COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County Awards Second Round of Grants

A total of $1,501,000 has been awarded to 37 local nonprofits in the second round of grants awarded from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County. These grants will ensure rapid funding for nonprofit organizations meeting basic needs for community members impacted by the pandemic, including food, shelter, housing, and emergency financial assistance.

• ABC of NC Child Development Center – $40,000 to help children with autism and their families access and pay for essential autism programming during the COVID-19 crisis.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Services – $15,000 to fund technology-enabled engagement tools allowing college-success mentoring to high school students and mentor check-ins for younger students, many who have socioeconomic barriers and opportunity gaps.
• City with Dwellings – $100,000 to provide critical overflow shelter services for the homeless population during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as support the financial assistance needed for individuals receiving diversion and outreach work as part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Continuum of Care.
• Community Care Center – $50,000 to support increased operating costs when non-essential office visits and procedures increase as COVID-19 social distancing medical restrictions are lessened.
• Dress for Success Winston-Salem – $10,000 to help maintain job readiness services for lower-wage, largely minority working women to adapt to challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis.
• El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services – $24,000 to support Latinx households, many of whom are undocumented, have lost their jobs, and are lacking transportation, including assistance for groceries, medical expenses, and utilities.
• Experiment in Self-Reliance – $30,000 to support low-income community members by providing increased financial assistance for housing services and homeless prevention activities.
• Family Services – $100,000 to maintain current levels of mental health and domestic violence services, to prepare for anticipated increases in demand, and to support families/clients who are in need due to COVID-19.
• Financial Pathways of the Piedmont – $87,000 to support operating expenses and additional costs for remote work requirements, and to provide financial assistance to clients to offset expenses and challenges related to COVID-19.
• Footbridge – $15,000 to support the cost of one of their dental clinics, providing free dental exams and services, including complex dental work, to low-income individuals or to those who have recently lost insurance due to circumstances related to COVID-19.
• Goodwill Industries of NWNC – $100,000 to provide education and career training assistance, including virtual services, to individuals who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
• greeNest – $30,000 to provide furnishings and housewares for clients moving from homelessness into permanent housing, as operations have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Guiding Institute for Developmental Education – $30,000 to provide tutorial and online academic afterschool assistance and wrap-around services, including household supplies, to families primarily in East Winston-Salem.
• Habit Missions Ministry – $10,000 to support the increase in requests for assistance from their homeless client population.
• Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County – $40,000 to help low income families experiencing unemployment or reduced hours pay their mortgages.
• Honorable Youth – $5,000 to continue to provide economically disadvantaged single mothers with financial literacy programming in the Two-Generations Program, support and provide food for single-family households, and assist families with rent, utilities, and mental health support.
• Hoops4 L.Y.F.E. – $30,000 to provide affordable low-cost childcare, breakfast, lunch, and snacks to students, mental health support, and coaching for unemployment claims.
• HUSTLE Winston-Salem – $10,000 to support community members and entrepreneurs who need access to remote software and technology.
• Love Community Development Corporation – $50,000 to meet the increased demand for food and clothing requests from diverse populations, especially people of color, single-family heads of households, displaced or laid off workers, seniors, and homeless individuals.
• Mi Casa – $50,000 to provide critical response to the needs of Forsyth County’s Spanish speaking community, assisting clients with immigration services, and waiving tax preparation service fees, which is critical to their receiving tax refunds since they are ineligible to receive stimulus checks.
• My Brother’s Second Chance – $10,000 to increase support for underprivileged African-American youth and their families including providing access to food, internet support, and transportation.
• NC Congress of Latino Organizations – $20,000 to increase the capacity of grassroots Latino organizations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse economic impacts.
• New Beginning Pentecostal Church – $10,000 to support families, single mothers, and seniors with assistance for their rent, mortgage, utilities, medicine, clothing, and food.
• Pretty in Pink Foundation – $10,000 to provide uninsured and under-insured breast cancer patients with financial assistance for quality, life-saving medical treatment.
• Quality Education Academy – $30,000 to allow their feeding site to serve adult family members.
• Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem – $5,000 to provide meals for individuals and families at a time when volunteer food donations are unavailable.
• Senior Services – $15,000 to provide nutritional support and home-delivered meals for older adults who are home-bound.
• Sunnyside Ministry – $100,000 to provide increased food and financial assistance to community members during and after the COVID-19 crisis.
• The Centers for Exceptional Children – $25,000 to assist children with special needs and their families with increased services and remote support.
• The Dwelling – $20,000 to provide access to showers, clean clothes, and personal hygiene for those experiencing homelessness.
• The Fellowship Home of Winston-Salem – $10,000 to adapt their structured residential program and provide necessities for men recovering from substance use disorders.
• The Twenty – $75,000 to distribute disinfection and contamination kits, set up healthcare evaluation and testing sites, and deliver meals to those experiencing food insecurity.
• Triad Dream Center – $20,000 to provide food assistance and clothing to individuals and families in need.
• United Health Centers – $100,000 to provide affordable and comprehensive healthcare to under-served community members and distribute educational materials about COVID-19 in both English and Spanish.
• Winston-Salem Urban League – $100,000 to assist residents who are seeking employment during and after the COVID-19 crisis.
• World Relief Triad – $25,000 to provide vital services such as food and financial assistance for refugees, survivors of human trafficking, and vulnerable immigrant populations.
• YMCA of Northwest North Carolina – $100,000 to adapt services and provide emergency childcare, coordinate community food distribution, and make wellness calls for seniors.

Cheryl Lindsay, speaking on behalf of the response fund grant distribution committee, says: “The committee was impressed by the quick response of nonprofits who adapted to address the needs of so many community members who have been affected by the coronavirus. Unfortunately, the needs in our community are still greater than our current financial resources, so we’d welcome continued support of the COVID-19 Response Fund to be able to make more grants in the future.”

Since the Fund was announced on March 18, almost $2.6 million has been committed to the fund from private sources, including foundations, corporations, groups, and individuals.

Additional grant applications to the COVID-19 Response Fund are currently suspended, as existing funds from private donations have been fully committed through the two grant rounds. However, fundraising will continue, and future funding phases will be developed by evaluating the funds available, community needs, and government response.

The City of Winston-Salem, which contributed $1 million to the COVID-19 Response Fund in addition to the almost $2.6 million from private sources, will be managing a separate review process for those applications already in the system. Applications will be reviewed by the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee. For more information on the city’s process, please visit their website.

About the Fund

United Way of Forsyth County and The Winston-Salem Foundation launched the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County on March 18 to support a range of nonprofit organizations assisting members of the community during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly those most vulnerable. United Way of Forsyth County and The Winston-Salem Foundation are administering the Fund, charging no administrative fees.

To contribute to the COVID-19 Response Fund, visit covid19forsyth.org or text COVID19Forsyth to 71777 (message and data rates may apply).  

Corporations and foundations: to donate by check or ACH, contact Meridith Whitaker, Director of Philanthropic Services at The Winston-Salem Foundation, at (336) 604-5032 or mwhitaker@wsfoundation.org