CONNECTING PHILANTHROPY WITH COMMUNITY’S NEEDS DURING COVID-19
The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay has mobilized both its funding resources and its ability to connect to the community during the COVID-19 crisis by establishing collaborative tools to match local nonprofits’ needs with givers. Since the crisis began, the Community Foundation has injected nearly $4.2 million into local nonprofits. And the numbers are growing as others — including businesses, foundations and individuals — respond to immediate requests from nonprofits that the Foundation has been gathering in a central location since March 25.
NONPROFIT NEEDS LIST
The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay created the Nonprofit Needs List, a centralized list of local nonprofits’ greatest needs during the pandemic and the specific dollar amounts needed to fund each project. “Some of the most immediate appear to be in basic needs, such as housing and food, resources for domestic violence, access to mental health services and alternative ways to engage and education students. We’re continuing to analyze the requests to see trends,” said Marlene Spalten, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. “Nonprofit leaders are being very creative in finding new ways to serve our community while maintaining the health of their staff and volunteers.”
Donors are encouraged to contact nonprofits on the Nonprofit Needs List directly to make a donation.
The Foundation has offered matching incentives when its own fundholders contribute to a need on the list.
TAMPA BAY RAPID RESPONSE FUND
Alternatively, donors can make a contribution to the Community Foundation’s Tampa Bay Rapid Response Fund, a trusted and reliable way to donate to relief efforts.
Organizations like Helios Education Foundation, Florida Blue and Humana joined the Community Foundation in seeding the Rapid Response Fund with $175,000. The Community Foundation will direct the funds from the Rapid Response Fund to address immediate and mid- to long-term needs through grants to local nonprofits.
“As a community collaborator, we’re positioned to act quickly to support the local nonprofits who are best equipped to meet our community’s greatest needs,” said Spalten. “We’re helping philanthropists to connect with nonprofits, and multiplying their impact by matching their donations.”
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MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID INITIATIVE
LEARNING TO IDENTIFY, UNDERSTAND AND RESPOND TO THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.
Objective: To raise awareness of the prevalence of mental health issues in the community, reduce the stigma, and provide viable skills to address mental health challenges. This project will focus on training and empowering key personnel in nonprofits, faith communities, and other community settings to identify, understand and respond to signs of addictions, and mental illness.
Overview: Even before the pandemic and social unrest of 2020, we knew that mental illness was a serious issue in our community and all communities. Pre-2020 research shows that 1-in-6 adults in the U.S. experience a mental illness within a given year. A study released by the CDC in August 2020 found that 40 percent of U.S. adults (2 in every 5) are struggling with at least one serious mental health issue during the pandemic. Those experiencing mental health conditions can be further impacted by stigma, which is caused by fear and a lack of understanding. It can lead to harassment, bullying, violence, and discrimination, which can cause isolation, shame, and prevention of treatment for those experiencing mental illness.
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Value proposition: Mental Health First Aid (the CPR of mental health) is a national certification through the National Council for Behavioral Health that is proven effective. Peer-reviewed studies show that individuals trained in the program:
- Grow knowledge of signs, symptoms, and risk factors of mental illnesses and addictions.
- Can identify multiple types of professional and self-help resources for individuals with a mental illness or addiction.
- Increase their confidence in and likelihood to help an individual in distress.
- Show increased mental wellness themselves.
Studies also show that the program reduces the social distance created by negative attitudes and perceptions of individuals with mental illnesses.
Mental Health First Aid USA is listed in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices. NREPP is a searchable database of mental health and substance abuse interventions to help the public find programs and practices that may best meet their needs and learn how to implement them in their communities. All interventions in the registry have been independently assessed and rated for quality of research and readiness for
dissemination.
The project will concentrate on providing MHFA certification to those who work in nonprofit organizations, faith communities, educational institutions and other arenas that include members of the public who may be in crisis.
Certification and training will be provided for at least 5,000 people in those communities over a three-year period. Many of those, who serve nonprofits in our community, will be provided training at no cost.
NEW PINELLAS OFFICE
The Community Foundation of Tampa opened a new Pinellas office located at 110 Central Avenue, one of St. Petersburg’s most vibrant streets.
The office in St. Petersburg will play a vital role in serving the growing number of the Community Foundation’s Pinellas County fundholders while improving the region’s quality of life through the power of charitable giving.
Now, philanthropists, nonprofit leaders and community partners in Pinellas can collaborate on ways to address our region’s most pressing issues without leaving their neighborhood.
“We often look to the business and community leaders who serve on our Regional Councils to guide our work as a collaborator, convener and catalyst in bringing resources to local communities,” said President and CEO, Marlene Spalten.
In addition, local nonprofits can hold meetings at the Pinellas office, and use the Community Foundation’s virtual meeting technology.
