Sarah Bush Lincoln received $125,000 from The Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (ICRF) in its fourth and largest round of funding for non-profit organizations across the State.
The announcement was made Thursday as it distributed an additional $6.95 million to 42 nonprofit organizations across the state. The Fund, which was established by the United Way of Illinois and the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations in collaboration with the Office of the Governor, focused this round of funding on serving the state’s most vulnerable populations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Foundation Director Amy Card explained that the relief funds will help the Health Center provide all the additional items needed to provide care during the pandemic. Included in the expenses is additional personal protective equipment, construction of reverse air flow rooms for COVID-19 patients, a surge in Peace Meal services, Covid-19 screening facilities available for anyone across East Central Illinois who wishes to be tested, and much more.
“We are so pleased to be selected for this grant opportunity. These funds will help defray the cost of keeping our patients and employees safe, while working through the pandemic. It allows us to continue to focus our available funds to care for the community. We are terribly grateful for this gift,” Card said.
With this most recent round, the ICRF has made grants of $23.65 million to 87 unique organizations, which have regranted to more than 800 organizations across the state. The Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund, chaired by former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, will continue with its fifth and final round of grantmaking to nonprofits across the state to help Illinoisans in response to this crisis.
“This crisis has decimated far too many families and especially among our most vulnerable communities,” said Penny Pritzker, chairman of PSP Partners. “In this round of funding, we have used data to prioritize and target our most vulnerable fellow Illinoisans who have borne the disproportionate and tragic share of impact from this terrible pandemic.”
As ICRF moved into its fourth round of funding, the Fund took a data-driven approach to identify the populations facing a disproportionate share of the burden from this pandemic. ICRF focused this round of funding on these most vulnerable populations: African Americans, Latinx, Undocumented, rural impacted, and seniors. Today, ICRF awarded $4.5 million to these priority populations and $2.45 million to serve additional populations especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
Given that the needs of these vulnerable populations differ, the ICRF grantmaking team came up with unique solutions to serve the given populations – for example, ICRF is providing $1.35 million for a statewide coalition of Urban Leagues, primarily serving African Americans with basic needs assistance and COVID-19 support.
“This incredible effort is made possible by the more than 3,100 donors willing to give to their neighbors in these trying times – and more so, by the vast network of nonprofits and volunteers who are on the ground serving families and helping them stay on their feet,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This pandemic has brought so much hardship to so many, particularly in our most vulnerable communities – but through it all, the people of Illinois prove themselves to be the kindest and most generous in the nation.”