Westchester Community Foundation Met $2 Million Goal and has Distributed $861,500 in COVID-19 Grants to Date
HARTSDALE, NY – AUGUST 3, 2020 – The Westchester Community Foundation announced today that it has raised $2 million for its Westchester Covid-19 Response Fund and distributed $861,500 to 38 human services nonprofits. For a complete list of the grants awarded, go to wcf-ny.org.
The initial priority was to ensure that nonprofits could continue to do their work remotely by accessing requisite technology, that they could comply with public health measures through the purchase of protective equipment and cleaning of facilities, and that childcare was available for the children of first responders, essential workers, and low-income families.
“This pandemic has laid bare the disparities in Westchester County, one of the wealthiest counties in the nation,” said Laura Rossi, Executive Director of the Westchester Community Foundation. “We are also one of the most generous communities, and our residents have not disappointed. They have dug deep to help meet the needs of their neighbors, and we thank them.”
The next phase: With over $1 million remaining in the Westchester Covid-19 Response Fund, the Foundation will shift its funding focus to a longer-term recovery phase to ensure that nonprofits will be positioned to provide programs and services in the months ahead. The virus is still widespread. The economy has been impacted in unexpected ways. Westchester’s most vulnerable residents are facing health and safety concerns, unemployment, eviction, and food insecurity. Childcare will become a greater concern as schools reopen. “Thanks to our generous donors, the Foundation is uniquely prepared to meet emerging needs in the coming months,” said Rossi.
Sources of support: Scores of individuals contributed to the fund as did the following businesses and private foundations:
Elias Foundation: “We enthusiastically support Westchester families in need at this difficult time. Philanthropic giving is more urgent than ever. We are all in this together.” Elias Foundation Board
Intercontinental Exchange: “Westchester County is home to an office of Intercontinental Exchange, as well as the home of many of our employees, their friends, and neighbors. As the community regularly gives so much to us, it felt entirely right that we should give back through a donation to the Westchester Community Foundation, which is doing so much right now for so many in need.”
Josh King, VP, Communications
JPMorgan Chase: “The COVID-19 crisis has affected our community in ways we never imagined. The Westchester Community Foundation is a wonderful organization that we have worked with for many years, so it was an easy decision for the Westchester Market Leadership Team to commit to an investment in the Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. The fund identifies the neighborhoods and organizations with the greatest needs, and with our support I’m proud to say that the Foundation will now be able to provide more relief to those that need it most.”
Ed Badillo, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
New York State Health Foundation: “The Westchester COVID-19 Response Fund will provide coordinated and timely support to meet the community’s emerging needs in this time of crisis. Most important, the fund places decision-making in local leaders who best know the region and are best positioned to deploy the right resources to meet such a critical moment.”
David Sandman, Ph.D., President & CEO
People’s United Community Foundation: “People’s United Bank and our Foundation are working diligently to ensure we remain a strong philanthropic partner during this time of uncertainty and working with our community partners to provide support to those who have been impacted by COVID-19 as efficiently and effectively as possible. The Westchester Community Foundation is well-positioned to address the impact of COVID-19 on our communities and help frontline nonprofits in responding to the most urgent needs of residents in Westchester County. We can’t thank our community partners enough for all they are doing to help those in need during this unprecedented time.”
Karen Galbo, Executive Director
Robert Martin Company: “Tomorrow’s cure for the coronavirus will come from science. The remedy for what ails us today is compassion, and as Coretta Scott King wisely noted, ‘The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.’ By supporting the Westchester COVID-19 Response Fund, we are taking direct action by helping to sustain a number of nonprofits delivering crucial services to our county’s most vulnerable populations, and we strongly encourage other business leaders to participate in this worthy cause.” Tim Jones, CEO
Saw Mill Capital LLC: “Westchester County has been our firm’s home for nearly 25 years. This crisis has devastated many families in our community with incredible speed and force. They need help they have never needed before. We wanted to help our neighbors, and in this unprecedented time we trusted the Westchester Community Foundation to direct our contributions to the people who need it most.”
Howard Unger, Managing Partner
The Standard Charitable Foundation: “It is imperative that companies do what we can to support individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses struggling through these unprecedented times. It will take all of us working together to ensure our communities weather this storm.” Greg Ness, President
About the Foundation
The Westchester Community Foundation connects generous people to the causes they care about and invests in transformative ideas and organizations to improve lives and strengthen our community. The Foundation is a division of The New York Community Trust. For more information, visit .wcf-ny.org.