Well, that was fast! Less than two weeks after being created, the COVID-19 Quick Response Community Fund has already given out $75,000 in grants to nine local nonprofits.

And now, the Eau Claire-based Pablo Foundation has donated an additional $50,000 to the fund, boosting its coffers to $175,000.

The Quick Response Community Fund, created by the Eau Claire Community Foundation and the United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley, announced Friday that it was issuing grants to nine “Eau Claire-area nonprofits that serve community members disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and its economic consequences.” Funds will continue to be granted on a rolling basis, the Community Foundation and United Way said, which will allow evolving needs to be met as the crisis continues.

The first recipients of grants from the Quick Response Community Fund include:

• Catholic Charities (to expand emergency shelter space for the homeless);
• Feed My People Food Bank (in part for crisis food outreach for children, Meals on Wheels, and pop-up food pantries);
• The Community Table (for supplies for take-out meals and to protect volunteers);
• Hope Gospel Mission (to compensate revenue lost because of store closures);
• The Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association (for remote communication needs and rental assistance);
• L.E. Phillips Senior Center (to connect with home-bound people);
• L.E. Phillips Career Development Center (to support operations impacted by COVID-19);
• Lutheran Social Services (to address increased needs at Positive Avenues, which serves people with mental health needs and the homeless);
• Trinity Equestrian Center (to support clients struggling with mental health and social disorders).

According to the Community Foundation, “Applications not funded this week will be re-considered next week. New applications will continue to be accepted; interested organizations can apply online at the Eau Claire Community Foundation website. Additional grants will be distributed weekly as long as donations to the Quick Response Community Fund permit.”

And those donations are continuing: On Monday, the Pablo Foundation — which is focused on housing, health, education, and the arts — announced it was donating $50,000 to the Quick Response Community Fund.

“Pablo Foundation values community collaboration and recognized the Quick Response Community Fund as a way to support local nonprofits who are being asked to continue to serve our vulnerable population,” said Pablo Foundation Executive Director MaiVue Xiong.

Sue Bornick, executive director of the Eau Claire Community Foundation, said, “We are thrilled to receive this generous donation from the Pablo Foundation. It is inspiring to see so many donors and community partners coming together to help our friends and neighbors, many whom they will never meet.”

Interested in learning more about the Quick Response Community Fund and how to make a donation? Then go here!