We’re funding services that are meeting emergency needs throughout Central Oregon.

From our local Central Oregon COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, we at United Way have thus far distributed $97,000 to 23 local and regional nonprofit agencies that are meeting the emergency needs of our community’s most vulnerable, deducting no administrative fees. Find them listed HERE.

Last week, we granted $19,000 to 4 more agencies. These newest partners are Family Access Network (FAN) ($5,000), KIDS Center ($4,000), and Friends of the Children ($5,000) all serving Central Oregon, as well as Habitat for Humanity of La Pine Sunriver ($5,000).

We will continue to award grants weekly to local and regional agencies. Nonprofits across our region (Warm Springs, and Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties) are invited to apply. The grant application process is streamlined to expedite funding and can be found HERE.

To date, we have raised nearly $129,000 to deliver help and essential services to those who need it most right now. Most recently, Consumer Cellular donated $3,500 our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. PacificSource Health Plans donated $50,000 in seed money to start the Fund. Oregon Community Foundation and Ford Family Foundation followed suit with $30,000 and $10,000 respectively. Our local United Way in Central Oregon has added $30,000 to the Fund.

Our community knows that our local United Way is the most reliable agency with capacity to reach our most marginalized community members. As a community leader, we are reliably accomplished in quickly mobilizing funding and distributing it where it has the greatest impact on the greatest need.

Those who want to help in the face of overwhelming need in this time of crisis can confidently invest in our local COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. It is feeding people who need to be fed.

In this time of need, we at United Way knows how to help. We know regional agencies, we know how each serves this community, we can quickly access funds, we rapidly direct resources where they can be best used by those who need them most, and we can be trusted to do the job right.

The 4 newly funded agencies join 19 others, for a total of 23 COVID-19 Partners. Prior local United Way COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund recipients are: Council on Aging of Central Oregon (Meals on Wheels) ($5,000), Latino Community Association ($5,000), Every Child Central Oregon ($3,500), Thrive Central Oregon ($5,000), St. Vincent de Paul of Crook County ($5,000), Madras Community Food Pantry (Jefferson County and Warm Springs) ($4,000), L.I.N.C. Madras (Jefferson County) ($5,000), Warm Springs Community Action Team ($5,000), Beulah’s Place (Deschutes County) ($2,500), St. Vincent de Paul in La Pine Food Bank ( ($2,500), La Pine Senior Activity Center ($2,500), UPCAP in Three Rivers ($5,000), Jericho Road of Redmond ($5,000), Sisters Family Access Network (FAN) ($5,000), Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend ($3,000), DAWNS House (Bend) ($5,000), Ronald McDonald House of Bend ($2,000), Reach Out NP (Bend) ($3,000), and the Giving Plate  (Bend) ($5,000)

About United Way:

With a deep and longstanding familiarity of local agencies serving Central Oregon’s most vulnerable, we have emerged as best-equipped to meet new community needs formed by COVID-19. Having served our community for 67 years, meeting needs through the ups and downs, we are committed to helping nurture the resilient community that is Central Oregon.

Make a Donation:

100% of donations to the local Central Oregon United Way COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund are distributed to community agencies to help those in our community who need it right now. United Way deducts no administrative fees. GIVE NOW.

Apply for a Grant:

For more information or to learn more about the our Central Oregon COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund grant application for regional nonprofits click HERE or contact Kati Hannigan, Community Impact Associate at 541-389-6507 or kati@deschutesunitedway.org.

Plus we’ve distributed an additional $28,000 to critical services throughout Central Oregon!

In this time of crisis, we at United Way in Central Oregon to demonstrate its leadership in rapid fundraising and quick turnaround, dispersing emergency funding locally to where it has the greatest impact on the most need.

With a deep and longstanding familiarity of local agencies serving Central Oregon’s most vulnerable, we have emerged as best-equipped to meet new community needs formed by COVID-19. Having served our community for 67 years, meeting needs through the ups and downs, we are committed to helping nurture the resilient community that is Central Oregon.

As a community leader with longstanding donor confidence, we have raised nearly $125,000 through our local Central Oregon COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

Thus far, we have awarded $78,000 in grants to regional nonprofits. And this is only the beginning. We are reviewing funding requests from regional nonprofits daily and awarding grants weekly.

The most recent 8 recipients of funding from United Way’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund were awarded $28,000 in grants. They are: Every Child Central Oregon ($3,500), Thrive Central Oregon ($5,000), Ronald McDonald House of Bend ($2,000), Beulah’s Place (Deschutes County) ($2,500), Madras Community Food Pantry ($4,000), Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend ($3,000), DAWNS House (Bend) ($5,000), and Reach Out NP (Bend) ($3,000).

The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund was recently infused with a $10,000 donation from the Ford Family Foundation. It was originally seeded with $50,000 from PacificSource Health Plans, augmented by $30,000 from Oregon Community Foundation, and increased with another $30,000 from United Way in Central Oregon. The Fund continues to grow through donations from community members who want to help in the face of overwhelming need, and know that United Way is the relevant agency with reliable ability to access our most marginalized friends, families, and neighbors.

