United Way Launches COVID-19 Response Fund With $1.2M From Partners

Texas Instruments Foundation, Bank of America, McKesson Foundation, Perot Foundation, Wells Fargo and Hoblitzelle Foundation are among corporate partners making an initial seed fund commitment.

The grant application process launches March 23.

The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and six of its top corporate partners have launched a fund aimed at tackling both urgent and long-term needs in North Texas created by the COVID-19 crisis, and thanks to corporate partners, it has $1.2 million to kick off the effort.

Called the United Way Metropolitan Dallas Coronavirus Response and Recover Fund, the effort has received initial seed funding commitments of $250,000 each from its partners Texas Instruments Foundation, Bank of America, McKesson Foundation, and Perot Foundation. Wells Fargo and Hoblitzelle Foundation donated $100,000, and United Way said that additional contributions from individuals, philanthropic and corporate partners are expected.

It said that funds raised will fuel immediate and long-term relief to the region’s most vulnerable neighbors, United Way said.

The grant application process will launch on March 23

The proceeds raised for the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund will go directly to community-based organizations assisting those most impacted by this pandemic.

United Way said it will launch an application and vetting process on March 23, prioritizing the greatest needs and engaging funders along with corporate and community partners to review and make funding recommendations.

United Way said it is working with community leaders, including the Dallas County Health Department, funders, school districts, and local service providers to identify resource and service gaps so that planning for long-term recovery can begin, the organization told Dallas Innovates.


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United Way said that it is uniquely positioned to analyze immediate needs and connect resources quickly so that they will make the greatest impact. Its team of seasoned professionals has a pulse on the community through deep relationships with more than 180 service providers and community partners.

“North Texas has a history of coming together to take care of one another, overcoming many difficult situations over the years including natural disasters, man-made disasters, and economic emergencies– but nothing quite like the health and economic crisis we face today,” Jennifer Sampson, McDermott-Templeton president and CEO, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, said in a statement.

Sampson invites individuals and corporations to join United Way in the effort to address the “immediate and urgent needs of North Texans as well as long-term challenges that will affect education, income, and health across our community.”

Because, as Sampson puts it, “Even as we confront uncertainty and volatility, together we will live united to lend support and emerge stronger than before.”

The United Way fund will address critical needs in Dallas-Fort Worth

United Way told Dallas Innovates that the populations it serves are the most vulnerable to economic downturns and health crises. It said the fund will address current community impact concerns including:

• Shortage of supplies to meet basic health and safety needs (paper goods, hand sanitizer, cleaning products and potentially food).

• Extended closures of school, childcare, and after-school programs, impacting children’s access to breakfast and lunch programs and parents’ ability to work.

• Immediate economic impact for many workers, particularly in the service, retail and travel industries.

United Way said that it’s gathering and compiling data from front-line service providers and will determine immediate needs and projections for mid- and long-term challenges.

 “Our communities need our help now more than ever. These grants will directly help many families and individuals whose lives are being severely disrupted by these uncertain times,” said Andy Smith, executive director of the TI Foundation, one of the initial seed fund donors. 


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