Co-written by Josh Maxwell, Vice Chair of the Chester County Board of Commissioners, and Michelle Legaspi Sanchez, Executive Director of the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls
As philanthropy continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, foundations, corporate giving programs and others have an opportunity to redirect and commit resources to rebuild a system desperately begging for change.
During the culminating session of weeklong Forum on Justice & Opportunity convened by Episcopal Community Services, leaders incuding Philanthropy Network prewsident Sidney Hargro shared their thoughts on our next steps for collective action that can provide racial equity during the economic recovery.
New funding brings the City’s direct support for small businesses to $38.7 million and for rental assistance to $39.4 million since start of the pandemic.
To continue to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the William Penn Foundation has partnered with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to collectively award more than $8 million in Relief and Recovery Support grants to local arts organizations.
Chester County’s Commissioners have stepped up to help local nonprofits recover from the impact of COVID-19. Through the Restore Chester County Nonprofit Innovation & Resiliency Fund, the Commissioners obtained $3.5 million in federal CARES Act funding.
The Nonprofit Innovation & Resiliency Fund was administered by the Chester County Community Foundation with input from regional funders, United Ways, and Chester County government departments
The Independence Public Media Foundation (IPMF) announces a major investment in the local filmmaking community with grants totaling $1.3 million to filmmakers, festivals, and film organizations, with an emphasis on supporting artists from underrepresented communities, and films with a commitment to social justice.
As tens of millions of philanthropic dollars were being distributed for emergency COVID-19 response in this region, the William Penn and Lenfest Foundations funded Philanthropy Network and the Center for High Impact Philanthropy to gather and examine data about the relief grantmaking.
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage has announced that its 2021 grant making will focus on assisting arts and history organizations in the Philadelphia region to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hargro suggests four things philanthropy should consider to help us imagine the “next” normal and rebuild a more resilient and just region.
