The latest grants are designed to support the rapidly changing landscape of relief efforts throughout Northern Virginia and are intended to both strengthen and empower communities of color in our region who are fighting on the front lines of not one, but two crises - COVID-19 and racial injustice.
“Data from local health districts in Northern Virginia show that COVID-19 has had a large and disproportionate impact on people of color in the region. LatinX and Hispanic residents and business owners are particularly suffering,” said Eileen Ellsworth, President and CEO at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. “In addition, recent events surrounding the murder of George Floyd and other African Americans have brought into focus the inequitable civic and social systems that preexisted COVID-19. It is not only what the virus has caused. It’s what the virus has revealed.”
"For too long, racial trauma was the elephant in the room that we did not discuss as a society. Today, that conversation is starting to change. We're honored to be supported by the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia at this critical time to help communities of color find healthy ways to discuss generational trauma," said Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, Founder of the AAKOMA Project.
The COVID-19 Response Fund for Northern Virginia launched on March 13 to provide support as organizations navigated the immediate effects of the coronavirus pandemic. To date, the Fund has distributed nearly $2.1 million in grants to 110 local nonprofit organizations.
The complete list of grantees for the fifth round and previous rounds of funding can be found at www.cfnova.org/covid19
Round Five Grantees:
AAKOMA Project - $20,000Funding will increase the capacity of AAKOMA to address the pandemic and the mental health impacts thereof upon youth and families with a history of racial trauma.
BEACON for Adult Literacy - $20,000
Support will address the pandemic in the City of Manassas and Prince William County through the integration of multilingual materials, classes, and other resources addressing COVID-19 and its health and economic fallouts.
Capital Youth Empowerment Program - $20,000
The grant will support the Capital Youth Empowerment Program’s work to address both systemic racism and the impacts of the virus through its youth and parenting programs in communities of color.
CASA de Virginia - $20,000
Funding will support CASA de Virginia’s initiatives for recent immigrants with a focus on both COVID-19 safe actions and on continued advocacy for federal, local, and state responses to the virus that is adequate and inclusive of the LatinX populations in our region.
Centreville Immigration Forum - $20,000
Funding will help the Centerville Immigration Forum advocate for the rights of immigrants to access multilingual information, emergency support, and healthcare services during the pandemic.
Edu-Futuro (Educacion Para Nuestro Futuro) - $20,000
This grant will help Edu-Futuro’s bilingual staff provide case management and financial assistance to underserved Latino and immigrant youth and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic while empowering its nearly 1,700 clients through mentorship, leadership development, and parent engagement programs.
Ethiopian Community Development Council - $20,000
Support will help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus within the local immigrant and refugee communities, including the development of linguistically appropriate and timely coronavirus resources to help address emergency needs and hardships for families and individuals.
Hispanics Against Child Abuse and Neglect (HACAN) - $20,000
Support will help strengthen families, empower youth, and prevent child abuse and neglect through competent education, intervention, and community advocacy with a focus on the immigrant community. Funding will support its efforts to connect its immigrant families to community and government resources available during the coronavirus pandemic and to develop virtual workshops to train participants on child abuse prevention.
Hopkins House - $20,000
This grant will help Hopkins House continue its mission to empower communities of color to tackle important public policy issues through effective advocacy and community organizing, with a focus on digital outreach efforts to educate families about COVID-19 prevention and mitigation.
La Cocina VA - $20,000
Funding will help clients of La Cocina VA who have been economically devastated by the pandemic to access jobs through the organization’s employer partners and to expand its Healthy Food Assistance Program to provide nutritious meals to immigrant communities facing complex challenges during the pandemic.
Legal Aid Justice Center - $20,000
Funding will support the Legal Aid Justice Center’s core mission to advocate for policies protecting recent immigrants and provide legal and logistical expertise to immigrant communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus.
LULAC Institute - $20,000
Support will promote LULAC’s core mission to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing security, health, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans with a focus on the emergency financial needs of their communities throughout the pandemic.
Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area - $20,000
Support will help local refugee communities of color during the pandemic with emergency financial assistance, employment programs, education, and pathways to citizenship.
NAACP Fairfax - $20,000
The NAACP of Fairfax works to support and advocate for racial justice and equality of rights for communities of color in Fairfax County. Funding will support its work to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus through direct financial support for families and small minority-owned businesses.
NAACP Loudoun - $20,000
The Loudoun County Branch of the NAACP empowers local communities of color by driving the transformation of education systems and accelerating the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices. The grant will provide emergency financial assistance throughout the pandemic for the communities it serves.
National Coalition of 100 Black Women Prince William County Chapter - $20,000
The National Coalition of 100 Black Women Prince William County Chapter advocates on behalf of women and girls of color on issues of gender equity, health, education, and empowerment. The grant will help raise awareness and educate minority communities during the COVID-19 pandemic while providing PPE, disinfectants, paper products, and non-perishable foods.
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium - $20,000
Funding will support NAKASEC’s advocacy and organizing work for Korean and Asian American communities during the pandemic, including help with unemployment, access to capital for small businesses, emergency financial assistance, and multilingual translations of COVID-19 health-related resources.
Nueva Vida, Inc - $20,000
Funding will help Nueva Vida inform, support, and empower the Latinx community during the pandemic while advocating for and facilitating equitable access to care, including the provision of educational information and links to free or low-cost services in Spanish, virtual psychosocial support and community engagement tools, and case management.
OAR of Fairfax - $20,000
OAR of Fairfax works to advance legislation and policies that promote criminal justice system reform for communities of color in Fairfax, including services that will reduce the likelihood of individuals returning to incarceration in institutions that pose a very high risk of coronavirus transmission.
Tenants and Workers United - $20,000
Funding will help advance advocacy and other support services for communities of color in our region during the pandemic, including eviction prevention, emergency financial assistance, and housing displacement. Funding will also expand access to COVID-19 testing for TWU’s clients.
Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights - $20,000
Funding will support advocacy efforts throughout the region on behalf of immigrants to access health-based information, medical care and testing, food, and rental assistance.
Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) - $20,000
Funding will promote racial justice and advocacy for communities of color hardest hit by the pandemic, including efforts to win stays on evictions and comprehensive rental relief plans.
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