Meeting the Moment

The Foundation’s Response to the Pandemic, 2020-Present

March 28, 2022
Walk of Faith Church, a grant recipient of the COVID-19 Community Fund, hosted multiple vaccine clinics. Photo Courtesy of Walk of Faith Church

Two years since the onset of the pandemic, The Community Foundation begins this status update on pandemic-related activities with a grateful thank you to donors for their unwavering community support. The Greater New Haven COVID-19 Community Fund, created in partnership with United Way, raised and distributed $4.3 million for nonprofits between 2020-21. Donors rallied during the two Great Give events, adding an additional $7.1 million for nonprofits.

In ’21, The Community Foundation launched a $26 million, 3-year commitment called Stepping Forward to address the impacts of COVID-19 and advance racial equity. Under this work, TCF has:

  • held a series of listening and learning sessions;
  • added nearly $1.7 million to the ’21 responsive grant program;
  • removed barriers and improved access through streamlined grantmaking processes;
  • added three new permanent funds; and
  • in ’22 will be deploying $12 million in discretionary community investments, an increase of approximately $3.8 million from pre-pandemic levels.