Connecticut Community Foundation’s staff and board are keeping informed with the rapidly updating COVID-19 news in our community.
We understand that we are at the beginning of a long-term response to the virus and its impact on individuals, families, nonprofit organizations and local economies. In this difficult moment, the Connecticut Community Foundation is here to help nonprofit leaders consider how they can best care for the people they serve, their organizations, their staff, and their donors. This COVID-19 Resource & Update page was created to provide everything from links to current and upcoming information webinars regarding grants and helpful resources for nonprofits in need during this crisis. Side by side, Connecticut Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Waterbury have joined together to create a COVID-19 Response Fund. We are working with the support of generous seed funding from a cross-section of individuals, private foundations, corporations and others to rapidly deploy resources to community-based organizations at the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak. The new fund is designed to be flexible and nimble in action to support trusted, frontline community organizations that meet the basic needs of local residents in Greater Waterbury and the Litchfield Hills. —- Please help us spread the word about this fund! Learn More, Apply & Donate! https://conncf.org/covid-19-response-fund 
We will provide additional up-to-date information on possible rescheduled public events, access to resources for nonprofits, and donation opportunities via email, our website and social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN. The staff of The Foundation are either working remotely or on staggering work schedules. Please contact staff members by email to conduct business during this time. You may also call their direct phone line and calls will be forwarded to the staff member. See staff directory here. To support immediate nonprofit disaster planning, we have curated this page of resources, which can provide guidelines on telecommuting and resources on social distancing and safe hygiene practices. More resources will be added as we gather them. For the most up-to-date, reliable information on the state and federal response, please visit the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), WHO (World Health Organization), and State of Connecticut websites. For our nonprofit and grantee community, unfortunately there is no playbook on how to provide support during this time. We are learning with you and pledge to be creative, flexible and thoughtful with current and future funding to address your emerging needs. Please watch this recorded webinar that our staff created for grantees and volunteers regarding resources that will be available for nonprofits. Donors and fund founders, please consider making a gift to the Foundation’s COVID-19 Resource Fund fund to help nonprofits and those who are most vulnerable in our communities withstand this crisis. Our staff is coordinating our response with the United Way of Waterbury and other local funders to ensure that there are rapid and flexible funds available to mobilize and disburse, as they are needed. For more information, contact Cynthia Merrick (cmerrick@conncf.org). We are thankful for the strong network of individuals and organizations in our region that will come together to meet community need during this time of crisis. Resources about COVID-19:
- A live-tracker of the spread of the disease from Johns Hopkins University.
- The latest updates from the WHO on the virus.
- WHO’s recommendations for the public to reduce exposure.
- Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Recommendations for Traveling
- English/Spanish resources: https://www.calendow.org/news/novel-coronavirus-19-get-the-facts
