ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund Raises $1 Million, Gives Most to Local Nonprofits

ACT for Alexandria’s ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund has now raised more than $1 million, and $910,000 has been given in grant funding to other city nonprofits.

ACT for Alexandria Executive Director Heather Peeler says that even though COVID-19 numbers are going down, the community needs are still great. The nonprofit has paused its grant request process for the month of June while it maps out its fundraising strategy for the rest of the year.

“The needs of community members are still substantial,” Peeler said. “All of our community partners are getting calls from constituents who need assistance. The health and economic impacts of the pandemic are still with us, even though I think everybody’s really geared up to get back to work. There are still many community members who are disproportionately affected and we need to continue to support them as they navigate this crisis.”

Peeler and her staff of four employees and two interns also organized and managed the Spring2ACTion fundraiser on April 15, which broke the city’s one-day giving record by raising $2.45 million for Alexandria nonprofits.

Now ACT for Alexandria is crafting a racial equity statement to guide its future priorities, and Peeler and her staff are organizing racial equity workshops. Peeler said that there is currently a waiting list of 100 people who want to attend in June and July.

As of May 21, the ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund awarded grants to the following organizations:

• AHC, Inc.
• Alexandria Housing Development Corporation
• Alexandria PTA Council
• Alexandria Seaport Foundation
• ALIVE! House
• ALIVE! Inc.
• Arlandria Chirilagua Housing Co-Op
• Ayuda
• Basilica of St. Mary St. Vincent de Paul Society
• Best Buddies
• Bethany House of Northern Virginia
• Bringing Resources to Aid Women’s Shelters
• Capital Caring Health
• Capital Youth Empowerment Program
• Carpenter’s Shelter
• Casa Chirilagua
• Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services
• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington
• Christ Church
• Christ Church Refugee Ministry
• Communities in Schools NOVA
• Community Lodgings
• Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
• Dream Project
• Ethiopian Community Development Council
• Family to Family, Old Presbyterian Meeting House
• Friends of Guest House
• Fruitful Planet
• Goodwin House Foundation
• Greater DC Diaper Bank
• Hopkins House
• ICNA Relief USA Programs Inc.
• Koinonia Foundation
• Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC)
• Legal Services of Northern Virginia
• MedStreet, Inc.
• Mother of Light Center
• Neighborhood Health
• New Hope Housing
• Northern Virginia Family Services
• NOVA Scripts Central Inc.
• Nueva Vida
• OAR of Arlington, Alexandria & Falls Church
• Old Presbyterian Meeting House
• Optimist Club of Alexandria Foundation, Inc.
• Phoenix Houses of the Mid-Atlantic
• Project ID & Spread the Vote
• Rebuilding Together DC Alexandria
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington D.C.
• SCAN of Northern Virginia
• Senior Services of Alexandria
• St. Paul’s Lazarus Ministry
• St. Rita Church
• Tahirih Justice Center
• Tenants and Workers United
• The Campagna Center
• The Child & Family Network Centers
• The Salvation Army
• Together We Bake
• United Community
• UpCycle Creative Reuse Center
• Urban Alliance
• Volunteer Alexandria
• Volunteers of America Chesapeake
• Washington Street UMC
• Wesley Housing Development Corporation
• YMCA Metropolitan Washington