Pocono Mountains United Way COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund

March 18, 2020 – Pocono Mountains United Way has been working hard to establish its COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund. This initiative aims to rapidly deploy resources to regional organizations that work with communities who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the economic consequences of this health crisis.

The Crisis Response Fund functions in the form of a one-time grant to financially support organizations that have deep community roots and strong experience helping residents in, but not limited to, the following areas:

• At-risk populations.
• Those without health insurance and/or access to paid sick leave.
• People with limited English language proficiency.
• Healthcare and tourism workers.

Grants will be released on a rolling basis, with the initial round of funding expected to move within the next few weeks. The anticipated primary areas of need include:

• Food for children out of school, seniors, families.
• Rental assistance to keep people housed.
• People experiencing homelessness.
• College students facing barriers.

“This fund is designed to complement the work of public health officials and expand local capacity as efficiently as possible,” said Michael Tukeva, President/CEO of Pocono Mountains United Way. “A coalition of philanthropy, government and business partners is working together in real time to make this happen.”

Pocono Mountains United Way will administer grants from the fund, while grant recipients will be determined by a subset of the non-profit’s Board of Directors and other community leaders. The specially formed Crisis Response Fund Committee is chaired by Chris Barrett, President/CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

Pocono Mountains United Way commits that 100% of donated funds will be used to support crisis response efforts with 0% overhead fees assessed by United Way or the recipient organizations.

Click here to donate or learn more about the Crisis Response Fund.