Evanston Community Foundation announced Monday its latest round of grant recipients through its Evanston Community Rapid Response Fund. The grants, which total to over $300,000, will continue supporting nonprofit organizations and community members through the COVID-19 pandemic.
ECF established the Rapid Response Fund days after COVID-19 arrived in Evanston, and has received nearly $4 million in donations since March 2020. The fund has awarded $4.3 million in grants since its inception.
The fund’s new round of grants seek to address homelessness, food security and mental health. The recipients include a collaborative grocery program through C & W Market, Evanston Aid and District 65 Family Center that will provide groceries to over 400 community members, focusing on families with young children, seniors and minority-owned businesses. ECF has also awarded grants to Interfaith Action of Evanston, which has organized a warming center, and to small businesses distributing meals to residents, like Soul & Smoke and Jennifer’s Edibles.