Bath Community Fund offers support to nonprofits impacted by COVID-19
Spring is traditionally a time of rebirth and renewal, but spring this year has upended our comfortable world.
COVID-19 has caused each of us to rethink our daily routines; to reach out to those who may be isolated, alone or in need; and to become creative and flexible in our response to new challenges.
Bath Community Fund, Akron Community Foundation, and other local funders are also reacting to this new world, thinking outside the box by adjusting their funding priorities and guidelines to rapidly respond to community needs.
In March, Akron Community Foundation established the Community Response Fund for Nonprofits to address emergency needs that arise in Summit and Medina counties related to the COVID-19 outbreak. The fund provides critical resources to nonprofit organizations that are meeting the basic needs of those directly impacted by the pandemic.
In partnership with this endeavor, Bath Community Fund has pledged up to $10,000 in available grant dollars to support nonprofits specifically serving the Bath/Revere geographic area. The first grant awarded through this partnership will be announced in the coming days, and details about all future grants will be posted on the Community Response Fund for Nonprofits grants page.
To learn more about the Community Response Fund for Nonprofits, the needs being met, and how you can help with this essential work, visit www.akroncf.org/CommunityResponseFundInfo. Nonprofits can also find information about how to apply.
Additionally, to assist our nonprofit partners who provide important services outside of basic needs, Bath Community Fund is relaxing the restrictions on our recent grant awards. Several of our 2019 grants were awarded to projects or programs that are no longer possible due to the impacts of COVID-19. Loosening those restrictions gives nonprofits the flexibility to use their grant dollars for urgent operating needs, helping them to keep their doors open and continue serving the community.
Bath Community Fund was created for this very reason – to ensure the sustainability of nonprofits that make a difference to so many in our community. Occasionally, we hear the question, "Why does Bath need a community fund?" The COVID-19 crisis is a perfect example of why the fund is needed. Foodbank supplies are becoming stretched, jobs are being lost, rents and mortgages are in arrears – our neighbors need help. And it's the local nonprofits that are filling so many of those needs. But, the drain on nonprofits will be felt for months, if not years, to come, and Bath Community Fund will be here to buoy them through these uncharted waters.
We are so grateful to everyone who has supported Bath Community Fund over the past six years. Your gifts are allowing our community fund to make an immediate and lasting difference for these vital nonprofit organizations and the people they serve.
Stay well,
Kathy Sidaway
Chair, Bath Community Fund