Greene County emergency fund doles out nearly $30K in grants
An emergency fund set up to help Greene County nonprofits through the COVID-19 pandemic has released nearly $30,000 in grants to eight organizations.
The Greene County Emergency Response Fund was set up through a partnership between Community Foundation of Greene County (CFGC) and Greene County United Way last month.
On Thursday, fund organizers announced they were awarding $5,000 grants to Corner Cupboard Food Bank, Domestic Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Salvation Army and Washington Health System.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh will receive $3,500, while Teddy Bear Care Inc. and TRPIL received $500 each.
“Some of these grants are for the immediate needs. Some are recognizing that things are still going to be changing as we go through the next month or so,” said Bettie Stammerjohn, executive director of CFGC.
After a $50,000 donation from EQT earlier this month, the emergency fund had about $84,000 available for grants. Stammerjohn says while smaller donations continue to come in, there are local businesses preparing more substantial contributions.
“I have not received them yet,” Stammerjohn said.
The community foundation accepts donation through its website, cfgcpa.org. The website is also where organizations can submit grant proposals.
Who receives grants is decided by a committee that includes county Commissioner Mike Belding, community members, and representatives of United Way, Waynesburg University, Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation and EQT Foundation.
“It takes all of us to do it. So while the community foundation has been receiving most of the donations and holding the money … It’s not just the community foundation making those decisions,” Stammerjohn said. “We’re working with the United Way, the county and other funders. We understand what the needs are. We have different capacities. When we work together, we can make better decisions.”
Funds in the grant can only go toward nonprofits, but Stammerjohn said they recognize other businesses are also struggling. She said they are referring them to other sources of relief.
The committee reviews all grant applications submitted by 4 p.m. Monday on a weekly basis. Stammerjohn acknowledges the grants they award may not be substantial, but they can help the nonprofits continue to assist people in need during this crisis.
“It’s not a lot of money, in the grand scheme of things. The highest grants are $5,000. We understand that,” Stammerjohn said. “They’re not asking for the moon, just ‘help us get through the next couple of months.'”