Phase 2 Grants

220 Grants Totaling $9.2 million Support Childcare, Mental and Behavioral Health, and Emergency Financial Assistance for Vulnerable Workers and Families

The crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving every day. As it unfolds, certain needs swell and take on greater urgency. Grantmaking from the COVID-19 Response Fund is designed to address these growing and underserved needs. In these gaps, philanthropy can maximize its impact.

As with Phase 1, Phase 2 grants focus on community-based organizations supporting vulnerable workers and families—people who face longstanding economic inequities and disparities due to racism that have been made worse by the current crisis. To identify the priority populations and focus areas for these grants, we synthesized data from an array of sources, listened to trusted experts on the frontlines, and researched the many complementary funds helping our community navigate the current crisis.

A total of $9.2 million allocated through 220 grants will provide support for childcare, mental and behavioral health, and emergency financial assistance. Each funding track prioritized the populations below, with a particular emphasis on Black communities who are facing compounding needs in light of not only COVID-19 but recent and persistent racialized violence. 

Phase 2 Priority Populations

• People who will be missed by public funding opportunities, including undocumented immigrants and refugees
• People who are essential workers without health supports, childcare, and other necessary services
• People of color who are experiencing disparate health impacts

Phase 2 Grantees

• Childcare grants support both service providers and systems coordination efforts, with a focus on accessibility and affordability. Read more and view grantees.
• Mental and Behavioral Health grants support providers and community organizations with a focus on navigating trauma. Read more and view grantees.
• Emergency Financial Assistance grants focus on organizations that leverage relationships with community, trusted leaders, and service providers in order to support access to immediate basic needs. Read more and view grantees.

As the COVID-19 Response Fund continues to evolve around community needs, we are taking care to ensure that its work is based in trust and community. In this phase, a new Advisory Group formed and will counsel the Fund through the end of the year, supplemented by groups of experts who also provide specific guidance on individual grant programs. 

Phase 2 grants follow Phase 1 support for vulnerable workers and families navigating the immediate economic and health impacts of the pandemic. In March, the Fund rapidly deployed nearly $10.2 million to community-based organizations that were working on the frontlines to support people facing reduced or lost work, financial inability to meet their basic needs, barriers to healthcare, as well as fear and confusion. An additional set of Phase 1 grants, made in April and totaling $850,000, helped further address mounting food insecurity in our region.