Rapid Response Fund Grants Awarded to Date
The following $1,883,804 dollars in grants have been awarded as of May 15, 2020 to support the incredibly urgent needs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis in Ventura County. Many of these grants are made possible through the Ventura County Rapid Response Fund. Others are directly from VCCF donor-clients to help address gaps in our social safety net during this time. The funding for Future Leaders of America is to directly support the 805 UndocuFund COVID-19 and the thousands of undocumented and mixed-status families struggling at this time.
- Adelante Comunidad Conejo in the amount of $5,000 to provide food and other essentials to children in extreme poverty.
- Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation in the amount of $5,000 to provide low-income families with assistance, including food, rent, utilities, and broadband access.
- California Lutheran University in the amount of $5,300 to support vital education and legal support to over 2,000 nonprofit staff and Board members as they struggle to meet the demands on our community during COVID-19.
- Channel Islands YMCA – Ventura Family Branch in the amount of $10,000 to support childcare for healthcare workers at its Ventura and Camarillo locations.
- Conejo Valley Senior Concerns in the amount of $28,000 to meet the need of at-risk seniors by expanding the home-delivered meals and including grocery shopping and pharmacy delivery services as emergency wraparound services. The demand for these services has increased by 69% since the start of shelter-in-place.
- Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County in the amount of $95,000, with $25,000 to support their direct business advising program to help firms navigate through the economic slowdown and connect businesses with the full range of resources available, including low-cost capital. The additional $70,000 was awarded to help the Economic Development Collaborative support several thousand small business owners in our community as they grapple with some of the most serious economic conditions we’ve faced.
- FOOD Share in the amount of $210,000 to support the dramatic increase in food needs in Ventura County. This organization has been serving up to 15,000 new households per week since the shelter-in-place directive was issued.
- Future Leaders of America in the amount of $265,000, with $240,000 to provide financial assistance directly to undocumented families and $25,000 to help with staffing needs to facilitate applications. Over 7,000 undocumented families have applied to-date.
- Give An Hour in the amount of $25,000 to provide mental health and emotional wellness online support groups to hundreds in our community daily in both English and Spanish.
- Gold Coast Veterans Foundation in the amount of $21,000. This organization is working with homeless veterans in Ventura County to ensure that 50 veterans who have bene unsheltered receive housing at motels in Ventura County during COVID-19 crisis.
- Help of Ojai in the amount of $15,000 to support food delivery to seniors and provide a safe lunch program to homeless.
- Humane Society of the United States in the amount of $5,000 to help horses that are being given up and abandoned due to COVID-19.
- Interface Children and Family Services in the amount of $25,000 to support out community’s 211 help line, which received 4,162 calls/ texts requesting assistance in March alone! The calls being received are more complicated than other disasters and are often quite urgent. This demand represents an increase of over 200% of a “normal” month.
- Manna Conejo Valley Food Distribution Center in the amount of $11,000 to help provide food and basic essentials and help meet unprecedented demand.
- Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) in the amount of $40,000 for general operating support to assist with a robust outreach and education effort and to ensure the indigenous community have the resources they need during COVID-19.
- Nyland Promise in the amount of $5,000 to support the feeding of lunches to the poorest population in Ventura County.
- Project Understanding in the amount of $28,000 to provide basic assistance, including food and housing support, to individuals and families in order to prevent homelessness.
- Rescue Mission Alliance in the amount of $5,000 to support their critical work with homeless in Ventura County during COVID-19.
- Safe Passage Youth Foundation in the amount $10,050 to help feed daily meals to 380 children in our local community.
- Santa Barbara Foundation in the amount of $37,500 from a restricted grant for Santa Barbara to support nonprofits with emergency and basic needs.
- Spirit of Santa Paula in the amount of $28,000. As the only shelter for homeless individuals in the Santa Clara Valley, this organization is doing everything possible to serve these neighbors and keep them safe during this challenging time.
- Women’s Economic Venutres in the amount of $125,000 for a 1:1 matching grant to support the Quick Response Loan Fund for micro-businesses in Ventura County. These businesses are defined as those with fewer than 5 employees and less than $1 million in annual revenues, and generally do not qualify for SBA Disaster Recovery Loans.
- Southeast Ventura County YMCA in the amount of $145,000, with $120,000 to support over 450 Ventura County low-income families impacted by COVID-19 with direct financial assistance, with the remaining $25,000 to support the YMCA’s operations and case management support.
- Personal Protective Equipment for Hospitals in the amount of $734,954 for critical equipment for emergency medical workers.