Supporting Front-line Organizations

As the world shelters in place, the hard reality for many is that they may be facing increased risk of violence and trauma when home is not necessarily a safe place to be. With the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Pinpoint Foundation moved nimbly to approve nearly $200,000 in crisis response grants to 38 agencies working on the frontlines of COVID-19, including domestic violence shelters, foster youth service providers, national bail funds, food banks, and wraparound service providers. This decision was a natural one for the foundation as it has been committed to providing flexible financial support to local and national grassroots organizations since its inception six years ago.

As a first step in response to the crisis, Pinpoint gathered information about the immediate needs of its long-time grantees (working in the areas of birth justice, domestic violence, foster youth, and sexual assault) to see where small grants could make a big difference. These learnings guided the foundation’s decision to provide additional support to a number of grantees who are serving the most affected in our communities.

The foundation also went beyond its traditional grantmaking to provide targeted funding to agencies throughout the Bay Area that are helping people meet their basic needs, including wraparound service agencies providing rental and housing assistance; food banks ramping up food distribution efforts in response to unprecedented need; and Meals on Wheels programs delivering food to an increasing number of homebound seniors. Recognizing that there is an incredible number of amazing nonprofit organizations supporting our community during this crisis, Pinpoint board members focused funding on underserved geographic areas in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, and Solano counties, as well as along the San Mateo coast.

As Amanda points out, many community-based, grassroots nonprofits are well-positioned to serve high-need clients but may be operating with very tight budgets. Like so many nonprofits working on the frontlines of this crisis, these agencies are in need of flexible financial support to be able to quickly and efficiently serve their clients during this difficult time.

If you’re interested in learning more about directing funding to community-based, grassroots nonprofits, please email Emily Schroeder.