Submit Requests for funding to respOnd to COVID-19
As the public health response to COVID-19 in Pierce County escalated on March 13, 2020, United Way of Pierce County and Greater Tacoma Community Foundation partnered for an aligned philanthropic response to emerging community needs. Together, they launched the PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED fund, seeded with $750,000 from GTCF. GTCF committed another $1 million in matching dollars for regional funders joining in the effort. Since the launch, numerous regional funders contributed to the fund, and have exceeded the matching amount. The chart above will be updated weekly to reflect the latest information about the fund balance.
The PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED fund supports organizations providing services to address urgent needs and the disruption of basic human services to Pierce County’s most vulnerable populations due to COVID-19 and the necessary public health measures to address it.
PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED partners are committed to delivering rapid funding to organizations in a way that supports their continued services to vulnerable populations with the fewest barriers possible.
With that in mind, this is not a typical grant application process. This process is designed to surface urgent and emerging needs in the community related to COVID-19 disruptions, elevate these funding needs to a broad networks of funders and GTCF fundholders, and rapidly move PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED funds into the community for those applicants that meet the criteria.
Requests will be accepted from organizations and entities with services based in Pierce County including tribal governments, local governments, school districts, 501c3 nonprofit organizations, intermediaries, and fiscally sponsored projects or collaborations. Vulnerable populations include, but are not limited to, people with food insecurity, people experiencing homelessness, communities of color, frontline workers, immigrants, people experiencing domestic violence, people needing behavioral health supports, people with disabilities, remote or isolated persons or families, and senior citizens.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A FUNDING REQUEST FOR EMERGING NEEDS (PHASE 3) Of PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED FUNDING
- PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Request FAQ
- PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Request Example PDF
- PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Request How-To Guide
- PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Requests Information & Technical Support
PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Timeline
Phase | Goal | Funding Awarded |
---|---|---|
Phase 1: Urgent Response March 30 - April 3, 2020 |
$1M funding support of food access, shelter, and childcare for first responders, medical providers, and essential workers. | Phase 1 Funding Recipients |
Phase 2: April 4 – 30, 2020 (Rapid Response) Rolling Requests |
$2M funding in support of urgent and emerging needs identified through online requests and surfaced through PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Community Response Committee. | Phase 2 Funding Recipients |
Phase 3: May – Sept 2020 (Emerging Needs) |
Funding in support of emerging needs identified through online requests and surfaced through PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Community Response Committee | Phase 3 Funding Recipients |
Phase 4: Oct 2020 – Sept 2021 (Rebuilding) |
Phase 4: Rebuilding October 2020 – September 2021 As this situation continues to develop, PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED will post focus areas for any additional funding. |
PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Committee
- Brad Cheney, Ben B. Cheney Foundation (Co-Chair)
- Dona Ponepinto, United Way of Pierce County (Co-Chair)
- Alisha Fehrenbacher, Elevate Health & One Pierce
- Cassandra Mitchell, KeyBank
- Georgia Lomax, Pierce County Library System
- Holly Bamford Hunt, Bamford Family Foundation
- Janece Levien, Greater Tacoma Community Foundation
- Jeff Woodworth, Woodworth Family Foundation
- Lois Bernstein, MultiCare
- Nick Russell, The Russell Family Foundation
- Richard Woo, retired CEO, The Russell Family Foundation
- Seth Kirby, Greater Tacoma Community Foundation
- Todd Silver, Todd & Teresa Silver Funds
- Tyler Zemanek, Windows of Hope Foundation