FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Margaret Brown
margaret@mlbpr.com
703-898-9443
Leesburg, Va. (July 20, 2020) – 100WomenStrong has earmarked $81,500 for seven nonprofits that provide services in Loudoun County in its fourth round of COVID-19 emergency relief funding. The philanthropic group continues to meet frequently to review and discuss needs across the county. Since the pandemic hit, 100WomenStrong has disbursed $302,400 in grants to 31 nonprofit organizations, $50,000 to create the Pay it Forward loan program (which has generated more than $80,000 in additional donations from the community), and $25,000 worth of PPE to first responders.
In this round, the largest grants are $25,000 to the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties for its Community Emergency Relief Fund, and $25,000 to the Loudoun Education Foundation for its Mental Health and Wellness initiative.
- In March, the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties established the Community Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) to strategically disburse funding to address COVID-19 emergency response and relief efforts in Loudoun. Since then, the CERF, along with Visit Loudoun Foundation’s Tourism and Hospitality Relief Fund, has distributed more than $205,000 to fund rental assistance through the COVID-19 Emergency Fund and Helpline, a program run in collaboration by Loudoun Cares and Catholic Charities of the Dioceses of Arlington. As of July, more than 227 families – 42% of which have incomes at or below the federal poverty line – have received rental assistance through the program.
Loudoun residents in need of rental assistance may call the COVID-19 Emergency Fund and Helpline at 703-669-5040.
- The Loudoun Education Foundation’s Mental Health and Wellness initiative includes the implementation of Kognito, a software program that will help train teachers at Loudoun County Public Schools to recognize signs of emotional distress, anxiety and depression in their students. Along with helping them identify mental distress, the online training tool for educators will help them manage conversations with students and provide help or refer them to resources. This is an urgent need to help students, families, teachers and their families with mental health issues due to Covid-19.
To learn more about Kognito, please follow this link. If you would like to make a donation to support this initiative, please follow this link, and designate your gift as “Mental Health & Wellness.”
The fourth round of grants from 100WomenStrong is going to the following nonprofit organizations:
- ECHO: $4,000
- Excellent Options – $5,000
- INMED Partnerships for Children – $10,000
- Loudoun Habitat for Humanity – $2,500
- Women Giving Back – $10,000
- Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties – Community Emergency Relief Fund – $25,000
- Loudoun Education Foundation – $25,000
100WomenStrong will continue to assess area needs and make monthly distributions, as necessary. They will do this until early fall, when they will reassess needs of area organizations invited to apply. The group’s strategic approach of monitoring COVID-19 relief efforts to determine funding allows the group to continue to meet critical needs that may change month-to-month as the pandemic unfolds.
About 100WomenStrong
Formed in 2008, 100WomenStrong is a group of concerned philanthropists seeking to strategically invest in organizations and programs that enrich the lives of Loudoun County residents. They are committed to improving the quality of life for residents of Loudoun County, Virginia, through strategic grants to non-profits working in the areas of shelter, health, hunger and education. Members of 100WomenStrong connect and collaborate to leverage their philanthropic resources as a component fund of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties.
For more information about 100WomenStrong, visit www.OneHundredWomenStrong.org or contact Pam Ray at Pam@OneHundredWomenStrong.org
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