evanston community rapid response fund
The Evanston Community Foundation launched the Evanston Community Rapid Response Fund to foster a unified philanthropic response to address the impact of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 in the Evanston community. Donors helped support the most vulnerable in our community and Evanston's vital safety net of nonprofits during this critical period.
a unified philanthropic response
Several initial funders partnered in helping seed the fund, including the Finnegan Family Foundation, Hagerty Consulting, and Northwestern University Dance Marathon (NUDM).
We worked closely with community-based organizations to identify how to strategically use these funds to support community needs as they evolved and through your support, ECF worked to provide flexible resources to organizations working with community members who were disproportionately impacted by coronavirus and the economic consequences of the outbreak.
addressing immediate community need
With the spread of COVID-19, nonprofit partners felt its impact, ultimately affecting our most vulnerable neighbors. ECF surveyed and engaged our nonprofit partners to better understand the specific implications of the virus. The Foundation understood the needs that were greatly exacerbated by this crisis: loss of paychecks, lack of housing, and unmet basic needs leading to the inability to maintain the health standards required to stay safe from the pandemic. We addressed both immediate and long-term needs.
Read about our COVID Response Strategy. Beginning in mid 2021, ECF has created the NOW Fund to support Evanston rebuilding.