Fund established to support non-profits providing critical care services

VERDE VALLEY — A separate fund has been set up for Verde Valley critical-care nonprofit organizations in need as the COVID-19 crisis has led to shortages of money, supplies and volunteers.

The Arizona Community Foundation has set up a COVID-19 fund that has grown from $100,000 to $1 million in just a few days. However, donors in the Verde Valley have expressed concerns to Jennifer Perry, a regional director for the Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona, that their donations won’t stay local.

The ACF facilitates the setup of a more local fund to help Verde Valley nonprofits, Perry said.

“We are in the process of updating our website to reflect this new regional support fund,” Perry said. “Individuals can donate to the fund and their money will be restricted to support the needs of our local community and non-profits can apply for emergency funding.”

Online donations to the Verde Valley fund can be made here.

Verde Valley nonprofits can request resources using this form.

The Arizona COVID-19 Community Response Fund is statewide funding providing flexible resources to organizations in Arizona working with communities who are impacted by COVID-19. It can be found here.

Perry said some examples of nonprofits that might benefit from this critical-care fund include Manzanita Outreach, the Verde Valley Senior Center, the Sedona Community Center, Verde Valley Caregivers and the local chapter of Meals on Wheels.

Major expenses for nonprofits could include part-time employees and any protective gear needed, she said. The caring nature of the Verde Valley means many retired seniors typically volunteer with nonprofits, but amid the recommendation for seniors to stay home and people to remain six feet apart to prevent the spread of illness, many seniors are not volunteering now.

“An emergency panel is meeting regularly to go over applications from this fund,” Perry said. “Those who had funding from the ACF previously, but didn’t use their funds, the restrictions will be loosened on some time windows. We want to give these nonprofits more opportunities to succeed at their missions.”


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