COVID-19 Resources for CT Nonprofits

iMission is updating this list of resources for CT nonprofit organizations that are impacted by COVID-19. As we discover new information, we will add it here. If you know of aditional resources not listed here, please send them to info@imissioninstitute.org

The governor is now asking for additional volunteers to help out in CT and there’s a volunteer sign-up page:

Foundation Resources

Many of the regional community foundations have set up special response funds to help during the COVID-19 crisis. Most are designed to complement the funding coming from federal, state and municipal sources. Determine first which region your nonprofit operations fall within. Some are taking applications and some are distributing without applications. The disbursements are happening on a rolling basis as they fundraise for these COVID-19 funds.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven/United Way of Greater New Haven  COVID-19 Fund

This Greater New Haven fund is not taking applications at this time allowing resources to move quickly and not further burden nonprofits. The fund’s grant-making committee has decided on the initial round of grants this first week of April. The funds, ranging from $5k to $40k, are going to healthcare and basic human needs organizations for uses as varied as deep cleaning of a facility, to support to shift staff to remote working, to increased disbursements to clients. Funding will be released on a rolling basis as fundraising continues throughout the outbreak and recovery phases of the crisis. Greater New Haven includes Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven, Woodbridge. They are also reviewing program grants to see which can be converted to general operating grants.

In addition, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is extending the open period of the Great Give from April 16th to May 31st to allow profiled nonprofit to use the platform for fundraising. they have also eliminated the competitive elements of the campaign. If your nonprofit is in their catchment area, here is how you can get started.

 Hartford Foundation for Public Giving COVID Response Fund

This fund provides flexible resources to nonprofits throughout the 29 town Greater Hartford region. The funding is designed to address all aspects of the outbreak as efficiently as possible. The Hartford region includes Andover, Avon, Bloomfield, Bolton, Canton, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Hebron, Manchester, Marlborough, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Suffield, Tolland, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor, Windsor Locks.  Nonprofits seeking support from this fund should complete this online application.

Fairfield County Community Foundation COVID-19 Resiliency Fund.

This new fund for the towns in Fairfield County has reached over $1mln. The Fund’s resources will be directed to organizations serving high need, vulnerable populations, including low-income individuals and residents without health insurance and/or access to sick days; immigrants; persons with disabilities; and communities of color, among others. This fund will both identify potential grant recipients and accept open inquiries for funding. Aligned organizations may apply for general operating, program or capacity-building support. Given the dynamic nature of this moment, grant funding will be considered and released on a rolling basis. Staff at FCCF will begin distributing grants as soon as possible. If you believe that your work is aligned with this fund’s purpose as described above, you may submit a request by logging into their grant interface, if you have that. Otherwise, try contacting your Program Officer or send an email to COVID19@FCCFoundation.org.

Connecticut Community Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund

Connecticut Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Waterbury join COVID-19 Response Fund is designed to support trusted, frontline community organizations that meet the basic needs of local residents in the following towns: Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Cheshire, Goshen, Litchfield, Middlebury, Morris, Naugatuck, New Milford, Oxford, Prospect, Roxbury, Southbury, Thomaston, Warren, Washington, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury. They will jointly administer requests for funding. Given the dynamic nature of this moment, requests for funding will be considered and released on a rolling basis. The Fund will begin distributing grants as soon as possible.: 

Berkshire County  COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund

The Berkshire United Way and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation of NY have a new emergency response fund that is now accepting applications from nonprofits and services organizations that have strong experience working with vulnerable populations. These grants are rapid-response and are designed to address gaps in services and increase the capacity of organizations to help individuals and families. The organization is accepting applications for up to $25,000 via a rolling application.

MSCF COVID-19 Response Fund 

The Main Street Foundation serving the Bristol/Plainville/Burlington/Wolcott/Plymouth/Southington area of Connecticut has announced that applications for their General Grant Cycle will be considered and that they are working together with many local nonprofits to help those in need. For specific information,  please contact Kate Kerchaert, Director of Grants & Programs, at kate@mainstreetfoundation.org.

Eastern Connecticut Community Foundation Covid-19 Resources 

The Community Foundation for Eastern Connecticut together with Eastern CT United Ways is making grants from their Neighbor for Neighbor fund. Contact your program officer for details.  This foundation serves nonprofits based or operating in: 

Ashford, Bozrah, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Colchester, Columbia, Coventry, Eastford, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Hampton, Killingly, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Mansfield, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme, Plainfield, Pomfret, Preston, Putnam, Salem, Scotland, Sprague, Stafford, Sterling, Stonington, Thompson, Union, Voluntown, Waterford, Willington, Windham and Woodstock. 

