CVCF Announces Second Round of COVID-19 Grants
The Comox Valley Community Foundation is pleased to announce that it recently distributed an additional $57,400 in the form of grants to 12 organizations to assist with the community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.
CVCF’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants, initially launched in March, 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 need in our community remains great and our agency partners continue to work tirelessly to provide supports and services to our vulnerable neighbours,” said Matt Beckett, President of the Comox Valley Community Foundation. “With this latest round of grants, CVCF will have invested $159,400 in our community’s COVID-19 response, with more to come.”
“We are so thankful for the support we have received from our donors, many first-time donors to the CVCF, and the Comox Valley Regional District and Courtenay Rotary Club, which has made these grants possible,” Beckett added.
Recipients of the $57,400 include:
| Organization | Project Description | Amount Funded |
| Coalition to End Homelessness/Comox Valley Transition Society | COVID-19 Hygiene – staffing and supplies for shower facilities for the unsheltered, through June 30 | $7,500 |
| Comox Bay Care Society (Care-A-Van) | Mobile outreach and social development services, with a focus on youth | $5,000 |
| Comox Valley Child Development Association | Expansion and continuation of emergency autism program | $6,000 |
| Comox Valley Senior Support Services | Virtual counselling for seniors (one-on-one and group sessions with licensed counsellor) | $4,000 |
| Comox Valley Transition Society | Virtual counselling supports | $2,000 |
| Denman Community Education Society | Establishing public laundry facilities on Denman | $3,000 |
| Eureka Support Society | Emergency client response, for those with mental health challenges & addictions | $3,500 |
| Glacier View Lodge Society | Ensuring safety of senior population – cleaning supplies, PPE, client safeguards | $2,500 |
| LUSH Valley Action Society | Good food box hamper delivery program for SD71 students, through July 10 | $11,500 |
| Northgate Church | Saturday lunch program, through September | $5,000 |
| Salvation Army Comox Valley Ministries | Food hamper delivery program for month of May (2210 meals) | $6,000 |
| Vanier Secondary | Emergency Food program for students | $1,400 |
Applications for funding from charities and non-profit organizations are still being accepted. The next deadline for applications is June 4, with the third round of grants expected to be released at the end of June. 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 in May will be matched by Vancouver Foundation, up to a maximum of $30,000, and may be made online at https://cvcfoundation.org/giving/make-a-donation/.
CVCF also recently announced its participation in the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF) program, which will see $121,850 available to Comox Valley charities in support of their work with vulnerable populations. Both granting programs, the CVCF’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants and the ECSF, will run concurrently and charities and non-profit organizations are encouraged to contact the CVCF to discuss which program best suits their funding needs.