At the end of March, United Way granted $50,000 from this local COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to 11 other Central Oregon agencies: Council on Aging of Central Oregon (Meals on Wheels) ($5,000) and Latino Community Association ($5,000) serving all 3 Central Oregon counties, as well as St. Vincent de Paul of Crook County ($5,000), L.I.N.C. Madras (Jefferson County) ($5,000), Warm Springs Community Action Team ($5,000), and serving Deschutes County: St. Vincent de Paul in La Pine Food Bank ($2,500), La Pine Senior Activity Center ($2,500), Jericho Road of Redmond ($5,000), Sisters Family Access Network (FAN) ($5,000), UPCAP in Three Rivers ($5,000), and the Giving Plate in Bend ($5,000).

From this local COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, we continue to award grants to qualifying nonprofits that are meeting emergency needs of our community’s most vulnerable, deducting no administrative fees. Nonprofits across our region (Warm Springs, and Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties) are invited to apply. The grant application process is streamlined to expedite funding and can be found here: COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund or contact Kati Hannigan, Community Impact Associate at 541-389-6507 or  kati@deschutesunitedway.org.

About United Way:

At United Way in Central Oregon, we are feeding people who need to be fed. We know local and regional agencies, know how each serves this community, can quickly access funds, rapidly directs resources where they can be best used by those who need them most, and can be trusted to do the job right. In this time of need, we at United Way know how to help.

Make a Donation:

The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund delivers help to those in our community who need it right now. 100% of donations are being distributed to community agencies; United Way deducts no administrative fees. GIVE NOW. 

Plus we announced a funding opportunity for regional nonprofits responding locally to  the pandemic.

Last week, we launched a new COVID-19 Response Fund to agencies delivering immediate emergency assistance to Central Oregonians hardest hit by the fallout of COVID-19.

Today, we announced that we have added $30,000 to this Central Oregon COVID-19 Response Fund.

In addition, we announced that we are now accepting applications for funding. Grant funding is available to nonprofits across our region (Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties and Warm Springs) that are providing emergency assistance and essential services to those who are most impacted by COVID-19.

With evolving priorities that are responsive to community needs, we’ve developed a simple grant application process to expedite funding to nonprofits providing vital services that are hurting due to the pandemic. The United Way Central Oregon COVID-19 Response Fund grant application for nonprofits can be found HERE.

From this COVID-19 Response Fund, we have already rapidly directed $50,000 to 11 Central Oregon agencies: Council on Aging of Central Oregon (Meals on Wheels) ($5,000) and Latino Community Association ($5,000) serving all 3 Central Oregon counties, as well as St. Vincent de Paul of Crook County ($5,000), L.I.N.C. Madras (Jefferson County) ($5,000), Warm Springs Community Action Team ($5,000), and serving Deschutes County: St. Vincent de Paul in La Pine Food Bank ($2,500), La Pine Senior Activity Center ($2,500), Jericho Road of Redmond ($5,000), Sisters Family Access Network (FAN) ($5,000), UPCAP in Three Rivers ($5,000), and the Giving Plate in Bend ($5,000).

And this is just the beginning. From this Response Fund, we will continue to award grants to qualifying nonprofits that are meeting the most critical needs of our community’s most vulnerable, deducting no administrative fees. In addition to the Central Oregon COVID-19 Response Fund, we are also creating a separate COVID-19 Recovery & Resilience Fund that will address ongoing and impending community needs resulting from COVID-19.

According to Executive Director Ken Wilhelm, United Way is committed to serving the needs of Central Oregonians – now and in the future. “Resilience is the ability to successfully adapt to adversity. Many local helping agencies are being really challenged right now. We need to provide immediate support to help them adapt to meet those challenges. Later, we’ll need to help them sustain those adaptations.”

Playing a special role during this crisis, we are able to use its unique position as a longstanding and trustworthy organization to mobilize resources and address immediate needs across our region – helping those who need it most right now.

The Response Fund, seeded with a donation of $50,000 from PacificSource Health Plans, augmented by $30,000 from Oregon Community Foundation, and infused with another $30,000 from United Way in Central Oregon continues to grow thanks to the generosity of members of our community.

Make a Donation:

100% of donations to the Response Fund are being distributed to community agencies; we will not deduct any administrative fees from donations. The COVID-19 Response Fund delivers help to those in our community who need it right now – they may be your neighbors, your friends, or your family members – and they deserve our support. Give now.

Applying for a Response Fund Grant:

We are not only a fundraiser, we are also a funder. Money raised here, stays right here and serves this community. Established and nimble, we rapidly evolved our priorities to be immediately responsive to new community needs formed by COVID-19, creating 2 Funds to address the fallout of the pandemic across Central Oregon.

For more information or to learn more about the United Way Central Oregon COVID-19 Response Fund grant application for regional nonprofits visit: https://www.unitedwaycentraloregon.org/central-oregon-covid-19-response-fund/ or contact Kati Hannigan, Community Impact Associate at 541-389-6507 or kati@deschutesunitedway.org.