Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson selection of the Arkansas Community Foundation as a trusted partner to administer the state’s recently launched Covid-19 Relief Fund marks the latest in a growing trend among government agencies that are looking for knowledgable partners for managing relief funds and ensuring the money collected is going to vetted nonprofits.

Nearly 250 community foundations in all 50 states have collectively mobilized more than $353 million to provide critical support to those affected by Covid-19, according to new data from the Community Foundation Public Awareness Initiative.

In many communities, some of that money is already helping provide food, shelter, and other urgent needs. To date, community foundations have publicly announced more than $54.8 million in grants to local nonprofits. Many others are expecting to allocate their first round of grants within the next week.

As communities across the U.S. grapple with how to help those impacted by Covid-19, donors are stepping up grantmaking through donor-advised funds to help those in need.

U.S. community foundations are moving decisively to help those in need during the Covid-19 crisis -- mobilizing more than $238.7 million during the past two weeks alone. These funds will provide critical support to those who are facing challenges such as lost income, housing and food instability.

Philanthropy has one often-maligned resource that is poised to serve as a shock absorber for communities as they attempt to deal with the far-reaching impact of the coronavirus — donor-advised funds.

Community foundations across the U.S. have been stepping up their response to COVID-19 -- creating new funds to support those affected and partnering with local governments and health organizations to help contain its spread.

When extreme weather strikes, islands take a big hit. These storms cause a high rate of homelessness.

Last week more than 70 organizations issued the Climate Strong Islands Declaration, which calls for foundations, government agencies, and corporations to support efforts to make islands more sustainable, self-sufficient and resilient.

In Puerto Rico, solar microgrids are being built from philanthropy, government agencies and businesses working hand-and-hand.

*Reprinted with permission from The Chronicle of Philanthropy*

The Communities Foundation of Texas this week announced that it has passed the $2 billion milestone for its grant making.

The foundation foundation is one of the largest grantmakers in its state, and manages more than 1,000 charitable funds.

The Central New York Community Foundation (CNYCF) has developed a new mobile app that aims to help nonprofits in the community collaborate with other organizations in a more streamlined way.

Every K-12 student in the state of Utah will have access to a computer science education by 2022 thanks to a $4 million fund announced this week by The Community Foundation of Utah.