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He said a committee has been meeting almost daily to review applications and so far $379,000 has been awarded to more than 25 agencies in the county.
Grants have been made to support local food pantries, provide medical supplies, pay for medical services, provide rent and housing assistance, make needed home repairs, provide cleaning supplies, diapers and other household necessities and support telehealth services, he said.
The grant amounts have ranged from $3,500 to $35,000 and have included agencies such as Community Health Alliance, Fairfield Food Pantry, Boys and Girls Clubs of Hamilton and West Chester, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul and SELF.
Guidugli said the grants support “extraordinary needs” created by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Middletown Community Foundation has surpassed its original campaign goal, said Traci Barnett, executive director.
She said the Coronavirus Emergency Fund (CEF) has generated $106,000 and its goal was $100,000. The board of trustees established the fund in March to provide grants to area nonprofits helping individuals and families adversely effected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Barnett said.
The trustees allocated an initial $50,000 for the Coronavirus Emergency Fund and over the last two months the MCF sought donations from the community, raising an additional $56,000 so far, she said.
She gave “special thanks” to Talbott Moon and his insurance agency Moon & Adrion for nominating MCF for a grant from Westfield. The $15,000 grant put the Coronavirus Emergency Fund over its goal, she said.
Barnett said nearly 100 community members contributed to the Coronavirus Emergency Fund.
Patti Gage, president of the Board of Trustees, said the foundation has provided funding to 11 area nonprofits totaling $65,500. She called the needs “immediate and diverse” with a wide array of services being provided by local organizations to lessen the impact of COVID-19.
Barnett said the campaign to raise funds for the CEF will continue indefinitely in hopes of keeping up with the many grant requests received on a regular basis.
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The Fairfield Community Foundation has raised about $13,000 and awarded four grants totalling $10,000, according to Linda Yarger, president.
In March, the foundation launched a program to assist non-profit organizations serving the Fairfield area and dealing with the effects of COVID-19.
She said the Grant Committee reviewed more than 20 grant applications and four grants were awarded to organizations that could provide “immediate impact and had a proven track record of meeting the needs” of the community.
In the last 24 years, the Oxford Community Foundation has awarded more than $4 million in scholarships and community grants.
The foundation has announced it has received its largest grant in its history that nearly matches what it has awarded since it was established.
The Open Space Preservation Fund has been established at the foundation with a gift of $3.5 million. The gift was received though a trust established by Dr. Kenneth M. Buerk, who died in January, according to Betsy Hope, executive director of the foundation.
Dr. Buerk had a passion to preserve local agricultural land, water resources and sensitive ecosystems, said his sister-in-law Dr. Ellen P. Buerk.
He had planned the gift with his attorney and Oxford Community Foundation officials in 2011 and wished it to remain anonymous until his passing, Hope said.
She said the fund will support the Three Valley Conservation Trust (T.V.C.T.) and/or other nonprofit organizations with similar goals. These include promoting responsible development while preventing the loss of prime farmland, water resources, and sensitive ecosystems; leading by building partnerships with landowners and local communities that respect property rights and agricultural conservation values; providing tools to help landowners retain control of their land and preserve the rich farm and rural heritage and economy the Oxford region, and negotiating land conservation agreements, she said.
Hope said the fund is not to be used for the purchase of land.
“To keep the beauty of our area intact and safe from excess development is truly a gift to us all,” Hope said.
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The following nonprofits received grants from the Middletown Community Foundation Coronavirus Emergency Fund:
$20,000: Downtown Middletown Inc. for rent and utility assistance to 36 struggling Middletown businesses.
$10,000: Salvation Army for the food pantry and utility bill assistance to those in need.
$8,000: Atrium Medical Center Foundation for a Rapid Testing Device for COVID-19.
$5,000: Great Miami YMCA to assist with operating costs of daycare for children of first responders.
$5,000: Madison Local Schools for technology assistance to help students virtually connect to their schools.
$5,000: Middletown City Schools to deploy laptops to the neediest K-12 students to enable virtual connection to their schools.
$4,000: Ohio Restaurant Association Education Foundation to help unemployed area restaurant employees pay for utilities, rent, food and gas – recipients must live within MCF’s service area of Franklin, Madison, Middletown, Monroe and Trenton.
$3,000: Grace Baptist Church for the Enabled Food Pantry.
$3,000: Feed the Hungry for distributing food in Middletown.
$2,000: Parachute CASA to provide volunteers with online capabilities to remotely serve the children in their client base.
$500: Hope House for cleaning and disinfecting supplies and PPE.
SOURCE: Middletown Community Foundation
Contributions to the Coronavirus Emergency Fund should be made payable to the Middletown Community Foundation, 300 N. Main Street, Suite 300, Middletown, OH 45042. Indicate CEF in the memo portion of the check.
The Fairfield Community Foundation/Community Assistance Fund recently awarded four grants:
$3,000: Fairfield Food Pantry to meet the growing need for food by those who were laid off and those already at risk.
$3,000: Serve City to assist in its efforts to help homeless families and individuals move from congregate shelters to its own unit during the shelter in place order.
$3,000: Hannah’s Treasure Chest to help provide essential needs for children affected by COVID-19 including, food, shelter, shoes, clothing and basic care items.
$1,000: YWCA to help provide those being sheltered from domestic violence with PPE, cleaning supplies, additional staff, and food assistance during the quarantine.
SOURCE: Fairfield Community Foundation
Contributions to this fund can be made through the foundation’s web site or sending a check to the Fairfield Community Foundation, 6355 Pleasant Ave., Fairfield,
Here are the grants that were distributed by the Hamilton Community Foundation:
$35,000: Princeton Pike Church of God
$25,000: Hamilton Salvation Army
$25,000: Community First Solutions
$25,000: People Working Cooperatively Inc.
$25,000: SELF
$25,000: St. Vincent de Paul Hamilton
$25,000: Primary Health Solutions
$20,000: Easter Seals
$20,000: Neighborhood Housing Services Hamilton
$20,000: New Life Mission
$15,000: Open Door Food Pantry
$15,000: Community Health Alliance
$10,000: St. Joseph Orphanage
$10,000: Emergency Money Fund of Hamilton
$10,000: Women Helping Women
$10,000: Fairfield Food Pantry
$10,000: Boys and Girls Club Hamilton
$10,000: Boys and Girls Club West Chester/Liberty
$10,000: Lighthouse Food Pantry
$7,500: Military Veterans Resource Center
$6,000: Butler County Educational Service Center
$5,000: Village Food Pantry
$5,000: Caring Partners International
$4,500: Hamilton Young People Empowered
$3,500: Sanctuary Covenant Christian Fellowship
$2,500: Hamilton Dream Center
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