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Leaders at nine of the nation’s most influential nonprofit funding and infrastructure organizations are pushing funders to loosen their guidelines on grants during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
The nine organizations issued a joint statement calling on foundations to significantly increase grant spending during this crisis. The statement was issued jointly by the leaders of BoardSource, the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), the Council on Foundations (COF), Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), Independent Sector (IS), the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP), the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), and United Philanthropy Forum (UPF).
The statement comes after a push by the COF to get foundations onboard to increase funding which has resulted in leaders at more than 400 foundations agreeing to do so.
In the statement, the leaders acknowledged these extraordinary times. “In order for philanthropy to respond adequately to this moment, endowed private foundations will need to challenge conventional thinking about spending and increase their giving for a period of time. I am pleased to see announcements in recent days that suggest that some foundations are doing just that,” they said via the statement.
The statement continued: “Yet what nonprofits need most right now is more money. Without rapid and meaningful infusions of additional resources, many organizations will have to dramatically pare back programs and services or fold their operations entirely — and the results for the economy, vulnerable populations, communities, and progress on crucial issues will be devastating.”
The statement echoes much of what the COF has been pushing. Posted on the COF website is a statement, a policy pledge and a list of foundations already signed on.
“The rapid spread of COVID-19 has created a global health and economic crisis that is testing every one of us. We know that the shocks of this ‘new normal’ are severe and unanticipated for our sector and grantee partners,” according to the posting. “As leaders in philanthropy, we recognize the critical need to act with fierce urgency to support our nonprofit partners as well as the people and communities hit hardest by the impacts of COVID-19.”
Over the days, weeks, and months ahead, each of the foundations pledge to:
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