Centre Foundation pledges more than $500,000, expands Centre Gives to help nonprofits amid COVID-19
The Centre Foundation pledged more than $500,000 to support nonprofits, many of which have had to cancel signature fundraisers and events because of the new coronavirus pandemic.
The foundation’s COVID-19 Activating Contributions to Invest in Operations of Nonprofits Fund will open with $375,000, which is earmarked to provide operational and programmatic support to nonprofits.
About $250,000 was provided by the Knight Foundation, while another $125,000 was provided by the Centre Foundation. Details on the distribution of the funds are expected to be released “in the following weeks,” the organization said.
“We understand that many nonprofits are losing income due to the cancellation of events, programming and fundraisers. We’re creating this fund to help them through this difficult time and the Knight Foundation is generously supporting our efforts,” Centre Foundation Executive Director Molly Kunkel said Friday in a statement. “We’re currently collecting information from local organizations and nonprofits to ensure we make the distribution process as easy as possible and meet the greatest needs.”
The foundation also expanded Centre Gives, its annual 36-hour online fundraiser scheduled for May 12 and 13, by lowering its minimum gift amount from $25 to $10 to make the fundraiser more accessible, the organization said.
It also increased the available pool prize from $27,000 to $40,000 and reduced nonprofit participation fees.
“This year, more than ever, local nonprofits are faced with extreme uncertainty, so we want to help as much as we can. An online fundraiser like Centre Gives allows the public to support their community, while observing our state’s stay-at-home orders and practicing social distancing,” Kunkel said. “... Our community is always so generous during Centre Gives and, during this time especially, we know many people are looking for ways to help. We want to make it easy for the community to join together and provide support to our great local nonprofits.”
Centre Gives is the largest fundraiser Centre County PAWS participates in annually, PAWS Development and Marketing Director Chris Faust wrote in an email.
The animal welfare group is “relieved” that the event is still scheduled and appreciated the changes made for this year’s campaign, Faust wrote.
“Like every other nonprofit in our community, we’ve lost revenue streams as we’ve suspended adoptions and canceled a spring event,” Faust wrote. “With so many nonprofits — and individuals and businesses — struggling right now, we’re counting on Centre Gives and hope that our incredibly generous community members will be supporting the campaign in greater numbers than ever before.”
Centre Inspires, another grant program, is expected to be redirected to create immediate support for nonprofits.
The reallocated grant should provide an additional $100,000 in addition to the $200,000 already committed by the Hamer and Centre foundations.
“Each year, when considering applications for Centre Inspires, we think about what projects inspire us and will provide transformational change within our community,” Kunkel said. “This year, we couldn’t think of anything more inspirational or transformative than expanding our support of the hundreds of organizations doing incredible work every day, despite the challenges that this year has brought.”
The Mid-State Literacy Council and Tides, a grief support program for children and their adult family members, are two of many organizations that had to either postpone or cancel their signature fundraiser.
The Mid-State Literacy Council postponed its Ron and Mary Maxwell Community Spelling Bee, the organization’s largest fundraiser that raised about $22,000 last year, Executive Director Amy Wilson wrote.
Tides canceled Happy Valley’s Got Talent, which has traditionally raised about $25,000. Any additional funds received through Centre Foundation’s grants “would mean the world to Tides,” Executive Director Holly Oxendale wrote.
“The Centre Foundation has been a continuous support(er) of Tides — as well as so many other nonprofits in the area — so it is no surprise that they, along with generous donors in the Centre Region, are coming together to support our community,” Oxendale wrote. “... Without the generosity from our community, Tides is unable to continue its support to those who need it.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 12:32 PM.