The Greater Toledo Community Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund was designed to support immediate basic needs of economically vulnerable populations caused by closure and cancellations related to COVID-19, the elderly and other high-risk populations who are experiencing a COVID-19 impact, residents who are food insecure, residents who have no medical insurance or who are underinsured. The Community Resilience Fund was designed to address long-term recovery efforts of individuals and organizations as a result of the COVID outbreak.
Nonprofits are realizing ongoing and additional deficits as the region faces each new phase of the COVID pandemic. As a result, the scope of support in the Greater Toledo community continues to grow.
Grants Awarded from the COVID-19 Response Fund
Week 1 Grants Awarded on March 31, 2020 (Total of $51,508):
Adelante: to provide basic needs items like food, cleaning supplies and toiletries to residents who are primarily Spanish speaking.
Center of Hope Family Services: to provide basic needs items like food and cleaning supplies for youth and adult participants of their programs.
Children's Hunger Alliance: to provide shelf stable food supplies to children at locations that do not overlap with Toledo Public Schools distribution sites.
Home Non-profit Housing Corp.: to cover increased staff time at a site that serves 13 adult residents that are developmentally disabled, mentally ill or have a traumatic brain injury.
Salvation Army: to cover increased basic needs requests including supporting a food pantry, rental and utility assistance.
The Mareda Center: to provide basic needs items like food and cleaning supplies to approximately 50 low income families.
Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board: to coordinate and supply homeless service providers with basic needs items including sanitizing supplies, meals, hotel costs for quarantine stays and additional staff time needed to serve participants.
Week 2 Grants Awarded on April 6, 2020 (Total of $87,184):
Anne Grady Services: to purchase personal protective equipment for use by its staff when working with individuals they serve with intellectual disabilities.
Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties: to provide resources required to continue providing mental health counseling sessions.
East Toledo Family Center: to support provision of food and other basic needs items for up to 195 senior citizens.
Friendly Center: to partner with Food for Thought to provide meals to low-income residents of north Toledo.
The Leipsic Community Center: to provide food distribution services to low-income and elderly residents.
Monroe Street Neighborhood Center: to increase the amount of food it distributes through take-home bags.
National Church Residences: to provide personal protective equipment for its staff, as well as food and cleaning supplies to residents at multiple Toledo locations serving veterans and the elderly.
Toledo Streets Workforce Development Corporation: to support formerly homeless residents of Toledo.
United Way Fulton County: to serve up to 200 people with food provision and housing services.
Zepf Center: to support additional staff time to serve residents in a substance abuse program.
Week 3 Grants Approved on April 10, 2020 (Total of $61,450):
Bittersweet Farms: to purchase personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies to support services for residents with intellectual disabilities.
The Cocoon: to provide crisis support services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence by increasing staff time, providing communication devices and basic needs items.
Heartbeat of Toledo: to support additional costs for formula and diapers for clients.
Ohio Living: to support additional staff hours and personal protective equipment to continue to support elderly residents living in its northwest Ohio locations.
St. Martin de Porres – The Claver House: to support transitioning an in-person feeding program that serves the homeless, veterans and other adults to a grab-and-go system.
Sunshine Foundation: to purchase medical supplies and personal protective equipment.
United Way of Greater Toledo: to increase the hours of staff who operate the 211 service and manage data collection.
Week 4 Grants Approved on April 17, 2020 (Total of $62,000):
Connecting Kids to Meals: to provide food to families and children impacted by COVID-19.
Dundee Community Schools: to support the Backpack Brigade program.
Liberty Center of Sandusky County: to support increased food costs at a homeless shelter.
Luther Home of Mercy: to serve individuals with developmental disabilities through increased staff time and the provision of food supplies.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio: to support new expenses related to COVID-19 including hotel stays and increased staff costs.
Sofia Quintero Art & Cultural Center: to deliver meal kits to seniors in the Old South End of Toledo.
The Foundation of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo: to support the Islamic Food Bank of Toledo feeding programs which serve multiple organizations in northwest Ohio.
Week 5 Grants Approved on April 28, 2020 (Total of $44,126):
Brown Bag Food Project: to support emergency food, toiletries and other basic needs items for residents of Wood County.
Catholic Charities - Diocese of Toledo: to support increased costs at the Helping Hands food distribution site.
ComeUnity Cafe (Bistro 163): to support food distribution to low-income and elderly residents of Ottawa County.
Epilepsy Center of Northwest Ohio: to purchase personal protective equipment for use by its staff when working in the homes of clients with developmental disabilities.
Lutheran Social Services of Northwestern Ohio: to support its food pantry and distribution program in the Old West End.
St. Paul's Community Center: to support staff costs to serve residents transitioning out of the shelter.
University Church: to support increased costs of food distribution through the HUB program serving the Rogers High School area.
Vision Ministries: to support costs of food distribution in South Toledo.
YMCA of Greater Toledo: to support costs related to operating four licensed pandemic child care facilities and for food distribution activities.
Week 6 Grants Approved on May 4, 2020 (Total of $18,100):
Family & Child Abuse Prevention Center: to provide counseling services for victims of domestic violence and child abuse who do not currently have access to insurance.
Geary Family YMCA: to support the operation of a pandemic child care center in Fostoria.
