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Fund to support charitable organizations working with affected communities in Clemmons and Lewisville

The Clemmons Community Foundation has launched a COVID-19 Clemmons-Lewisville Response Fund to provide flexible and emergency resources to non-profit charitable organizations supporting impacted residents of Clemmons and Lewisville during this unprecedented time.

As the local impact of the pandemic unfolds, the foundation is grateful for the remarkable efforts of healthcare systems, public health practitioners, local government officials, and local school systems in implementing precautionary measures to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

For a direct local response, the foundation is assembling a team of community leaders including the Village of Clemmons, the Town of Lewisville, the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce, the Interfaith Alliance of Clemmons and Lewisville, the Clemmons Rotary Club, and others to inform the assessment of needs and guide distribution decisions as the pandemic unfolds locally. Timely and flexible support is particularly important at a time when needs are rapidly changing.

Tax-deductible contributions to the Local Response Fund can be made online at https://ccf.gives/covid19CLresponse, or by check made payable to the Clemmons Community Foundation (P.O. Box 567, Clemmons, NC 27012). Contributing to this new fund is one of many ways any person, institution or company can make a difference.

Sandi Scannelli, president and CEO comments, “Our communities have always pulled together to help others in times of need. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on charitable organizations — our front line of help to residents — is already significant. There has never been a more important time to pull together as now and throughout the coming weeks. Collectively, we can not only flatten the curve of the virus spread, but also flatten the curve of damage to nonprofit capacities to respond. These agencies have capably helped our residents in need for years. They need our help now.”

The foundation will work in partnership with the community leaders throughout Clemmons and Lewisville to ensure the Local Response Fund has maximum reach and effectiveness. The fund will work to complement rather than duplicate the distribution of state and federal resources in an effort to help local capacity.

The initial phase of the fund is intended to be a rapid response to urgent needs. As the foundation and its partners learn more about local needs and the changing nature of this situation, the process will likely adapt.

Details about how nonprofits can request and access resources from the COVID-19 Clemmons-Lewisville Response Fund will be announced soon, once donations have begun to accumulate.

For more information:

• General questions and inquiries about the Fund can be directed to the foundation’s Program Officer, Mark Batten, at mark@clemmonsfoundation.org.
• For interested donors and partners, please contact the foundation’s President and CEO Sandi Scannelli, at sandi@clemmonsfoundation.org.

The foundation encourages individuals and families to visit the North Carolina state website at https://ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus or call the available hotline, 866-462-3821, for the most up-to-date information on the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce also has a community resources guide available on its website at https://lewisville-clemmons.com/coronavirus-resource-guide/.

Frequently asked questions

My organization is interested in resources from the fund. How can we be considered?

The process for requesting funding from the COVID-19 Response Fund will be announced in the coming days, as resources are raised. However, it should be noted that this fund is designed to make grants only to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, and groups fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organizations.

May I target my donation to a specific organization?

To ensure that we can coordinate and share resources as quickly as possible, donations may not be restricted to individual grantee. If you have a specific organization you would like to support, we encourage you to give directly to that organization.

Should I give to this fund instead of making other donations?

No. This fund is not intended to be the only vehicle to give funds to nonprofits working at the frontlines of the COVID-19 outbreak. You are encouraged to give directly to organizations you may have supported in the past or nonprofits you know are addressing needs in our community. This fund is another vehicle through which those needs will be addressed.

Is there a geographic focus for this fund?

Yes. The COVID-19 Response Fund will prioritize funding for organizations serving Clemmons, Lewisville, and its surrounding communities. Donors seeking to support organizations outside this footprint are encouraged to make direct gifts or to reach out to that area’s community foundation for assistance in getting resources targeted to that region.

Will you announce funding decisions?

It is expected that grants from this fund will be made on a continual basis, beginning within the next few weeks. The names of grantees and more information will be published on a regular basis as the foundation is able.

How will the fund shift gears if needed?

The fund priorities may evolve as our area adapts to the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities most impacted will be prioritized. Crisis philanthropy recognizes the need to provide immediate resources for triage, as well as the importance of recovery resources to ensure community resilience.

I am an individual affected by the COVID-19 situation. Can I apply for assistance?

The foundation understands the COVID-19 pandemic is having and will continue to have a significant impact on individuals and families. Working with local agencies, the foundation will work to move resources as quickly as possible to community-based organizations that are directly supporting local families and residents who are most affected. But unfortunately, the foundation cannot offer direct funds to individuals at this time.