 Community Foundation of Middlesex County

This community foundation has set up Live Local Give Local Emergency Fund for nonprofits serving Centerbrook, Chester, Clinton, Cobalt, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Haddam Neck, Higganum, Ivoryton, Killingworth, Middle Haddam, Middlefield, Middletown, Moodus, Old Saybrook, Portland, Rockfall, Westbrook, Winthrop. Click here to apply. 

Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation Covid-19 Emergency Response Grants

The foundation has created Covid-19 Emergency Response Grants. Limited grants will be offered to organizations serving essential personnel and vulnerable populations. Towns covered are Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Canaan (Falls Village), Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington, and Winchester/Winsted  Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis.

Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven Covid-19 Response

The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven have created a Covid-19 Response/Maimonides Fund in response to the pandemic. Emergency grants will be made from the Fund to synagogues and Jewish agencies to help those immediately impacted by the virus. Additionally, assistance will be made directly to individuals and families in need, with no specific family information needed. This assistance can be made at the request of JFS, a rabbi, or synagogue. For more information, please visit the link above.

Connecticut COVID19 Charity Connection or 4-CT is taking in donations but on their site you can also submit ideas for state-wide projects. Since it is best to have solutions connected to existing nonprofits, do send in what your state-wide collaboration of nonprofits can or are doing to help during this Covid crisis, especially in the areas of food, child care, workforce training, and K-12 virtual education resources. 

Artists and Arts Organizations

The City of New Haven and the Arts Council have an emergency fund for artists and small arts organizations. More possible grant options for arts organizations can be found at Artist Relief Fund at Americans for the Arts.

The Madison Foundation

The Madison Foundation is considering grant requests for organizations based in Madison to expand existing services or to support new programs needed during the crisis. Find out more information on the Foundation’s website.

 

National and SBA Resources:

The CARES Act, the stimulus funding passed by Congress includes several avenues of support for nonprofits which are treated as businesses for this initiative.  The two key Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs are Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). Remember to get your Board of Directors up-to-speed on any loans you plan to undertake and do a robust financial forecast to ensure you have enough unrestricted funds to pay off any loans.

Paycheck Protection Program (as of 21 July) :  Congress has approved several round of funds for PPP keeping it open until Aug 8th.   If you haven’t applied yet, do try now. Remember your organization must have less than 500 employees, and have been in operation as of the 15th of Feb.  Kabbage  Paypal,  Intuit-Quickbooks, and  Square are also taking PPP aplications and with Kabbage you don’t have to have a business or merchant account with them. Or, you can contact one of your local participating SBA banks.   Be aware that these banks can vary in their response times. Some banks are taking applications from non-customers but many are not.

Loan terms are federally guaranteed, with an interest rate of 1%. The term is 5 years There is still no collateral or personal guarantee needed, and payments are deferred for anywhere from 6 to 12 months. The amount of the loan will be determined by a multiple of your monthly operating costs including payroll, rent, and utilities, but the loan officer will determine the level by looking at your application form, your 990, your 2019 year and current financials. The portion of any individual’s compensation over $100k and FICA should all be excluded from the payroll total. 60% of the loan must be used for payroll, or in the case of a sole proprietor, for keeping their net income level up.

The loan may be forgiven later if the borrower has used the funds 60% or more for payroll and the remainder for rent, utilities or mortgage interest. Staffing levels are determined by total dollars spent on payroll and not by individual employee. You will have to demonstrate this rehiring up to the level at 15th Feb to your bank so keep your records. The Forgiveness Application Form EZ here are what you will use to apply to have the loan forgiven. 

EIDL: As of early  May, the SBA has limited new applications for the EIDL to agricultural businesses only. Applicants who have already submitted their applications will continue to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. For agricultural businesses that submitted an EIDL application through the streamlined application portal prior to the legislative change, SBA will process these applications without the need for re-applying.

