COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County Awards Final Phase of Grants

Today the United Way of Forsyth County and The Winston-Salem Foundation announce that a total of $736,617.92 has been awarded to 36 local nonprofit and charitable organizations in the third and final phase of grants awarded from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County.

The final grant round funded local 501(c)(3) or charitable organizations to assist with the immediate needs of economically vulnerable populations impacted by COVID-19. In this round, grant support was offered for programming to support housing, utility, and food expenses and for virtual learning assistance for public school students.

Grants for housing, utility, and food expenses:

• Addiction Recovery Association – $20,000 to assist in the demand for treatment and substance abuse services for those battling alcohol and substance abuse addiction
• Bethesda Center for the Homeless – $40,000 to help meet the high demand for rent and utility needs for approximately 250 former homeless households to remain in housing and to provide support for a dedicated case manager to assist individuals and leverage resources
• Cancer Services, Inc. – $10,000 to help meet the demand of clients needing assistance in accessing in-kind support and direct financial assistance with cancer treatment needs and treatment support needs such as housing, utilities, transportation, nutrition, and medical supplies
• City With Dwellings – $10,000 to maintain a safe work environment for staff, volunteers, and community members at their Community First Center where they support individuals experiencing homelessness who need assistance with transportation issues, documentation, applying for services, and job and housing applications
• Clemmons Food Pantry – $10,000 to address immediate and short-term needs that will enable the Clemmons Food Pantry to continue its service to economically vulnerable households facing food insecurity while the community recovers from the shutdown
• Eliza's Helping Hands, Inc. – $15,000 to support programming that provides clients living below the poverty line with immediate and critical needs
• Eureka Ministry, Inc. – $30,000 to broaden its population scope to address the current needs of individuals that include vulnerable ex-offenders and to extend that support to assist households with children of an incarcerated parent who are economically impacted by circumstances in light of COVID-19 crisis
• Experiment in Self Reliance – $25,000 to aid in stabilizing the needs of families because of COVID-19, and to help supplement technology, programmatic and personnel costs
• Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County – $25,000 to address the long-lasting ramifications of work stoppage, students at home, and health issues in the workplace
• Honorable Youth – $10,000 to expand career development programs to ensure individuals will receive help finding an essential job or obtaining higher education to guarantee job security during economically tough times
• Hoops4 L.Y.F.E. – $20,000 to meet critical needs of residents who have requested rent assistance, utility assistance, food, and transportation, and support of positions that help coordinate volunteers at different sites and assist more students with e-learning, literacy, and positive mentorship
• Iglesia Cristiana Sin Fronteras – $25,000 to support costs of part-time staff members to continue to meet the needs of undocumented families affected by COVID-19 and for funding for COVID survival kits
• Love Community Development Corporation – $30,000 for general operating support to sustain operations and to support direct financial assistance to economically disadvantaged community residents to prevent the loss of housing, utilities, and food
• My Brother's Second Chance – $10,000 to provide food, internet access, transportation, and guidance to young men who are impacted by COVID-19
• Nueva Vida / New Life – $15,000 to assist individuals who are temporarily unemployed and provide financial assistance for essential bills including water, electricity, gas, and rent
• S.G. Atkins Community Development Corporation – $40,000 to support chefs using the Enterprise Center shared-use kitchen to distribute meals to community members in need
• St. Peter's We Care House – $25,000 to provide financial assistance and distribute nutritious meals to children and adults living in the 27107 zip code
• Sunnyside Ministry – $40,808.96 to provide financial assistance and food to families in Winston-Salem
• The Fellowship Home of Winston-Salem – $25,000 to enact additional safety precautions and provide financial assistance to support men recovering from substance use disorders
• The Shalom Project – $20,000 to provide food, clothing, and medical care to those in need
• The Wells Center, Inc. – $5,000 to provide financial assistance for women ex-offenders who are reintegrating into the community and to help reduce the recidivism rate in Winston-Salem
• Trellis Supportive Care – $5,000 to provide immediate emergency financial support to patients and their families
• Union Baptist Church Urban Ministries – $25,000 to provide food, clothing, and emergency financial assistance to those who are most economically impacted, especially seniors, single parents, and individuals experiencing homelessness
• Wake Forest University Health Sciences – $5,000 to mitigate hunger and food insecurity, particularly for low-income families of color who have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus
• YMCA of Northwest North Carolina – $25,000 to adapt services and coordinate community food distribution for residents in East Winston
• YWCA of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County – $25,000 to provide services through the Hawley House, a residential recovery facility for women with substance use disorder

Grants for virtual learning assistance for public school students:

• Bottom Up Outreach Center – $12,000 to secure weekday space for virtual learning needs and afterschool care with easy access from Kernersville and the Southeast Ward
• El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services – $27,000 to provide a safe location that complies with COVID-19 standards, with virtual learning support that includes Academic Coaches and other staff
• Guiding Institute for Developmental Education – $17,000 to support students from communities of color by assisting with eLearning and providing afterschool support in a downtown learning center location
• Imprints Cares – $27,000 to support children and families through one of 11 E-Learning Enrichment Centers, five that are tuition-free and six that offer income-based scholarships
• More Than Conquerors, Inc. – $27,000 to provide free and reduced virtual learning services, giving students access to remote learning, books, and materials to help students succeed
• Neighborhood's Hands, Inc. – $27,808.96 to support a Virtual Learning Center providing an innovative student-centered center for individualized attention in a safe environment
• Saint James United Methodist Church – $12,000 to support staff costs and learning materials for a Remote Learning Center providing services free-of-charge to WS/FCS students
• St. Paul United Methodist Church – $27,000 to provide affordable and needed assistance for elementary-aged students who have fallen behind in their academic progress
• The Dream Team Foundation, Inc. – $12,000 to offset tuition costs for families in need of their virtual learning support that provides staff, meals, internet, and learning materials
• T.U.R.N. Community Development Corporation – $12,000 to support operational costs for both its existing and its new virtual learning site, while also providing meals for students and siblings aged 1-18

Since the Fund’s establishment, it has rapidly deployed resources to community-based organizations on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak in Forsyth County. The Fund raised $4,420,617 from corporations, groups, individuals, and local government, and made 112 grants totaling the same amount to local nonprofits and charitable organizations. Grants were made in three phases by evaluating the funds available, community needs, and government response.

United Way of Forsyth County’s Cindy Gordineer and The Winston-Salem Foundation’s Scott Wierman state, “On behalf of our respective staff and boards, we thank the community for your unwavering generosity, our local nonprofits for your rapid response and extraordinary work in helping those most vulnerable, and our grants committee for your discerning work. As we know, COVID-19 will continue to impact our community in the coming year, and through our organizations’ grantmaking and community investments, we will continue helping our most impacted residents as they navigate these challenging times.”

About the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County

United Way of Forsyth County and The Winston-Salem Foundation launched the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County in March 2020 to support a range of nonprofit organizations assisting members of the community during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly those most economically impacted. The organizations administered the Fund, charging no administrative fees. Applications were reviewed and grant decisions made by representatives from the City of Winston-Salem, Hanesbrands, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity, Reynolds American, Truist, United Way of Forsyth County, Wells Fargo, and The Winston-Salem Foundation.

To review a list of all grants made from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County, visit wsfoundation.org/covid-19-grants.