working together with nonprofits

We are listening.

This spring, The Community Foundation surveyed regional nonprofits and published results in a needs assessment snapshot report available here.

Now the foundation has embarked on a year-long study about how regional nonprofits are being affected by and responding to the challenges of the pandemic. We will release a series of surveys to support this effort. The participation of area nonprofits in this process is vital. Funding will be guided by conversations with nonprofit field experts and by the results of additional community need surveys. Surveys will be issued to nonprofits by email, and will be made available on our website.

Critical Needs Assessed - COVID-19

In order to make efficient and effective grants to address our region’s immediate needs, we need timely information about the regional nonprofit landscape. We are grateful for the collaborative support of the George Washington Regional Planning Commission to collate and analyze the foundation’s first pandemic response needs assessment: A Snapshot of Critical Needs.

The foundation’s initial assessment survey was done between March 25 and April 10, 2020. It asked nonprofits to describe the impact of the pandemic – both on the people they serve and on their ability to operate. The results are unprecedented. Most nonprofits surveyed are providing basic needs support for people in our region and the majority are not able to provide at least some of their core services. At the same time, 40 percent of surveyed nonprofits report that the demand for their services has increased and that they lack adequate funding.

A bleak picture? Those of us who work and volunteer at The Community Foundation know otherwise. We interact daily with essential nonprofits and generous donors. Together, the foundation’s 170 permanent funds collectively give over $2 million each year to local nonprofits, churches and schools. The need is urgent and greater than ever before, but we are up for the challenge.