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Our Fund Foundation’s COVID-19 Resilience Fund Raised $310,000
Provides Immediate Assistance for South Florida’s LGBTQ+ Community
Emergency Fundraising Initiative Surpassed Goal in Less Than Two Weeks
WILTON MANORS (April 14, 2020) – Our Fund Foundation recently launched the Our Fund Resilience Fund, an emergency fundraising initiative to provide critical aid to LGBTQ+ nonprofit agencies in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties whose operations have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Fund Foundation, which serves as South Florida’s only LGBTQ+ community foundation, pledged $150,000 from its board-restricted fund as a 1:1 match to galvanize donors, the first time in the non-profit’s almost decade-long history to do so.
The LGBTQ+ community stepped up as it always has in a time of need, raising more than $310,000 in less than two weeks, surpassing the fundraising goal of $300,000. All monies raised will be distributed immediately to LGBTQ+ agencies throughout the tri-county area at this critical time to support immediate essential needs while also positioning them to have the greatest impact in the future.
“I’m extremely proud of Our Fund’s board of directors who’ve worked tirelessly to execute an effective campaign and most importantly, for the overwhelming generosity from those who contributed to the Resilience Fund,” said David Jobin, president and CEO of Our Fund Foundation. “All non-profit agencies receiving financial assistance from this rapid response grant have been a previous beneficiary of Our Fund so have gone through the rigorous application process and were thoroughly vetted by the grant review committee.”
The Coronavirus pandemic and related economic shutdowns present unprecedented challenges and threaten to overwhelm the capacity of critical LGBTQ+ community nonprofits in South Florida, posing near- and long-term financial hardship.
“As we struggle to serve thousands of our South Florida neighbors in need, under conditions unimagined only six months ago, it’s groups like Our Fund Foundation who already know us and what we do, who have stepped up to allow us to serve all who come to us. Make no mistake, without this philanthropy, our 33-year history faced an uncertain future and many more of our neighbors would be hungry, just when they needed us most,” said Thomas Pietrogallo CEO of The Poverello Center.
The Our Fund Resilience Fund is providing emergency aid to 27 local community agencies, with varying levels of financial support between $5,000 to $25,000.
These deserving non-profits include:
The Poverello Center
Broward House
Pride Center at Equality Park
SunServe
Latinos Salud
Legal Aid
Sunshine Cathedral
Compass Community Center
Equality Florida
Freedom Fund
Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida
Island City Stage
Lambda Living
OUTShine Film Festival
Pet Project for Pets
SAVE
SmartRide
South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble
Stonewall National Museum & Archives
World AIDS Museum
YES Institute
Church of the Holy Spirit Song
Humanity Project
Red Hispana
Thinking Cap Theatre
Thou Art Woman
Transinclusive Group
“Jewish Community Services has been working tirelessly to provide services to our clients during this time of crisis, but especially to our LGBTQ+ seniors who are at greatest risk of depression, isolation and increased health concerns. JCS is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of these vulnerable clients,” said Cindy Brown, program manager for the Lambda Living Program. “JCS has created a virtual program to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ seniors in social isolation, although the classes are open to all seniors in the community. The grant from Our Fund allows for the expansion of the Lambda Living Online classes as well as assisting our LGBTQ+ seniors who experience food insufficiency by purchasing gift cards for groceries and other essentials. The generosity of Our Fund is enabling us to address the crisis at hand while still providing stellar service to our clients.”
Our Fund’s Resilience Fund provides both immediate relief and long-term recovery.
- Immediate Relief: Our Fund’s Resilience Fund will prioritize and deploy resources to support nonprofit agencies that provide community safety nets and have strong experience working with the immediate needs of LGBTQ+ communities made most vulnerable by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Long-term Recovery: Our Fund will also support the financial stability of South Florida nonprofit agencies whose operations and revenue have been severely impacted by COVID-19.
Even as the initial fundraising goal has been met, donations still are gratefully being accepted and distributed, please visit www.our-fund.org/response/
Established in 2011, Our Fund Foundation has grown into the third largest LGBT foundation in the nation. As South Florida’s only LGBT community foundation, Our Fund promotes a culture of philanthropy by uniting donors with organizations advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and supporting causes within the LGBT community. For more information on Our Fund Foundation, visit our-fund.org or call 954-565-1090.
