FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Message from Martin Garber-Conrad, Edmonton Community Foundation’s CEO
April 23, 2020 Edmonton, AB:
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to share some positive news in the fight against the effects of COVID-19 and the need for social supports. On Tuesday, the Government of Canada announced the creation of a $350 million Emergency Community Support Fund. This fund will help charities and non-profit organizations that support vulnerable populations in Canada who are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
The Emergency Community Support Fund is being made available to help organizations provide and adapt frontline services for vulnerable Canadians who are less prepared to deal with the health, social, and economic impacts of the pandemic.
This Fund is a very important step by our federal government. The initiative will help community foundations across Canada, together with The Canadian Red Cross and United Way Centraide Canada, meet immediate needs and preserve the employment of those working in the charitable sector.
Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) established its Covid-19 Rapid Response Fund (RRF) on March 25th with $500,000 of its discretionary dollars. The RRF enables us to quickly respond to important needs of the charitable sector not addressed by others. ECF is in a strong position to help find creative solutions in our community, and because the pandemic affects some groups and people more significantly than others, we will use our support to address those inequities.
To date the COVID-19 RRF has received more than $500,000 in contributions from our donors and the community, including a generous $150,000 donation from EPCOR. Together with the initial $500,000 in seed money, the RRF has more than $1 million earmarked for community support. Of that, the RRF has already granted more than $440,000 to two dozen charities delivering services and programs in the community. These initiatives have included food delivery programs, mental health supports, domestic violence intervention programs and more.
Martin Garber-Conrad
CEO, Edmonton Community Foundation
