United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley announces $500,000 endowment gift to support COVID-19 Response & Recovery efforts in the Chippewa Valley
During a turbulent time in our history, United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley (UWGCV) recognizes the need to come together to build each other up. UWGCV’s Board of Directors and Endowment Board is proud to announce a gift of $500,000 to the Community Response & Recovery Fund.
Due to the continued success of UWGCV’s Golf Tournament and several legacy gifts from community members, the Endowment Board felt the organization’s endowment was strong enough, and now a crucial time, to use a portion of the dollars to invest in disaster relief and make an impact on community needs.
“We hope the investment inspires creative thinking around new partnerships and methods and also helps grow and strengthen programs and processes that are already positively impacting residents who are struggling in our communities,” said Dr. Marc Goulet, Administrator, UW-Eau Claire and UWGCV Recovery Grant Lead.
The funds will be distributed through a partnership between UWGCV, Eau Claire County Community Foundation (ECCCF) and Community Foundation of Chippewa County (CFCC). UWGCV and ECCF and UWGCV and CFCC will partner in the review of recovery grant requests. The partnerships take different forms, but both bring collaborative benefits.
“We are grateful for the local United Way’s leadership and proud of their efforts to assist nonprofits serving our communities at this time. Working alongside them and the ECCF on recovery efforts will allow for even more organizations and neighbors to be served effectively,” said Jill Herriges, Executive Director, CFCC.
Funds will support Chippewa County and Eau Claire County non-profit agencies by providing encouragement and resources to help Chippewa Valley residents recover from the damage done by the COVID-19 global pandemic, and mitigate risks associated with recovery. The UWGCV funds will be targeted to support programs which improve mental health, children's readiness to enter school, financial stability, and access to food, shelter and medical care. The CFCC and ECCF funds will be used similarly and will also help nonprofits continue serving the community in a safe and effective manner despite risks.
UWGCV & ECCF partnered together to deploy the Quick Response Community Fund that began in March of 2020. Both organizations saw the strength and value in the partnership that was formed due to this unique situation and decided to continue the partnership as our community moves into the COVID-19 Recovery Phase.
“Although our organizations differ somewhat in their funding strategies, our overall goal is the same: To strengthen recovery in the Chippewa Valley. This partnership helps us advance that goal by combining resources to support the work of even more nonprofits than we could individually,” commented Sue Bornick, Executive Director, ECCF.
Applications for nonprofit organizations will be available on the ECCF webpage starting in late June. Applications will be open to all nonprofit organizations in Chippewa and Eau Claire Counties who have programs which strategically align. The application process is not limited to current UWGCV funded program partners.
UWGCV is committed to partnering to spark change and meet needs even during difficult times. UWGCV’s Endowment Board is able to make this contribution to local COVID-19 recovery efforts because of the generous community we are a part of. Learn more about our endowment later in this E-Newsletter.