Imperial County COVID-19 Response Fund—Round 3 Opens

El Centro, CA. March 15, 2021. Thanks to additional funding from generous donors, the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF) has announced a third round of COVID-19 Response funding for nonprofit organizations that primarily serve farm workers in Imperial County.

Nonprofit organizations are able to apply for a one-time grant in this round in amounts ranging from $1,000-$50,000. Applications are open from March 15 through April 2, 2021.

Funds from the Imperial County COVID-19 Response Fund-Round 3 are meant to support direct assistance related to food insecurity, basic supplies, rental, mortgage and utility assistance, and other emergency needs for communities and families impacted by unemployment and economic hardship due to the global pandemic. Funds are meant to be used by the nonprofit on behalf of those it serves and not for its own operational expenses.

To qualify for the Imperial County COVID-19 Response Fund, nonprofits must:

• Serve vulnerable populations within Imperial County, especially those disproportionately impacted by unemployment and other economic hardship during COVID-19, with preference given to those organizations that primarily serve the farm worker community;
• Be a 501(c)3 or have a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor, and
• Primarily serve Imperial County with a preference given to those with headquartered locations in Imperial County.

Imperial County COVID-19 Response Fund—Round 3: Grant Application Schedule

Open: March 15, 2021 (8:00am PST)
Closes: April 2, 2021 (5:00pm PST)
Decisions: April
Grant Disbursements: Usually two weeks after decisions are announced
Apply here

2020 IVWF COVID-19 Response Funding-Results

Last year, the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF) was able to raise more than $850k for Imperial County COVID-19 relief.

“We are deeply appreciative of the support for our Valley residents,” said Jose Landeros, Chair of the Board of Trustees, IVWF. “Even with vaccination efforts underway, we know there is still great need in our community as we slowly build our way back from the pandemic.”

To date, Imperial County nonprofits have received more than $566,000 from IVWF which they have deployed for food, basic supplies, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), rent/mortgage and utility assistance. Nonprofits included: Brawley Feed the Need, Catholic Charities Diocese San Diego, Codys Closet, Cancer Resource Center for the Desert, House of Bread Ministries, Imperial County Child Abuse Prevention Council, Imperial Valley College Foundation, Imperial Valley Food Bank, Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center, Spread the Love Charity, Sure Helpline, The Salvation Army, Turning Point Mens Home, United Way of Imperial County, WomanHaven, Westmorland Food Pantry, and Vo Neighborhood Medical Center.

The majority of the funding came from organizations outside Imperial County; organizations that saw the reports about the disproportionate impact the pandemic was having in the Valley and wanted to help. Among the donors were: Alliance Healthcare Foundation, California Wellness Foundation, Cal Energy, California Healthcare Foundation, CDC Foundation, First Imperial Credit Union, Ormat Technologies, The Center for Sierra Health,  The Chicago Community Trust, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/The San Diego Foundation, The Stuart Family Foundation, Walmart Foundation, MUFG Union Bank/Community Recovery Program, WebMD.

##########About Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation. Recognizing a need for more local funding to support promising health initiatives, a group of Imperial Valley civic leaders joined forces to create the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF). IVWF is a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code formed to advance the health and wellness of vulnerable populations in Imperial County. The San Diego-based Alliance Healthcare Foundation, nationally recognized for its innovative health and wellness initiatives, has offered a $7.5 million matching grant to endow IVWF and has provided other direct funding to support start-up operations and initial grant making. Wholly independent from Alliance Healthcare Foundation and locally governed by its own board of trustees, the new Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation is raising an additional $17.5 million through a national capital campaign to create a $25 million endowment that will fund local programs and activities in perpetuity. Visit www.ivwf.org.

IVWF Board of Trustees (3/1/2021)

• Jose Landeros, Board Chair; Vice President, David H. West Insurance
• Alex Cardenas, Vice Chair; Executive Director, CASA Imperial County
• Tim Kelley, Secretary; President & CEO, Imperial Valley Economic Development Corp
• Yurii Camacho, English High School Teacher, Holtville Unified School District
• James Garcia, Owner, Capital Real Estate
• Sara Griffen, Executive Director, Imperial Valley Food Bank
• Jazmyn Horton, Candidate for Masters in Social Work, San Diego State University-Imperial Valley Campus
• Matthew Jaime, Registered Dietician
• Stephen Jaime, Clinical Nurse Specialist of Diabetes Education, El Centro Regional Medical Center
• Antonio Romayor, Jr. M.Ed., Chief Technology Officer, El Centro Elementary School District
• Victor Jaime, Interim CEO, Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation

AHF Media contact:
Karen Winston, Communications Director, Alliance Healthcare Foundation
P 858-348-6472 E karen.winston@alliancehf.org