The Platteville Community Fund, a component of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, announces the creation of the Platteville Community Fund COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund to respond to the needs of nonprofit organizations, city/government agencies and schools within the Platteville School District to provide critical services in response to a significant crisis, in this case, the COVID-19 outbreak. With its commitment to match donations 1:1 up to $20,000, the Platteville Community Fund is asking the public to help match or exceed the amount by making charitable gifts to the fund immediately for the fastest response.
Grants to Local Charitable Organizations Responding to COVID-19
Collected donations will go toward grants to nonprofit organizations, civic and government agencies, and schools that serve within the Platteville School District boundaries and are actively responding to the COVID-19 crisis. COVID-19 and the necessary public health measures to address it have impacted Platteville in numerous ways and for an extended period of time. Platteville’s charitable organizations serve as the community’s safety nets during public health crisis. As these organizations respond, their sources of revenue change with the need to expand services and, in many cases, the need to reduce or suspend the programs and events that regularly generate revenue. The demand for emergency health services, food, rent, utility, and childcare assistance as well as mental health services will require these organizations to increase services that provide these basic needs and more.
“Federal funds may not be available or available rapidly enough to meet the fast-evolving needs during a pandemic like COVID-19,” says Platteville Community Fund chair, Nathan Curry. “This Disaster Relief Fund will be used to meet immediate needs and to respond to the public health threat posed by this virus and any future emergencies within the Platteville School District.”
The Fund will support charitable organizations by increasing their capacity to serve those impacted by COVID-19 and maintaining their current operations and services. Grants will go to organizations within the Platteville School District addressing food and housing insecurity, transportation needs, childcare programs, and more, depending on needs. Additional grants will be released on a rolling basis as fundraising continues and further needs are identified.
How to Make a Gift to the Fund
Gifts will be matched 1:1 up to $20,000 to help address the unexpected and immediate local needs created by COVID-19. This new fund, the Platteville Community Fund COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund, is designed to put the local community first by providing the support necessary to help ensure basic-need services are being met during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. All funds raised above and beyond the current need will become endowed and continue to grow in the Platteville Community Fund Disaster Relief Fund to be utilized in response to future community emergency needs. Gifts can be made through the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin at bit.ly/PVLReliefFund or by mailing a check made out to “CFSW-PCF COVID-19 Relief Fund” and mailed to Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, c/o PCF COVID-19 Relief Fund, PO BOX 81, Platteville, WI 53818. For more information, contact Dave Murphy, Donor Services Representative, at [email protected] or (608) 758-0883.
How to Apply for a Grant
The Platteville Disaster Relief Fund committee, made up of community leaders, business professionals, volunteers, and more, will start accepting funding requests from qualified nonprofit organizations beginning Monday, April 13 through a simple online application accessed at bit.ly/PVLReliefFund Requests must come from official 501 (c) (3) charitable organizations within the Platteville School District boundaries and not individuals. Grant decisions will be made on a rolling basis beginning with initial requests. The number of future grant awards will be dependent on the funds raised.
For More Information
The Platteville Community Fund is a permanent, unrestricted, charitable endowment created in 2002 to serve the Platteville area. Annually a portion of the Fund’s earnings are given back to the community in the form of grants. The Fund supports community projects that enhance the arts, education, health and human services, the environment, and historic preservation. The Platteville Community Fund is a component of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin. The Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin serves to match charitable donors with the needs of communities in the following counties: Rock, Walworth, Crawford, Iowa, Lafayette, Green, Grant, and Vernon. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with assets in excess of $60 million. For more information, visit www.cfsw.org or call (608) 758-0883.
