On October 17, 2020, the Community Foundation of Nantucket announced that they had awarded over $1 Million dollars to the Nantucket community since the Nantucket Fund for Emergency Relief’s inception on March 17th, 2020. Two months later, on December 11th, they announced that they have awarded an additional $1 Million in Phase III Emergency Relief grants. To date, over $2 Million in COVID -19 Relief grants have been given to 33 Island nonprofits, benefiting the entire Nantucket community. They say that the outpouring of donor support was remarkable; this fund alone has received over 350 individual donations in the past 8 months.

From their newsletter on December 11th, the Community Foundation of Nantucket writes, “Last month, we introduced Phase III unrestricted grants. The goal was to help nonprofits recover some of the revenue lost due to COVID -19 pandemic.

‘Many nonprofit organizations were incredibly creative this spring and summer, yet restrictions on programming and gatherings impacted Island organizations significantly,’ said Geoff Verney, CFN Board President. ‘I am so proud of the CFN board and staff for their tireless work to thoroughly vet and review so many applications promptly’.

Past phases of the Emergency Relief grant program supported critical human service organizations that were actively responding to the pandemic. Through these Phase III grants, the Foundation has supported local nonprofits in all sectors, broadening the impact of our donor funds.

‘Most of our local nonprofits experienced significant losses due to COVID-19, especially in the areas of education, childcare and arts/culture. Despite some effective virtual fund-raising this summer, which helped offset a portion of revenue losses due to program closures, we know that all nonprofits will rely on philanthropy more this year than ever before. It is our hope that this recent $1million in unrestricted Phase III grants to our nonprofit community will make a difference,’ said Margaretta Andrews, Executive Director.

‘We are so very grateful to the donors who have supported our efforts through this fund. Awarding $2 million dollars to the Island community in just eight months is a major milestone for us as an organization. As this crisis continues to impact Nantucket, the importance of the Nantucket Fund for Emergency Relief is clear. Our grantmaking has become and will continue to be a vital resource for our year-round community,’ said Verney.”

The goal of this fund is to sustain critical care and services during this pandemic. Examples include:

• Access to Food and Nutrition Services
• Housing Related Support
• Behavioral Health and Addiction Services
• Access to Healthcare for our Island’s vulnerable populations
• Essential services for our Elder community
• Groups or agencies who provide critical services to our community who are unable to do so due to mandated closures
• Reimbursements for organizations participating in the Nantucket Fund for Emergency Relief Food Initiative