Emergency Needs Fund disperses $655,000 to the community for COVID-19 relief.
Coastal Georgia COVID-19 Community Emergency Needs Fund
The Communities of Coastal Georgia announced that it has awarded $40,000 in grants to agencies in Camden County providing basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, water, prescriptions/healthcare, and medical care to those who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following funding awards represent Phase One and Two of a multi-phase response to quickly deploy resources into our Coastal communities:
Coastal Georgia Foundation Awards $107,700 in recent grant cycle
Twenty-two organizations working directly with our community’s most vulnerable populations were awarded a total of $107,700 in grants from the Coastal Georgia Foundation’s Community Impact competitive grants initiative. Although these organizations provide critical and important services to at-risk youth and their families in Glynn, Camden and McIntosh counties, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an added factor in the decision-making process.
The Foundation annually budgets $50,000 for its Community Impact grants initiative, and especially this year, generous fund holders and friends were able to make up the $57,700 gap to meet the needs of twenty-two recipients.
“At a time when communities are reeling from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, generosity is reaching new heights. The Foundation was able to more than double the support it is making available to agencies providing essential services to Coastal Georgia’s most vulnerable population; at-risk youth and the adults caring for them. Well done, Coastal Georgians!”
The next Community Impact grants cycle will open in January 2021, with applications due in February 2021.
A brief description of the grant recipients and programs follows:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Georgia, Brunswick - $5,000
Camden Community Crisis Center, St. Marys - $5,000
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Glynn, Inc., Brunswick and St. Marys - $4,200
Camden Connection* (CCAR), St. Marys - $5,000
Centered for Life*, Brunswick - $5,000
Children in Action Sports Club (CIA), Brunswick - $5,000
Coastal Coalition for Children, Inc., Brunswick - $5,000
Coastal Outreach Academics, Brunswick - $5,000
Communities in Schools of Glynn County, Brunswick - $4,000
The Gathering Place, Brunswick - $5,000
Georgia Legal Services Program, Inc.*, Brunswick - $5,000
Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association, Brunswick - $5,000
Grace House of Brunswick, Brunswick - $5,000
Habitat for Humanity of Glynn County, Inc., Brunswick - $5,000
Hope 1312 Collective, Inc., Brunswick - $5,000
House of Hope, Refuge of Love, Brunswick - $5,000
Morningstar Children and Family Services, Inc., Brunswick - $5,000
The Remedy Project*, Brunswick - $5,000
Safe Harbor Children’s Center, Inc., Brunswick - $5,000
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Darien - $5,000
STAR Foundation, Brunswick - $5,000
YMCA of the Golden Isles, Darien - $5,000
*denotes first-time competitive grant recipient
About the Coastal Georgia Foundation
The Coastal Georgia Foundation was incorporated in 2005, as a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people of Glynn, McIntosh and Camden counties. The Foundation now has assets over $30 million and has awarded over $17 million in grants, the majority to community organizations in the three-county region and Georgia. The Foundation serves ordinary citizens who have the extraordinary vision for a better life for their neighbors, friends, families, and fellow coastal Georgians - today and for future generations. The Foundation seeks to be the region’s trusted source for thoughtful philanthropic counsel, sound financial management and strategic community investment. www.coastalgeorgiafoundation.org
The Community Emergency Needs Fund has awarded a total of $100,000 in grant distributions to coastal agencies providing basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, water, prescriptions/healthcare, and transportation to work and medical care to those who have been disproportionately impacted by the corona virus pandemic. The Needs Fund is managed in partnership by the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and United Way of Coastal Georgia to serve coastal residents that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
These funding awards represent Phase One of a multi-phase response to quickly deploy resources into the community. Phase One recipients are:
America’s Second Harvest – Providing community-wide food distribution events and increased food distribution to partner agencies.
Faithworks Ministry – Providing food distribution at the Sparrow’s Nest and maintaining the Well for the homeless.
Golden Isles YMCA - Providing childcare for the children of essential workers who don’t have the option of working from home and require childcare (healthcare workers, first responders, DFCS, Gateway).
Boys and Girls Club – Food distribution of snack and dinner to area children.
Salvation Army - Extended their capacity to shelter clients by resourcing their chapel into a temporary shelter to accept 20 additional clients.
Safe Harbor Street Outreach - Providing homeless assistance with hotel/motel vouchers, transportation, and food distribution.
Coastal Community Health Services - Providing financial assistance for fees, copays, and medication for those who have lost insurance due to unemployment as well as extending their capacity for drive-thru COVID-19 testing.
Communities in Schools – Food distribution for families that have no access to transportation. Distributing donated computers to students without access to a computer in the home.
Coastal Outreach Soccer - Food distribution for families that have no access to transportation. