【News from Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation, USA】

2020 Emergent Needs Covid-19 Response Grants – Round 1 

2020.06.19

        Announcing the first round of SYL Foundation’s 2020 COVID-19 response grants from our Emergent Needs Fund.

        In the current public health crisis, we know that infection rates in Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities are more than double the non-BIPOC population. Systemic inequities, language barriers, and lack of healthcare access are factors that contribute to this devastating outcome. With stay-at-home orders in place, incidents of domestic violence and abuse have increased. Anti-Asian hate and violence is also on the rise. In doubling its annual grant-making budget, SYL Foundation is providing emergency assistance to 14 community-based organizations that are working to address the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on BIPOC immigrant and refugee communities.

        In the first round of our COVID-19 Response Grants, SYL Foundation distributed $535,000 to organizations serving immigrants and refugees in 4 key areas:

    1) childcare/early education for families who are essential workers;

    2) community health centers and organizations providing care and COVID-19 health literacy services;

    3) direct relief and cash assistance to immigrant workers, especially undocumented workers; and

    4) anti-hate and anti-bias work.

    Huge thanks to our Foundation donors who make this important work possible! A second round of COVID-19 Response Grants will follow shortly.

Congratulations to these 14 organizations. We are proud to support this life-saving work! 

✔️ API Chaya: API Chaya empowers survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking to gain safety, connection, and wellness. Funds will be used to provide technology access to staff, so they are able to provide services remotely.

✔️ Asian Americans Advancing Justice: AAJC works to advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans, and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all. Funds will be used to fund anti-hate and anti-bias initiatives including bystander intervention trainings.

✔️ Center for MultiCultural Health: CMCH works to promote the health and well-being of diverse communities, including communities of color, individuals with limited English proficiency, and immigrants and refugees. Funds will be used to support innovative health advocacy, health promotion, disease prevention, and immigrant and refugee service programs.    

✔️ Child Care Resources: Child Care Resources works to ensure that every family in King County can find safe, quality and affordable child care. Funds will be used to provide grants to home-based child care programs operated by people of color, immigrants and refugees who were unable to access government support.

✔️ Community Health Board Coalition: CHBC is a community-led coalition of 14 health boards that works to improve the health outcomes for refugee, immigrant, and BIPOC communities in Western Washington. Funds will be used to purchase and distribute personal protective equipment to community members who are most at risk, such as essential workers and those living in multi-generational homes, as well as support anti-hate and anti-bias work.

✔️ Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrants & Refugees: CHWCMR increases the capacity of community champions to meet the needs of underserved communities. Funds will be used for: 1) healthcare access and education; 2) anti-hate and anti-bias initiatives; and 3) direct relief funds.

✔️ Comprehensive Healthcare: Comprehensive Healthcare provides behavioral health services in Central Washington through its community based behavioral health centers. Funding will be used to provide multilingual health communication measures.

✔️ COVID-19 Community Response Alliance: CRA is led by several community-based organizations working together to address a wide range of COVID-19 response efforts state-wide, including in-language health literacy outreach and education, food, rental and technology access assistance, as well as anti-hate and anti-bias reporting and tracking.

✔️ COVID-19 Fund for Undocumented Individuals in WA: The Washington Dream Coalition, in partnership with Scholarship Junkies, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network have established a fund to provide emergency financial relief to undocumented individuals who are at financial risk due to COVID-19.

✔️ Crisis Connections: Crisis Connections provides safety net services for all residents of King County, particularly under-served groups who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Funds will be used to support their programs which have seen an unprecedented increase in demand: 1) COVID-19 hotline; 2) 211 community resource navigator; and 3) Crisis line.

✔️ Denise Louie Education Center: DLEC provides high-quality multicultural early learning and family support services so kids will be ready to succeed in school and life. Funds will be used to provide childcare for essential workers, launching virtual preschool classrooms, providing online and phone consultations, and providing weekly food boxes to families.

✔️ Living Well Kent Collaborative: LWK is a group of community-based organizations and Kent residents united to achieve health equity through policy, systems and environmental change. Grant funds will be used to advocate for immigrant and refugee communities while ensuring that critical information reaches these communities in their own languages.

✔️ OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates: OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Grant funds will be used to help fund a national virtual summit “Resilient Communities” on July 31 – August 1. The summit will present tools and knowledge to the AAPI community that highlight and advance how the community is surviving, adapting, and rebuilding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

✔️ Seattle Chinatown International District PDA: SCIDpda is a community development organization whose mission is to preserve, promote and develop the Seattle Chinatown International District as a vibrant community and unique ethnic neighborhood. Funds will be used to support their COVID-19 response including direct grants to small businesses, culturally responsive one-on-one technical assistance to small businesses, coordination of grocery and meal deliveries, and wellness checks on elderly residents.

http://www.sylfoundation.org/whats-new-en/2020-emergent-needs-covid-19-response-grants-round-1/