Imperial Valley COVID-19 Response Fund—Round 3 Opens March 15, 2021

El Centro, CA. March 9, 2021. Thanks to additional funding from generous donors, the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF) will open a third round of COVID-19 Response funding March 15 for nonprofit organizations that primarily serve the farm worker community in Imperial County. The application period will close April 2, 2021.

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.

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