DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The United Way of Greater Dayton said it is closing the COVID-19 Response Fund for Greater Dayton.
“I think we’re in a really good spot to press pause,” said Tracy Sibbing, Vice-President of community impact at United Way of Greater Dayton. “As a community we’re turning a corner in a new phase of the pandemic which is focused on vaccinations,” she said.
The COVID-19 Response Fund was established in March 2020, in partnership with the Dayton Foundation and a coalition of philanthropic, governmental and other organizations, to provide flexible resources to nonprofits at the frontlines of the region’s pandemic response.
The fund has provided support for projects like the family assistance program at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church. Father Benjamin Speare-Hardy II said, “We usually provide funding in our budget for outreach and that would’ve been depleted in no time so we wouldn’t have been able to help as many people as possible.”
“Thanks to generous and compassionate donors who contributed to the COVID-19 Response Fund for Greater Dayton, $1,890,424 has been awarded to date to nonprofits that worked tirelessly to respond and assist, effectively and efficiently, during the outbreak,” said Barbra Stonerock, Vice President of Community Engagement for The Dayton Foundation.
The deadline for area nonprofits to apply for funding from the COVID-19 Response Fund is Wednesday, June 30, 2021, at 5 p.m. For more information or to apply, visit https://dayton-unitedway.org/covid-19/
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created an ever-evolving situation with varied impacts around our region on individuals, families and the organizations that serve their emergency needs. With our focus shifting to vaccination and the influx of federal pandemic relief dollars, we have decided to close this emergency fund. We will continue to monitor and partner with The Dayton Foundation on addressing our community’s most pressing issues and ensuring basic needs are met,” said Tom Maultsby, President & CEO for the United Way of the Greater Dayton Area.
United Way’s HelpLink 211 service is still accepting calls for COVID-19 related assistance.
