Nearly $6.5 million raised through COVID-19 Response Fund, benefiting 200+ nonprofits

When the pandemic began wreaking havoc on our community last year, elected officials knew they could count on the San Antonio Area Foundation to serve as the command center for an effective philanthropic campaign to quickly help those amongst us most in need.

A new digital publication, COVID-19 Community Response Impact Report, details the role the Area Foundation played in swiftly and efficiently setting up and managing a sustained emergency assistance program which raised nearly $6.5 million and saved more than 200 local nonprofits from the brink.

“It is impossible to fully capture the awe-inspiring spirit of generosity and compassion that motivated donors and nonprofit workers throughout this past year,” said Marjie French, CEO of the Area Foundation. “Our gratitude goes to our founding partners and the thousands of other nonprofit organizations, donors and leaders who came together to address our community’s needs.”

The groundbreaking new report details the Area Foundation’s rapid mobilization in taking the lead on the philanthropic aspect of the community response to the pandemic. Even before the emergency fund was set up, the Area Foundation was hard at work working the phones to identify top immediate needs.

That hustle proved fruitful. The same day the COVID-19 Response Fund was set up, 10 grants went out to help front-line workers with childcare. An additional 30 grants were awarded one week later.

The new Area Foundation report offers a deep-dive into the numbers and the community impact behind the numbers – more than $1.3 million to nonprofits in the social service sector, $1.2 million to medical support and $1.1 million to childcare, among various other areas.

The report features various nonprofit grant recipients and just how much emergency grants helped them get back up after the pandemic had knocked them down.

“It was a great opportunity to provide meals to people in need while at the same time doing our part to provide jobs by keeping those restaurant employees on the job,” said Gavin Rogers, Executive Director of Corazón Ministries. “It was a win-win.”

The Area Foundation did great work last year beyond the pandemic response. Check out our 2020 Annual Impact Report for details.