Please note we are currently not taking requests from non-profits for this Fund, this is a request for partnership on this fund to enable us to fund more organisations.
Updated on 27th march 2020: The Community Foundation for Ireland has started a Covid-19 Fund to direct philanthropic support towards community and voluntary sector organisations in Ireland which are supporting vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, homeless and those with respiratory issues, in the escalating Covid-19 situation. The Fund was commenced with some of our own grant monies and a number of donors have already pledged their support to The Fund, which already exceeds €550,000.
Many charitable organisations are under pressure to deliver their vital services. We have spoken to a number of organisations already and are currently undertaking an online survey amongst community and voluntary sector groups to determine what they need now and how philanthropic funds could be best spent. Each organisation we have been in contact with is responding to the increased demands in some way; including the need to ramp up their IT services to deliver services remotely, the need to communicate effectively and regularly with their clients (many of whom are vulnerable or elderly), as well as facing a total funding collapse due to the inability to hold regular or annual fundraising events and reliance on older volunteers who are at increased risk.
With the growing concern of the impact of Covid-19 on such vulnerable groups, we intend that the Covid-19 Fund will provide grant support to assist in areas such as providing health information and support services, as well as helping the non profit organisations deal with the sharp spike in demand for their programmes and services.
To give you an insight into the kind of work which the Covid-19 Fund will support; the first grant of €20,000 from The Community Foundation for Ireland Covid-19 Fund was paid out on to the Asthma Society on March 13th to support the following immediate needs:
- Funding to support 100 extra Adviceline nurse appointments on the Asthma Society’s Joint Asthma and COPD Adviceline which has been inundated with calls since Irish cases of COVID-19 were announced in Ireland. The levels of patient anxiety are very high and the Asthma Society has been receiving very distressed calls and messages from patients who are deeply concerned about how to manage their chronic illness and how to support themselves and their families to prevent hospitalisations and serious risks to their health.
- Investment in emergency IT infrastructure; without which the Asthma Society would have to curtail their work
- Awareness Building about Managing asthma and COPD during COVID-19 – with a particular focus on reaching the estimated 380,000 people with asthma and 500,000 with COPD: a major effort is required to reach the broader public (who are often unaware of the available supports) outside of those already subscribing to the Asthma Society’s networks.
The Community Foundation for Ireland would welcome donations from any individual, family or company to our Covid-19 Fund in support of our vulnerable communities. We will keep you informed of the grants made from the fund and the impact of your giving during this time. If you require any additional information please reach out to Hazel Hennessy at hhennessy@foundation.ie