The number of people affected by the COVID-19 virus in the Bay Area continues to grow, and many of us are grappling with sudden changes to our everyday lives. For some, the effects are particularly dire. There is a tremendous amount of need in our region—and we are especially concerned about the most vulnerable people in the community, such as seniors, people with compromised immune systems, low-wage workers, and undocumented people, to name just a few.
How We Will Help
Direct Funding from SFF:
Through the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, the San Francisco Foundation will make capacity building grants ($3,000 – $25,000) to nonprofit organizations in San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, Contra Costa, and Marin Counties addressing the following four issue areas, described in greater detail below: worker support, preventing homelessness and providing renter protection/housing security, ensuring food security, and addressing racial bias.
The SFF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund issue areas:
- Worker supports: Low-wage workers, particularly people of color, will be among the communities that feel the economic impact of COVID-19 the most. This includes people working in the food, travel, leisure, hospitality industries, as well as domestic workers, janitors, and others.
- Homelessness and Renter protections: Those who are homeless are particularly vulnerable right now, and our fund will help support them. For people who are housed but living month to month, lost wages will make it difficult to pay rent.
- Food security: COVID-19 presents an especially dire threat to already food insecure families who now face an uncertain economic future. Extended school closures also mean that more than 237,000 families currently receiving free- and reduced-lunch (and breakfast) have little if any access to these meals.
- Addressing racial bias: As swiftly as the virus has spread around the globe since its initial detection in China, it has also stirred up long-held biases about people, especially those of Asian descent. Here in the US, Asian Americans (particularly people of Chinese descent) are experiencing a rise in harassment and even violent hate crimes.
Thanks to the many donors who have generously contributed more than $2 million to support local nonprofits and community groups responding to COVID-19, we have made grants to more than 200 organizations to-date.
See the full list of organizations that have received grants from SFF’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund
Region-wide Grantmaking:
We are partnering with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to point donors to the COVID-19 Coronavirus Regional Response Fund, which will support key organizations serving each of the ten Bay Area counties and assisting with their immediate efforts to address challenges related to COVID-19 in their respective counties.
If you are interested in contributing funds to the Regional Response Fund hosted at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, please click here.
Policy:
In addition to our funding, as a community foundation, we are positioned to weigh in on key policy issues and we see this as one of the most important tools we can use to advance racial equity and economic inclusion in the Bay Area. This is particularly true in light of COVID-19. As a first step, based on what we’re hearing from the community, a group of SFF staff will develop a set of policy priorities focused on eviction prevention as a result of COVID-19. SFF staff will advocate for these priorities with various levels of government.
At this extremely challenging time, your support will make a real difference in the lives of people who profoundly need our help. Thank you for considering a contribution.
