Site Search

The COVID-19 public health and economic crisis has changed our world as we know it. As employers moved to remote work, schools shifted to distance learning, and businesses closed completely, it became clear that the impact on residents, nonprofits, and businesses was far greater than anyone could have ever imagined.

In response to the growing and evolving needs of our region, the Greater Washington Community Foundation established the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to raise and rapidly deploy funding to local nonprofits providing food, shelter, educational supports, and other critical services.

From the beginning our goal was clear: to address the immediate needs and reach adversely affected communities, particularly low-income households and communities of color. We know all too well that in a crisis like this, these marginalized communities are hit the hardest, and often take the longest to recover.

In times of crises, The Community Foundation is our region’s philanthropic first responder, bringing together individuals and families, philanthropic peers, corporate partners, and local government advisors to address community issues. Building on our rich history of emergency response work, we grounded our COVID-19 response efforts in a similar coordinated approach.

This report chronicles the steps taken, under immense pressure, to develop a coordinated emergency response effort to support a broad range of needs across the region. Once again this effort has demonstrated that working in partnership and close collaboration with our philanthropic peers and local government advisors is an effective way to manage a response to both urgent and longer-term needs.

This weekly funder briefing webinar series welcomed New Jersey-based grantmakers along with national funders and provided an opportunity for grantmakers to hear from a wide range of nonprofit experts. This series started on March 13, 2025, less than a month after the first executive order was issued and continued through April 24, 2025. The written summaries of each recording are listed below.

Explore how philanthropy can empower organizations led by people of color, advocate for structural change, and confront the impacts of white dominant culture during COVID-19.

With the ongoing spread of coronavirus, protests demanding racial justice, and new data confirming the racial inequity of the pandemic – action is needed now. The social sector must acknowledge and actively work against the embedded racism in a range of systems, including healthcare, employment, education, housing, immigration, and criminal justice.

During our COVID-19 Funders Briefing Series I, Dr. Denise Rodgers from Rutgers University and Bob Atkins of New Jersey Health Initiatives discussed how philanthropy can respond to the systemic racism that underlies the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities. This webinar will expand on those ideas to offer additional strategies and examples of how philanthropy can create a more equitable New Jersey during recovery and beyond.

We’ll hear from Ryan Haygood, President and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and Pat Eng, President and CEO of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP).

Topics will include:

• Actions taken to center equity during the pandemic.
• The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the physical, mental, and financial well-being of communities of color.
• How philanthropy can support organizations led by people of color in the fight for social justice.

Cost: Free for CNJG Members. $50 for Non Member Grantmakers

Webinar Video