Food deliveries to isolated seniors. Rent assistance for families struggling after layoffs.  Help to connect more Broward residents to crisis response services.

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These are examples of the bold impact coming from the Community Foundation of Broward’s latest action to tackle the coronavirus crisis.

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The Community Foundation’s new wave of support includes $500,000 in grants for seven projects that target the dire needs of some of Broward’s most vulnerable residents.

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The seven projects included in this latest round of Community Foundation support will provide critical services to residents at risk of missing out on other relief efforts.  This includes seniors, the disabled, victims of domestic violence, residents who recently lost jobs and others who don’t qualify for federal assistance.

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To identify these seven crisis-response projects, the Community Foundation’s philanthropy experts have done the legwork and outreach to determine what is needed most and where. They have found projects best suited to deliver the biggest community impact, while avoiding duplicative efforts. At a time when Broward must make the most of its philanthropic resources, these seven projects are strategically spread across the community to bring relief to some of our hardest hit residents.

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“We are enabling these seven organizations to fulfill critical needs right now,” said Sheri Brown, Foundation Vice President of Community Impact. “These innovative programs will provide much-needed services in pockets of the community where there are gaps in services for people who need help the most.”

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The seven new projects further the Community Foundation’s longstanding commitment to Broward’s Issues That Matter – 10 challenges that affect us all and are vital to our community, during this crisis and beyond.

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For example, providing food, housing, medical treatment and other critical services included in this new round of crisis support fosters Economic Independence – philanthropy that provides a hand up to help residents stand on their own two feet.

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“When we get to the other side of this disaster, our ongoing support for Issues That Matter such as Economic Independence will help people regain employment and get back on the path to self-sufficiency,” Brown said.

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Forward-thinking philanthropists with endowed charitable Funds at the Community Foundation have made it possible to deliver crucial crisis relief through these seven projects and more. Prior to this new wave of grants, the Community Foundation provided more than $1 million in immediate crisis support by releasing restrictions on existing grants to help nonprofits facing the local effects of the coronavirus. Thanks to Fundholders who create flexible, enduring resources for the community they love, the Community Foundation is able to quickly direct support where it’s needed the most.  

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And this is just the beginning.

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The local consequences of the coronavirus are still unfolding and will be with us for years to come. Because endowed resources can last forever, the Community Foundation is in this for the long haul. We will be there to identify and invest in the long-term solutions Broward needs year after year – throughout this crisis and beyond. As other relief efforts fade away, support from endowed charitable Funds at the Community Foundation will still be there for Broward.

“It’s going to be a long journey for our community to recover from this crisis. Endowed charitable Funds provide the critical, long-term support Broward needs to thrive,” said Foundation Board Member Edward T. Hashek, who heads the Foundation’s Issues That Matter Committee. “As government dollars become scarce, the power of endowment will enable the Community Foundation to continue to help where it’s needed the most.”

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The Community Foundation’s new coronavirus response grants, approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors on April 28, include support for:

• Habitat for Humanity of Broward – Emergency assistance, counseling and other outreach for 500 families and mortgage relief for up to 89 families facing layoffs, reduced wages or other economic hardships during this crisis.
• Broward 211 – Add staff and make technology enhancements to help this community phone line, which provides vital information and referrals to community services, respond to increased calls.
• PIRC (Parent’s Information & Resource Center) – Provide emergency financial assistance and a foodbank available to children and adults who receive mental health services at PIRC. Also provide ongoing mental health care for about 300 PIRC clients left uninsured or under-insured during this crisis.
• Women In Distress of Broward County – Provide safe housing and counseling for people experience domestic violence. Help domestic violence survivors who are experiencing job loss and reduced wages.
• Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida – One-time help to pay rent, mortgages or other housing fees for 69 low-income families affected by the coronavirus crisis.
• Community Based Connections, Inc. – Help with rent, food, medication and other supplies for 120 families in Broward neighborhoods hardest hit by this crisis. Also care packages that include masks, hand sanitizer, grocery store gift cards for 150 South Broward seniors.
• H.O.M.E.S., Inc. – Create and deliver care packages of items such as food, toiletries, masks and grocery store gift cards for 300 residents in severe need, such as isolated seniors, the disabled, the sick and laid off workers who haven’t received unemployment checks.

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The new coronavirus response grants were made possible by support from the following charitable Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward:

• Kearns Family Foundation Fund
• August Urbanek Family Fund
• Marlene Holder Fund for Broward
• Jan Moran Unrestricted Fund
• David and Francie Horvitz Family Fund
• Barbara and Michael G. Landry Fund for Broward
• Herschell and Margo Lewis Fund
• Drial Foundation Fund
• Mary N. Porter Community Impact Fund
• Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund
• Bank of America Unrestricted Fund
• Community Impact Fund

For more information about creating or adding to an endowed charitable Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward, contact Vice President of Philanthropic Services Nancy Thies at nthies@cfbroward.org or 954-761-9503.

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