Saskatoon Community Foundation Announces $500,000 for COVID-19 Community Response
Redirected grants total over $340,000 plus $160,000 from COVID-19 Community Response Fund
Saskatoon, April 3, 2020–Carm Michalenko, Executive Director Saskatoon Community Foundation and lead for Financial/Donations Unit of the Saskatoon COVID-19 Community Response – Vulnerable Sector Strategy, a city-wide mobilization effort, stresses to all funders that speed before perfection is needed. “Our Board of Directors and Community members on our Granting Committee fast-tracked decisions and removed all barriers to ensure we can get money out swiftly to where it is needed most. We are dealing with people’s lives, so time is of
the essence.”
“We know our local community is at its best when we support each other and work to keep everyone safe and cared for,” says Board Chair, Curtis Kimpton. “We cannot do this alone. We are in this together and together we will get through this.”
Saskatoon Community Foundation Board of Directors approved an open contribution of $160,000 into the Saskatoon COVID-19 Community Response Fund designated for immediate support needed for the vulnerable sector.
The foundation has also redirected $340,000 for charities to combat COVID-19 in order to ensure service continuity as other income and revenue streams are no longer possible. This includes the following granting programs:
Quality of Life COVID-19 Resiliency Grants for key delivery services:
The Saskatoon Community Foundation Grants Committee has redirected grants available through the Quality of Life grants program to support charities coping with the crisis. A first tranche of $75,000 will be sent immediately to five agencies identified as key delivery services to support the Saskatoon COVID-19 Community Response – Vulnerable Sector Strategy.
- Reconciliation Saskatoon: $10,000 for Survivor’s Circle
- Global Gathering Place: $20,000 for Cultural Health Navigators
- CHEP Good Food: $15,000 for immediate food needs
- Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Services: $20,000 to support staffing for Mobile Crisis service
- Saskatoon Friendship Inn: $10,000 for immediate food needs
Quality of Life Grant applications:
Access to the remaining $200,000 will open on April 6 and closes April 27. These funds will be disbursed early May. An abbreviated application form will be posted on Saskatoon Community Foundation website.
Empowering youth:
A further $68,000 from Youth Endowment Saskatoon will be redirected immediately to support the needs of youth affected by the pandemic, bypassing requirements for approval. The Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council is empowered to make decisions on these funds, supporting youth through local charities. This fund was established by a coalition of local businesses and donors in 2004.
Saskatoon COVID-19 Community Response Fund
Saskatoon Community Foundation and United Way of Saskatoon and Area have joined forces to mobilize the Saskatoon COVID-19 Community Response Fund and help those who are the most vulnerable during this extraordinary time.
Saskatoon Community Foundation calls on other public, private foundations, service organizations, donors, and philanthropists to contribute to the fund. Donate now and help those who need it the most during this time.
Contact:
Carm Michalenko, Executive Director
Saskatoon Community Foundation
Phone: 639-317-7853
Email: ceo@saskatooncommunityfoundation.ca
Saskatoon Community Foundation:
With a vision to make Saskatoon the best community in which to live, the Saskatoon Community Foundation contributes to the quality of life in our city by building endowed and non-endowed funds, and by providing strategic grant making and philanthropic advisory services, as well as community leadership and mobilization. Saskatoon Community Foundation offers endowed funds in which donations are held in perpetuity, generating income to make grants. It also offers non-endowed funds where donors strategically grant their entire gift to several charities. And every year, the foundation grants to a range of community projects and initiatives on behalf of donors who have created unrestricted funds. Follow the Saskatoon Community Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.