COVID-19: What Can Our Partners Do?

Categorized as: About us, Africa, Asia, Education, Grantee, Job Creation, Latin America, Middle East, Our Partners, Pacific Islands, Poverty Alleviation, Stories, U.S. on April 18, 2020.

Photo courtesy of the United Nations COVID-19 Response on Unsplash.

Editor’s Note: Hello to all our readers and partners. We know right now is such an insane time, so I am hoping all of you are first and foremost taking care of yourselves, keeping healthy and safe, and maintaining your social distancing as much as possible. 

I personally had to come back to the U.S. quite spontaneously as I was living abroad, and the adjustment has been difficult. I had to indefinitely separate from my partner, as he wasn’t allowed into the US during this crisis. And as much as I love my parents (really, I do!), the adjustment to living at home again has been surreal and strange, as any near-30-year-old (shudder) can probably understand. But I fill my days with a strict schedule and I make sure to get plenty of exercise and get outside when possible. I know for me, keeping a consistent routine throughout the day has been quite a lifesaver. 

Many of our partners work internationally and are not U.S.-based 501c3s. We wanted to put together some ideas for funding options for all of you who don’t qualify for the financial assistance under the CARES Act. We also wanted to highlight some non-financial ideas for how to stay productive and keep up the tremendous work you are doing, wherever you may be.

We hope this is helpful. We know many of you are struggling with work and with funding, and while we don’t have the capacity to increase our grantmaking, please know that we stand with you and are willing and able to help in whatever other way you might need. 

By Brienne Skees, Program Officer and VP of Research and Data Management

Funding Options for Non-501c3 Partners

Funds for Coronavirus Relief: Here is a list of funding available, and the geographic area can be selected at the top of the page. While this list currently focuses mostly on U.S. nonprofits, it is constantly being updated as information comes in, so keep an eye on it for your area.

Foundations and Corporate Funds Announce New Wave of COVID-19 Grants: Here is a list of large foundations and corporations who are acting aggressively to give grants to nonprofits all over the world. Several are working in education and economic development, so have a look through the list.

COVID-19 Nonprofit Resources: This list provides a few more funding options for our non-501c3 partners.

Tips for Running Your Nonprofit from a Distance

External Resources for Responding to COVID-19: Council on Foundations has put together a list of resources that guide nonprofit leaders in a variety of methods for maintaining productivity and getting work done from home. It also gives guidance to foundations on how to best support their nonprofit partners during this time. 

How to Salvage Your Fundraising Event: Many nonprofits host fundraisers in order to raise a lot of their funding, but that simply isn’t an option right now. This resource gives alternate ideas on how to raise money while also maintaining social distancing. 

Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: Here is a list of resources for nonprofits who have been completely caught off guard and need special assistance and ideas on how to navigate through this crisis.

Coronavirus Resources for the Social Impact Sector: NextBillion offers a continually updated list of resources that include events, analyses, funding opportunities, and strategies for adapting to the pandemic.

4 Ways to Engage Major Donors During the COVID-19 Crisis: The Chronicle of Philanthropy offers some ideas on how you can secure a grant from a major donor without having an in-person meeting. 

Third Plateau’s Webinars on Organizational Crisis Response

Introduction

Part One: Rapid Needs Assessment

Part Two: Emergency Response Planning

Part Three: Organizational Resiliency and Risk Monitoring

Part Four: Leadership and Equity in Uncertain Times

Tips from Us to You

Below are a few things that we’ve been hearing other funding partners have been doing. Many grant providers are becoming more and more understanding and accommodating with their grant requirements, so it wouldn’t hurt to ask for some extra flexibility with regards to your grant.

• No grant reporting–suggest getting on a call with them instead.
• Adding an additional year of funding.
• Change the grant to an unrestricted grant.
• Suggest an additional grant specifically for COVID-19 relief.

Here are some other ideas we had as a way to increase funding without having to go directly to your current funding partners.

• Create a GoFundMe or Global Giving campaign and send it out to individuals. You could even team up with a few nonprofits in your area and split the donations. We are happy to share your campaign in our Seeds of Hope blog and on our social media pages.
• Set up a matching grant or crowdfunding opportunity, especially if you have a current relationship with a funder who has a wide network who could help share your campaign.
• Use your social media platforms to engage individual donors through #GivingTuesdayNow.

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