth round of grants awarded through their COVID-19 Response Fund and related efforts. Grants this week invest an additional $204,500 to address critical local needs. The largest areas of support this round include food assistance ($60,000), emergency financial assistance ($55,000), housing ($35,000), mental health ($22,500), and healthcare ($15,000).

New Canaan Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund was launched on March 18th, and mobilizes private resources to: support the emergency financial needs of New Canaan families and workers; help nonprofit organizations adapt to changing client needs, as well as shifts in operations; and support critical services in lower Fairfield County. Since its launch, the fund has rapidly invested over $660,000 in community partners.

Much of this current round of grants was made possible by a recent challenge match from a group of generous donors. The challenge group was largely spearheaded by the Anderson Fund and the Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts. The Anderson Fund is a donor-advised fund housed at the New Canaan Community Foundation, created last year by the Anderson Family to honor their parents, Harlan and Lois Anderson, and their legacy in town. The $75,000 challenge was met when many other supporters gave to support their neighbors, and leveraged these dollars 1:1 to respond to the on-going needs in the community.

The fifth round of grants awarded:

• Building One Community: $25,000 to continue providing emergency financial assistance for rent, food, and other basic needs for low-income immigrants served by the organization, many of whom have been hit hard by job loss.
• Catholic Charities of Fairfield County: $5,000 to support the Senior Nutrition’s Meals on Wheels Program, serving meals to low-income seniors, predominantly in Stamford and Norwalk.
• ElderHouse: $5,000 to support meal delivery to homebound seniors, primarily in Norwalk.
• Family Centers: $10,000 to support emergency financial assistance for low-income families in Stamford.
• Food Rescue US: $10,000 to support partnerships with New Canaan-based restaurants and food suppliers and/or the provision of meals for clients served by local Fairfield County nonprofits.
• Horizons at New Canaan Country School: $10,000 to support grocery gift cards for Horizons students and families, to ease food instability and financial stress for families hit hard by the crisis.
• Inspirica: $10,000 to support increased operating costs and the organization’s work to provide emergency shelter and transitions to housing and supports for local families.
• INTEMPO: $5,000 to provide tutoring and socio-emotional support to students in their music and literacy education programs.
• Laurel House: $10,000 to provide mental health and supportive services, including increased operating costs for on-site programming and higher levels of client support.
• Liberation Programs: $5,000 to support the organization’s efforts to respond to increased behavioral health service needs as a result of the pandemic.
• Malta House: $10,000 to support shelter services for low-income women who are pregnant or new mothers.
• New Covenant Center: $30,000 to continue providing their food programs at an increased level to the local community.
• Norwalk Community Health Center: $5,000 to support medication, wellness, and food support for clients, regardless of their ability to pay.
• Pacific House: $15,000 to support increased operating costs and the organization’s work to provide emergency shelter and transition to housing and supports for local individuals.
• Person-to-Person: $15,000 to continue supporting emergency assistance for local families in need.
• Summer Theatre of New Canaan: $7,000 in emergency operational funding, to allow the organization to plan for a viable 2021 season.
• Tiny Miracles Foundation: $5,000 to support financial assistance for families with premature babies, facing extra financial hardship in the pandemic.
• Voices Center for Resilience: $7,500 to provide mental health resources in response to the pandemic, in line with the organization’s expertise in trauma and resilience.
• Waveny LifeCare Network: $10,000 to purchase on-site coronavirus testing equipment, for use with residents and staff.
• Women’s Mentoring Network: $5,000 to support technology education, devices, and connectivity for women and families served by the organization.

Dollars invested in nonprofit partners now total over $660,000 to-date. Investments include resources from the COVID-19 Response Fund, as well as dollars from the Touch A Life Fund (a long-standing emergency support fund for New Canaan residents) and funding from donor-advised funds housed at the New Canaan Community Foundation.

The New Canaan Community Foundation, founded in 1977, serves as New Canaan's local partner for advice, leadership, and facilitation of charitable giving. Their vision strives for a New Canaan that comes together to address both individual and local challenges, enriching the lives of all community members. To-date, the New Canaan Community Foundation has invested more than $16 million in nonprofit organizations, working with individuals and businesses to achieve their philanthropic goals through donor-advised funds and other partnerships. Learn more at www.newcanaancf.org

This press release was produced by The New Canaan Community Foundation. The views expressed here are the author's own.