CVCF Announces COVID-19 Grant Recipients
The Comox Valley Community Foundation is pleased to announce that it will immediately distribute $102,000 in the form of grants to 13 organizations to assist with the community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Launched on March 25, the CVCF’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants are intended to offer resources for the community where they are needed most, with a focus on access to food, shelter, supplies and care for our community’s most vulnerable.
“The CVCF has committed $145,000 of its own funds, and we have been the very fortunate recipients of an additional $47,000 in grant-in-aid from the Comox Valley Regional District, $8,000 from the Rotary Club of Courtenay, and over $20,000 in private donations thus far,” said Matt Beckett, President of the Comox Valley Community Foundation.
“We have attempted to address immediate need with this first round of grants, but we also know that recovery from this crisis will be lengthy, thus we have held half of the funds we currently have available for additional grants in the months to come,” Beckett added.
Recipients of the initial $102,000 include:
| Organization | Project Description | Amount |
| Boys & Girls Club of Central Vancouver Island | Virtual online support groups for youth | $4,000 |
| Comox Valley Child Development Association | Emergency Autism Support program – one-to-one programming for families needing support | $10,000 |
| Comox Valley Family Services | Emergency Support for Vulnerable Families – infant supplies, school supplies for low-income families | $11,000 |
| Comox Valley Food Bank | Putting Children First – bags of child-oriented food | $5,000 |
| Comox Valley Transition Society | Food for Mothers & Children – purchase of grocery store gift cards | $5,000 |
| Courtenay Elementary School | Back Packs to Go – back packs refilled with paper-based school lessons & food | $6,000 |
| Cumberland Community Schools Society | Cumberland Food Share program, consisting of healthy food boxes and a food shed | $10,000 |
| Denman Community Education Society | Safety Net: Local COVID-19 Response – access to food, showers, washer/dryer and internet for local unsheltered population | $2,000 |
| Hornby Island Education Society | Sanitizer/dishwasher for Community Kitchen program | $3,000 |
| John Howard Society of North Island | Emergency Food Funds for Youth – purchase of food gift cards for youth | $1,500 |
| Living Hope Church/Coalition to End Homelessness | Housing & support for the unsheltered | $22,000 |
| LUSH Valley Food Action Society | “Good Food Box” Delivery program | $12,000 |
| The Salvation Army Comox Valley Ministries | Food & essential supplies for hampers | $10,500 |
Applications for funding from charities and non-profit organizations are still being accepted. The next deadline for applications is April 30, with the next round of grants expected to be released on May 13. The CVCF will continue to receive and consider applications for as long as we have funds remaining.
To supplement the funds available, the Comox Valley Community Foundation has opened a COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund for donations from individuals and organizations. All donations made to the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund will be granted in full to charities working on response efforts in our community. Donations may be made online by clicking here
