Today the Dane County COVID-19 Emergency Fund Committee announced 39 recipients of the first round of emergency relief funds. The initial $425,000 was targeted to address the immediate needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic such as medical, food, transportation, housing and financial hardships for organizations.
As the announcement was made via Facebook Live video, comments started pouring in. Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, which received $17,000 wrote, “We’re grateful for the support! Please accept our thanks on behalf of the families in shelter.”
Bayview Foundation Inc., which is a nonprofit supporting culturally diverse, low income families through affordable housing and cultural pride wrote, “We will use this funding to support more than 300 residents.”
In just one week the Dane County COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund raised a total of $1.1 million.
“If you work in nonprofits you know it typically does not go that fast,” Corinda Rainey-Moore said with a laugh.
The biggest grant, $25,000, was awarded to the Latino Consortium of Action which was paid by a directed donation. Nine of the recipients were awarded grants through director donors totaling $86,500.
Northside Planning Council & FEED Kitchens, Relief Fund for Hawthome Area and Nehemiah Community Development Corp received the next largest grants of $20,000 each.
In all, the fund received requests for $2.6 million in aid from nearly 90 organizations. The initial recipients received a total of $425,000 with grants ranging from $1,500 to $25,000.
The rest of the funds, $875,000, will be distributed by United Way of Dane County to address longer-term needs. United Way will start accepting proposals on Friday.
During the Facebook live event, committee members Dr. Sarah Gee, Dr. Nestor Rodriguez and Rainey-Moore stressed that the committee worked hard to distribute the grants equitably and to diverse organizations who are supporting diverse needs.
Rodriguez, chair of the committee and an emergency room physician, said he is inspired to see that people are coming together and trying to help in any way possible — even in times of unemployment, businesses shutting doors and uncertainty.
“As a physician working on the front lines of this pandemic I can tell you first hand the disease is real, the virus is spreading not only causing illness but human suffering, impacting the global economy and upending people’s lives,” Rodriguez said. “There are people out there who are suffering, sick and they are scared. And this is an important task that we wanted to address. Though this is an unprecedented situation and people are scared and the normal rules don’t apply, I’m inspired to see, as a physician, that people are coming together and that they are trying to help in any way possible and it is shown by this fund.”
Here is the full list of grants awarded:
| Organization | Funded Amount | Funding Priority |
| Basic Needs Fund by AKA | $5,000.00 | Financial Hardship & Food |
| Grandparents Raising Their Children’s Children | $2,500.00 | Food, Financial Hardship, Transportation |
| Greater Madison Resource Center | $15,000.00 | Financial Hardship for Individual Families |
| United Way of Walworth County | $15,000.00 | Financial Hardship for Families in Walworth Co. |
| Latino Consortium for Action | $25,000.00 | Financial Hardship for Latino Families |
| End Time Ministries International | $1,500.00 | Financial Hardship |
| Little John’s | $2,500.00 | Kids/Youth, Disabled, Seniors, Food |
| Lighthouse Church Madison | $10,000.00 | Kids/Youth, Food, Financial Hardship |
| Mt. Zion Baptist Church | $10,000.00 | Financial Hardship |
| NPC & FEED Kitchens | $20,000.00 | Food |
| Bayview Foundation | $10,000.00 | Food, Financial Hardship, Medical |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County | $10,000.00 | Kids/Youth, Financial Hardship |
| Center for Educational Opportunities – UW Madison | $10,000.00 | College Students, Food, Housing |
| Colonial Club, Inc. | $5,000.00 | Seniors, Food |
| DAIS | $17,000.00 | Shelters |
| Deerfield Community Center & Food Pantry | $4,000.00 | Disabled, Seniors, Food |
| Foster of Dane Co. | $10,000.00 | Food, Health/Safety Supplies, Financial Hardship |
| Freedom, Inc. | $10,000.00 | Medical, Food, Housing |
| Independent Living Evening Meals on Wheels | $10,000.00 | Seniors, Food |
| Irwin A. and Robert D. Goodman Community Center | $5,000.00 | Food |
| Luke House Community Meal Program | $10,000.00 | Food |
| Lussier Community Education Center | $5,000.00 | Kids, Seniors, Food |
| Madison Alliance for Black Economic Empowerment | $5,000.00 | Financial Hardship |
| Madison Area Technical College Foundation | $6,000.00 | College Students, Food, Housing |
| Relief Fund for Hawthorne Area | $20,000.00 | Financial Hardship for Latino Families |
| Nehemiah Community Development Corp | $20,000.00 | Food, Financial Hardship |
| Outreach Inc. | $10,000.00 | Food, Housing, Transportation, Fiancial Hardship |
| Porchlight Inc. | $17,000.00 | Medical, Food, Housing, Transportation, Financial Hardship |
| Project Home Inc. | $15,000.00 | Food, Housing, Transportation, Fiancial Hardship |
| Rape Crisis Center | $4,500.00 | Kids/Youth, Financial Hardship |
| Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin | $5,000.00 | Food, Financial Hardship |
| Southeast Asian Healing Center | $10,000.00 | Medical, Food, Housing, Transportation, Financial Hardship |
| Sunshine Place Inc. | $15,000.00 | Food, Housing, Transportation, Fiancial Hardship |
| The Hmong Institute | $10,000.00 | Medical, Food, Transportation, Financial Hardship |
| Today Not Tomorrow Inc. | $18,000.00 | Medical, Transportation, Financial Hardship |
| Urban Triage, Inc. w/ Atonye Marsh | $17,000.00 | Medical, Food, Housing, Tranportation, Financial Hardship |
| Vera Court Neighborhood Inc. | $20,000.00 | Meddical, Food, Financial Hardship |
| YMCA of Dane Co. | $10,000.00 | Food |
| YWCA Madison | $10,000.00 | Food, Housing, Financial Hardship |
| TOTAL: | $425,000.00 |
To apply for the next cycle of funds through Dane County COVID-19 Emergency Fund click here.