If it becomes open to all small businesses again, this loan will be processed through the SBA so you will need to apply to them. The interest rate is 2.75% for nonprofits and the term is 30 years. It should be used for working capital, operating expenses like payroll rent etc; funds should not be used to pay off long-term debt but there is linkage with other CARES funding. When you get to the “Owner” question, enter a name like the Executive Director’s name; they understand that there are no owners of 501c3s.  The SBA offers an advance of $1000 per employee up to $10,000. The advance is available to you only after you have applied for an EIDL and only if you click on the “Advance” button in the application process and entered your bank account details. This SBA EIDL is a grant and may be spent on a variety of business expenses such as payroll, paid sick leave or other COVID-19 related costs.

Charitable Giving Incentive: to stimulate donations, the legislation allows all taxpayers to get a direct deduction of up to $300 off their tax filing for 2020. Additional incentives are included for corporations and for those filers who itemize.

Employee Retention Payroll Tax Credit: creates a refundable payroll tax credit of up to $5,000 for each employee on the payroll when certain conditions are met. The entity must have experienced at least a 50% reduction in revenue in the first quarter of 2020 as compared to the first quarter of 2019. This option cannot be used in conjunction with PPP above.

Relief for Americans repaying student loans. In addition to providing direct funding to support colleges and universities, the Department of Education is suspending all payment on student loans through September 30, 2020, with no interest accrual or other penalties. Other student loan deferrals are also available. 

Industry specific:

The ANCOR association has resources for training and educational resources for staff of agencies serving those less able.

US Dept US Dept of Health and Human Services (SAMHSA) has online resources on emergency preparedness for behavioral health programs, public announcements on suicide prevention and crisis care.

 

Community Mobilization Resources

 

The online database  application Airtable is sharing a database of community resources. For those community organizations that use Airtable to organize volunteers, share information, and more, Airtable is allowing free access to other community groups to share in how non profits and community groups are helping each other. 

 

Connecticut Resources:

Help for your employees: the CT Dept of Labor is working hard to process an avalanche of claims and at the same time update their website and systems to handle the changes that came down from the federal level in the CARES act.  Here is what we have heard from DOL officials as of May, 2020:

  • Using the temporary layoff option will get support fastest to your staff you are having to lay off. This option is fully automated, thus the speed relative to other options which involve assessment by DOL staff.
  •  They are including enterprises run by religious organizations that provide child care, food and other essential services. Thus staff laid off from these would be eligible for unemployment.
  •  The system to handle unemployment for self-employed and sole proprietors is open but you need to have gone through the regular unemployment system (blue button on this page) and gotten a rejection from that by mail (the UC58 form) in order to start your application using the red button on this page. Do not redo the regular application process (using the blue button) as that will just create a duplicate in the DOL system and they have worked hard to get those out. 
  • SharedWork program: Although this program is slower than the temporary layoff above, the program allows employers to reduce the hours of full-time employees by as much as 60 percent, while their workers collect partial unemployment benefits to replace a portion of their lost wages. All employers with two or more full-time or permanent part-time employees can participate in the program, which is not designed for seasonal separations. To qualify, the business’ reduction of work cannot be less than 10 percent or more than 60 percent.
  •  Job search requirements are waived during COVID-19

This  link to DOL’s updating info sheet has FAQs for both employers and for your employees. If you self-insure for unemployment as a nonprofit, read more here. Given how their system works, DOL communicates by email so be on the lookout for those.

Additional resources for individuals include CCEH for homeless ;  Access Health for health insurance, Department of Social Services for the latest on SNAP, Husky, which is open for enrollment year-round, and other programs, schools that are offering emergency meals, Office of Early Childhood’s child care options for front line workers, updates from the Dept of Mental health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and 211 for more mental health, housing and other resources.

Department of Economic and Community Development bridge funding program finished last Friday after several 1000’s of applications were received in its 36 hours being open. DECD is evaluating the application at this point. They designed the amounts to cover operational funding needs until the above PPP and EIDL loans started up.

Check your insurance policy to see if it covers business interruption. Some nonprofits have received payments on claims of business interruption due to Covid.

Other information as an employer:

From end of March a handy overview of the various new pandemic unemployment insurance coverage

From the CDC, instructions on how to keep workplaces safe including checking the temperatures of employees who are coming into work which is allowed.

If you have grant funding from any state agency, do keep in contact with them about any possible acceleration of payments and let your state legislator or association know if there are delays. Or reach out to the CT nonprofit association CT Nonprofit Alliance

And your main State of Connecticut COVID CT.gov COVID-19 Resource Page which is being updated regularly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***This list will be updated as additional information is received. ***

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