In crisis, we tend to operate in survival mode. Yet, as a foundation, we deeply understand the necessity of shaping a collective response towards recovery and resilience that works for all in a way that reflects our values. Every step in our COVID-19 response has been taken with reflection and intention.

To remain steadfast in our mission towards achieving health equity in our region, our goal during this pandemic has been to address immediate needs while being attentive to what long-term recovery will require. COVID-19 has introduced many unknowns, but we have not wavered from our commitment to our grantee partners.

We will continue to provide the majority of our annual funding towards general operating support.

Our grantee partners, as the entire nonprofit sector, have been thrust into an uncertain world where the very services that our communities need at this crucial time are in jeopardy. COVID-19 has revealed that we cannot wait to provide support to grantee partners when they need it the most. This moment has reinforced the spirit of our mission and vision, and we understand our role in providing as much stability and certainty as we can amid evolving unknowns.

We have made two important decisions for the HCF 2020 general operating grant cycle.

1 – We will focus on current grantee partners and have made the difficult decision to not accept new requests at this time.

2 – We will streamline this year’s grant cycle to get resources out the door quickly. This means that, starting this summer, grantee partners can rely on accelerated grant awards to aid their planning and sustainability. 

As a foundation, part of our equity journey has been to simplify our grant application process as much as possible; to increase transparency and to improve the ease of applying to help us all focus on what matters most –prioritizing the health and well-being of all residents in our region. We have taken strides towards this in our last two cycles, but we know this moment calls for us to do even more. 

Therefore, our 2020 grant cycle will be even more streamlined to help our partners reduce the time and energy spent on their grant applications. 

While we are not accepting new requests for this year’s grant cycle, we remain open to hearing from and meeting with community stakeholders and partners about important work that is being done in the region. It is uncertain when this pandemic will end, but our values and partners who are doing crucial work to advance health equity in our region will continue to guide every step we take to support them and our communities during this time. 

Sincerely,

Maria S. Pesqueira, President, Healthy Communities Foundation

April 2020