Mosaic Ministries: to support a collaborative project utilizing locally owned restaurants to provide hygiene and food products to vulnerable populations in Toledo.
Week 7 Grants Approved on May 18, 2020 (Total of $26,280):
Advocating Opportunity: to support the distribution of basic needs items to residents recovering from human trafficking experiences.
Co. Mission Toledo: to support walk and drive-up food distribution pantries at four Toledo locations.
Ottawa County Family Advocacy Center: to support a summer feeding program for youth in Ottawa County.
Rescue Incorporated: to provide personal protective equipment and sanitizer to both clients and staff at a mental health services location.
US Together: to support basic needs provision targeted to the refugee population in Toledo.
Week 8 Grants Approved on May 26, 2020 (Total of $5,000):
Unity United Methodist Church/STARS: to support a drive-up food pantry serving East Toledo and Northwood.
Week 9 Grants Approved on June 3, 2020 (Total of $23,515):
A Renewed Mind: to deliver bags containing food, personal protective equipment and hygiene products to clients affected by substance abuse or a mental health diagnosis.
Cherry Street Mission Ministries: to support costs related to increased staff hours and expenses for cleaning supplies at the homeless shelter.
Monroe Street Neighborhood Center: to support the distribution of re-usable cloth masks to participants of the organization’s programming.
Week 10 Grants Approved on June 22, 2020 (Total of $23,400):
Children’s Rights Collaborative of Northwest Ohio: To initiate new operational procedures that would allow the organization to continue to facilitate parent visitations.
Toledo HearCare Connection: To support costs to transition service delivery to a mobile health clinic approach.
Mobile Meals of Toledo: To secure equipment that enables the organization to meet an increased demand for food service.
Week 11 Grants Approved on June 29, 2020 (Total of $33,145):
Leading Families Home: to assist in transitioning the organization’s administrative offices into additional bed space to accommodate the increased number of residents seeking shelter services in the wake of COVID 19.
Sylvania Area Family Services: to support the distribution of hygiene and personal care items to low-income families participating in their pantry program.
YWCA of Northwest Ohio: to support costs associated with hotel-quarantine stays for victims seeking service at their domestic violence shelter.
Week 12 Grants Approved on July 17, 2020 (Total of $15,000):
Friends of Lucas County Children Services: to distribute diapers and wipes to low-income parents.
Food for Thought Toledo: to provide food supplies to greater Toledo area residents.
Final Grants Approved on September 9, 2020 (Total of $58,714.17)
Bittersweet Farms: to install and maintain hand-washing stations.
Connecting Kids to Meals: to support the summer meals program.
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio: to provide reproductive health care to high-risk patients at the Toledo Health Center.
The Ridge Project: to support the distribution of basic needs items to families who have a member currently incarcerated.
Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board: to coordinate and supply homeless service providers with basic needs items including sanitizing supplies, meals, hotel costs for quarantine stays and additional staff time needed to serve participants.
Grants Awarded from the Community Resilience Fund
The Fund was created on May 27, 2020 and the first of three application deadline dates was July 15, 2020. The last application deadline for this fund was October 15, 2020. 100% of the dollars in this fund were distributed by year end.
Round 1 (July 15 application deadline) Grants Approved on September 9, 2020 (Total of $82,200)
Baby University: to strengthen virtual programming services offered to low-income parents in south and downtown Toledo.
PCs for People: to make computers and computer accessories accessible to low- and moderate-income families.
Prevent Blindness Ohio – Northwest Ohio Chapter: to launch a virtual training certification program for individuals that work with at-risk populations.
Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA): to transition to virtual live or recorded performances.
Valentine Theatre: to transition to virtual performances of featured artists and small group productions.
YWCA of Northwest Ohio: to implement a shared services model for child care centers.
Round 2 (August 30 application deadline) Grants Approved on October 15, 2020 (Total of $64,974)
Adelante – to upgrade the organization's communications system.
Anne Grady Services – to support an employment program for developmentally disabled participants.
Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio – to launch a collaborative approach to advanced care planning.
Team Recovery – to transition to a virtual approach to supporting family members of recovering addicts.
YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo – to support transitioning the Wayman Palmer location into a community hub.
Round 3 (October 15 application deadline) Grants Approved on December 14, 2020 (Total of $100,650)
• After-School All Stars – $15,000 was awarded to transition service delivery to residential locations through a partnership with Lucas Metropolitan Housing.
Arts Commission of Greater Toledo – $6,620 was awarded to support the capacity building project.
• Children’s Theatre Workshop - $9,000 was awarded to support collaboration programming among three theatrical companies designed to explore long-term partnerships in the sector.
• Girl Scouts of Western Ohio – $15,000 was awarded to support the technology upgrades needed to offer programming in a virtual format.
• Lutheran Social Services of Northwest Ohio – $14,030 was awarded to support technology costs required to transition to a telehealth service delivery for mental health programming.
• Toledo Opera – $15,000 was awarded to support the transition from large theatrical productions to a small-scale troupe model utilizing resident artists.
• Toledo Repertoire Company dba Toledo Repertoire Theater – $11,000 was awarded to support a collaboration with two other performing arts groups to transition to virtual performances.
• Water for Ishmael – $15,000 was awarded to support the American School for Women program.