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The Community Emergency Needs Fund

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{slider=About}

The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and the United Way of Coastal Georgia opened the Community Emergency Needs Fund after Hurricane Irma brought high winds and flooding to the Golden Isles as a way to help our communities deal with the immediate aftermath and recovery efforts. The Fund pivoted in early 2020 to address emergent needs in response to the spreading Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by distributing grants to local non-profits working to help those in crisis.

The Community Emergency Needs Fund has remained a flexible resource able to respond to the emergent needs of the residents of Coastal Georgia who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the economic and public health consequences of this outbreak.

Charitable grants fund agencies in our community with strong experience in providing basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, water, prescriptions/healthcare, and transportation to work and medical care. The Fund is designed to complement the work of local public health, nonprofit, and government entities, and to expand local capacity to support individuals and families experiencing hardship because of the COVID-19 outbreak and related closures and disruptions.

For more information, please contact:


Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation
info@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org 

Justin Callaway, President & CEO
United Way of Coastal Georgia
justin@uwcga.org 

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{slider=How to Donate}

Donate online: Please see our Donation page for more information. 

Donate by check: Make checks payable to the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and indicate that your gift should be directed to the Community Emergency Needs Fund. Mail checks to: The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, Attn: Ellen Post, 1316 Newcastle St., Suite 201, Brunswick, GA 31520

CCGF can facilitate other types of donations, including donations from Donor Advised Funds and stock transfers. For questions about making a charitable donation, please contact Ellen Post at epost@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org.

If your business or company would like to join the collaboration and provide a corporate gift, please email Ellen Post at epost@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org.

CCGF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity and all donations to the Fund are tax deductible as allowed by law.

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{slider=Organizations Seeking Grants from the Needs Fund}

To deploy resources rapidly, we will not be posting a grant application. We will instead work together with community advisors and funders to identify organizations currently providing types of support to area residents that are aligned with the priorities of the Fund to expand available resources and relief. 

For questions regarding the Community Emergency Needs Fund, and how grant funds will be deployed, please email Ellen Post, epost@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org or Janelle Harvey janelle@uwcga.org. 

Ellen Post
Grants & Gifts Manager
Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation

Janelle Harvey
Community Impact Manager
United Way of Coastal Georgia

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{slider=Grantees}

Current list of Recipients: 

America’s Second Harvest – Providing community-wide food distribution events and increased food distribution to partner agencies.
Faithworks Ministry – Providing food distribution at the Sparrow’s Nest and maintaining the Well for the homeless.
Golden Isles YMCA - Providing childcare for the children of essential workers who don’t have the option of working from home and require childcare (healthcare workers, first responders, DFCS, Gateway).
Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Georgia– Food distribution of snack and dinner to area children.
Salvation Army - Extended their capacity to shelter clients by resourcing their chapel into a temporary shelter to accept 20 additional clients.
Safe Harbor Street Outreach - Providing homeless assistance with hotel/motel vouchers, transportation, and food distribution.

Safe Harbor-Coordinated Entry Systems
Coastal Community Health Services - Providing financial assistance for fees, copays, and medication for those who have lost insurance due to unemployment, as well as extending their capacity for drive-thru COVID-19 testing.
Communities in Schools – Food distribution for families that have no access to transportation. Distributing donated computers to students without access to a computer in the home.
Coastal Outreach Academies - Food distribution for families that have no access to transportation. Distributing donated computers to students without access to a computer in the home.
MorningStar Children and Family Services – Providing telehealth counseling sessions. Continuing to provide residential care to students.
Darien United Methodist Church – Providing weekly food delivery to elderly and at-risk individuals in McIntosh County.
St. Andrews and St. Cyprians Episcopal Churches – Food distribution and financial assistance for rent and utilities for McIntosh residents.
House of Hope – Providing residential care for girls that are victims of human trafficking.
Grace House – Providing residential care and treatment to women recovering from addiction.

Family Connections-Coastal Georgia Community Action Authority

Coastal Coalition for Children

Camden Community Crisis Center

Centered for Life

Coastal Counseling Center

St. Simons Presbyterian Church

STAR Foundation

Hospice of the Golden Isles

Ravens of Elijah Food Ministries

Glynn Community Crisis Center

American Red Cross

St. Marys Salvation Army

Saved By Grace

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{slider=Impact Assessment Tool for Nonprofits}

As our communities work together to eradicate COVID-19,  the Community Foundation and United Way are often asked how we determine which organizations are eligible for funding.

