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PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED: COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund

The PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED fund invested $7.9 million to support organizations providing services to address urgent needs and the disruption of basic human services to Pierce County’s most vulnerable populations due to COVID-19 and the necessary public health measures to address it.

As the public health response to COVID-19 in Pierce County escalated on March 13, 2020, United Way of Pierce County and Greater Tacoma Community Foundation partnered for an aligned philanthropic response to emerging community needs. Together, they launched the PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED fund, seeded with $750,000 from GTCF. GTCF committed another $1 million in matching dollars for regional funders joining in the effort. Throughout 2020, numerous regional funders contributed to the fund, exceeding the matching amount and bringing the fund total to $7.9 million.

“A coordinated philanthropic response with real-time information from providers on the ground is vital to ensure we have appropriate information to make the best use of the resources we have to help our Pierce County community.” – Erika Tucci, Senior Program Officer, Ben B Cheney Foundation

As part of the aligned philanthropic response, fund partners worked with the Pierce County Emergency Operations Center, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, municipal and county human services departments, area school districts, faith organizations, and nonprofit agencies to surface emerging and urgent needs.

“Supporting organizations during this time is critical as they have the ability to make an impact immediately. This impact comes from their history in the communities in which they serve, the trust built with community members and solid relationships, especially with those who are most vulnerable.” – Cassandra Mitchell, VP & Corporate Responsibility Officer, Key Bank

With the goal of providing rapid response to urgent needs, funding requests from local organizations were reviewed and met on a weekly basis. Local organizations received funding to continue their work in providing food access, housing & shelter, childcare for first responders and essential workers, personal protective equipment (PPE), technology access, mental health & behavioral health supports, vaccine access and more.

“Thanks to the support from the PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Fund we are now distributing close to 600 weekend food packs for students each week and assisting families with housing and other essential needs” – Jesie Holden, Executive Director, Mountain View Community Center

PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Timeline

Phase	Goal	Funding Awarded
Phase 1: Urgent Response March 30 - April 3, 2020	$1M funding support of food access, shelter, and childcare for first responders, medical providers, and essential workers.	Phase 1 Funding Recipients
Phase 2: Rapid Response April 4 – 30, 2020 Rolling Requests	$2M funding in support of urgent and emerging needs identified through online requests and surfaced through PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Community Response Committee.	Phase 2 Funding Recipients
Phase 3: May – December 2020 (Rapid Response and Emerging Needs)	Funding in support of rapid response emerging needs identified through online requests and surfaced through PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Community Response Committee will continue through the end of 2020.	Phase 3 Funding Recipients
Phase 4: March 2021 — April 30, 2021 (Vaccine Information and Access)	This funding will focus on advancing, aligning, and bridging gaps in governmental relief dollars to support accurate, culturally relevant COVID-19 vaccine information and access supports to be facilitated by trusted service providers and networks across communities in Pierce County. The funding will also support nonprofits providing federally funded COVID-19 relief.	Phase 4 Funding Recipients

Additional Information

2020 Year-End Philanthropy Lessons from PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED

PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Recipients

PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Partners

Pierce County Connected Funding Committee

PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Community Response Committee

PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED News

705K in PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Final Funding Round Focuses On COVID-19 Vaccine Equity (April 23, 2021)

COVID-19 Conditions Strain School Districts and Nonprofit Partners as More Youth and Families Experience Homelessness (March 4, 2021)

Government Volume, Philanthropic Flexibility Ensure CARES Act Dollars Reach Pierce County Residents (February 12, 2021)

$585K In PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Goes To Food Security And Hygienic Needs Under Persistent COVID-19 Conditions (January 28, 2021)

Behavioral Health And Housing Supports Among COVID-19 Needs Supported By $187K In PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding (January 14, 2021)

$227K in PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Goes To Housing, Food and, Technology Supports Under Persistent COVID-19 Conditions (December 10, 2020)

$443K In PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Goes To Support Homeless Youth, Technology Access, And Other Critical Needs Under COVID-19 Conditions (November 19, 2020)

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation featured Tacoma’s COVID-19 Response, including PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED, in a recent national report on community collaboration, SENTINEL COMMUNITIES INSIGHTS. (October 2020)
Click here to download the PDF report

$250K From PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED To Support Housing, Healthcare, And Other Critical Needs Under Persistent COVID-19 Conditions (October 29, 2020)

Tech Access And Connectivity Among COVID-19 Needs Supported By $105K From PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED (October 15, 2020)

‘Homeless providers see urgent need for safe parking. They’re asking churches for help’ (Tacoma News Tribune October 3, 2020)

$150K In PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Goes To Organizations Offering Child And Family Supports Under Persistent COVID-19 Conditions (October 1, 2020)

$100K in PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Goes To Organizations Connecting Community Under COVID-19 Conditions (September 17, 2020)

Foster Youth, Youth With Disabilities, And Refugees Among Communities Supported Under COVID-19 Conditions Through $204K in PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding (September 10, 2020)

$237K Goes To Meet Persistent Child And Youth Needs Under COVID-19 Conditions (August 20, 2020)

$95,000 Goes To Meet Pierce County Needs Under Persistent COVID-19 Conditions (August 6, 2020)

$508K In PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Goes To Rapid Response And Emerging Needs Under COVID-19 Conditions (July 23, 2020)

$155,000 In PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Funding Goes To Emerging Technology Needs Under COVID-19 Conditions (July 2, 2020)

PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Distributes $250K To Whole Child Summer Day Camps For Children Of Essential Workers (June 25, 2020)

PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Distributes $250K to Local Organizations Addressing Emerging Needs Related to COVID-19 (June 8, 2020)