Justin Fox Burks
Community Foundation of Greater Memphis CEO Bob Fockler and Executive Vice President Sutton Mora Hayes
A new fund launched Wednesday to help respond to the coronavirus outbreak in Shelby County.
The Mid-South COVID-19 Regional Response fund was seeded with a $250,000 donation from the Nike Foundation. The fund is a joint effort by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, city of Memphis, Shelby County government, United Way of the Mid-South, and Momentum Nonprofit Partners/Mid-South Philanthropy Network.
The response fund will provide flexible funding to nonprofit organizations working with impacted community members dealing with the economic consequences of the outbreak in West Tennessee, Eastern Arkansas, and Northern Mississippi.
“This is an unprecedented event in our community, and we don’t know how the next weeks and months will play out,” said Robert Fockler, president of the Community Foundation. “This fund allows people and institutions to support a safety net for vulnerable populations and those most affected by the threat to their health, wellbeing, and economic sustainability.”
[pullquote-1] The first phase of these rapid-response grants will address the following:
• The economic impact of reduced and lost work because of the novel coronavirus outbreak
• Immediate needs of economically vulnerable populations caused by closures and cancellations related to COVID-19
• Increased demand for medical information and support
• Fear and confusion about the outbreak among the region’s most vulnerable residents.
Representatives from the partnership agencies will award grants based on the amount of funds received. They anticipate the first round of grants being allocated in the next few weeks.
To donate online and learn more about the grant, visit cfgm.org/COVID.