Here’s what you need to know about  :


• Any 501(c)(3) organization doing business Coastal Georgia is eligible to complete the survey.


• Organizations (preferably executive directors) can complete a survey at any time. Logging in from the same computer and browser they used to initially complete the survey, they can update their information as situations develop. Be sure to update the date on your survey as you adjust your answers.


• If you’d prefer to skip a specific question, you may do so.


• It is very important to note that every organization’s information will be listed publicly. Any question can be left blank if the organization doesn’t want it to be public information.


• Results will be posted in Excel, sorted alphabetically by Organization Name. They can be downloaded and resorted by the Organization’s City and/or Organization Type.

Click here to complete the survey.

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{slider=Media Inquiries}

Media Inquiries


Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation
info@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org 

Justin Callaway
President and CEO
United Way of the Coastal Georgia
justin@uwcga.org

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Frequently Asked Questions

{slider=I’m an individual who’s been affected by Coronavirus. Can this Fund help me?}

We understand many individuals and families have already been affected by the outbreak and more will continue to be affected. On behalf of the Fund’s partners, the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and the United Way of Coastal Georgia are working to move resources to community-based organizations that are directly supporting residents and families who are most affected by emerging health, economic, and social impacts.

While the Fund is not able to provide grants to individuals, it is funding community-based organizations that have the experience and history of providing people and families with services and support. We will work to update you on the organizations that have received grant funding. If you are looking for resources now, please call United Way of Coastal Georgia at 912-265-1850 for information about direct assistance organizations.

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{slider=My organization is interested in resources from this Fund. Can we be considered?}

We understand the coronavirus outbreak is impacting nonprofits in many ways, including increased demand for services, lost revenue due to closures and cancellations, as well as other challenges. We are working closely with the United Way of Coastal Georgia, local governments and community partners to ensure that the grants awarded meet the greatest needs in communities disproportionately impacted by coronavirus. To move resources quickly, we are not hosting a formal application process for the Fund at this time. You may complete this survey to make sure we are aware of your needs and can keep them in mind as the granting process progresses and needs become more clear.

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{slider=I want to donate. Can I restrict my funding to a prioritized grantee?}
To ensure we move resources as efficiently as possible and respond to the needs of communities most impacted, we are not able to restrict donations at this time. If an organization you normally support is involved in this work and you would like to continue that support, we encourage you to donate to them directly (see the next question).

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{slider=Should I give to this Fund instead of making other donations?}
This Fund is not meant to be the only vehicle for getting needed resources into the community, but to help facilitate getting more targeted resources into the community. This is a critical time for so many, including the nonprofit organizations who’ve benefited from your giving in the past, as well as those who’ve had to cancel their annual fundraising events or depend heavily on public gatherings. Please continue to give to organizations you regularly support, and those that need your help at this crucial time. Now is the time to double down for our community.

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{slider=What will NOT be included in the first phase of funding?}
We anticipate multiple phases of funding to address both the acute needs now and the longer-term impacts of the outbreak and recovery. In this first phase, we are prioritizing community-based organizations that are serving communities and individuals who are immediately and disproportionately suffering from this crisis. Our immediate focus areas include access to food; access to health care and prescription medications; access to transportation, and access to child care.

Based upon the charitable structure of the Community Emergency Needs Fund, our grants are limited to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, groups fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, or other charitable organizations able to receive a tax-deductible contribution, such as schools, faith-based organizations, and other public entities. We will do our best to use philanthropic resources to address needs that are outside of governmental responsibility, but we also appreciate that philanthropy can often act nimbly in a way that the government cannot.

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{slider=Is there a geographic area of focus for the Fund?}
The Needs Fund will prioritize grants to community-based organizations that serve the residents of McIntosh, Glynn, and Camden counties. We are doing this with a recognition that many nonprofits serve workers and residents in our neighboring counties.

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{slider=When will you share who you fund?}
We anticipate making a first round of grant funding in the coming weeks and will publish the list of selected grantees on the Foundation and United Way websites. We hope that this will help the community navigate available resources.

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