The ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund has raised more than $777,000 from 780 donors, and has given away $619,000 to 67 nonprofits in and around Alexandria.
“There is nothing like the power of collective action, when we all take a small step that can add up to something really big,”ACT for Alexandria Executive Director Heather Peeler told ALXnow.
Peeler and her staff of four employees and two interns have been busy in recent weeks. In addition to the ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund, they 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.
“We have an incredible team. Everybody is really focused on doing what we can to support the community,” she said.
The city donated $200,000 to the fund, Amazon donated $200,ooo and $76,000 was raised by Spring2ACTion.
The fund awards $10,000 grants, and nonprofits can apply for more than one grant. Some organizations have received as many as three separate ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund grants.
“We intentionally wanted to make the grant process flexible, because needs are evolving in the community,” Peeler said. “But we didn’t want to award out all the money all at once. That’s why we set the $10,000 limit, but organizations can ask every week, essentially, for more funding.”
Peeler has set a personal goal of raising $1 million by the end of the summer.
“We are asking community members to continue to keep the fund in mind as they think about ways to support Alexandria at this time,” she said.
The recent grants were awarded to:
- 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
Photo via ALIVE!/Facebook
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