10 February 2021

The COVID-19 Community Response Fund Officially Closes After Granting Over $632,000 in Marathon County

WAUSAU, WI- In March of 2020, the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin in partnership with United Way of Marathon County teamed up to establish the COVID-19 Community Response Fund. This fund in total raised and granted out over $632,000 to local nonprofits throughout Marathon County thanks to the generosity of our community.

“When the coronavirus outbreak started to impact our area back in March, our organization knew right away that this was a time for our community to band together. We knew the crisis would have many short and long-term effects, and we are thankful to have served a role in offering hope and aid to those in a time of need” stated Jeff Sargent, Executive Director of United Way of Marathon County.

The COVID-19 Community Response Fund provided flexible funding for organizations working in our community who found themselves disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus and the economic consequences of the outbreak. Working in partnership, the Community Foundation and United Way dedicated their efforts to raising and dispersing funds to meet the needs in our community as efficiently as possible. The Fund focused on the following priorities in grantmaking:

• Food Needs
• Childcare
• Rental Assistance
• Information Access
• Education
• Medical Care
• Small Business
• Safety in the Home

Nearly a year later, the COVID-19 Community Response Fund has officially closed. “We would like to acknowledge the generous donors who supported this fund and the nonprofit organizations that have worked diligently to meet the needs of the community in this time of crisis. The outpouring of donations from our community allowed us to assist 57 local nonprofits in the past year,” stated Tim Parker, Community Foundation President and CEO.

To see a list of those who donated to the fund and the nonprofit organizations that received funding, click here.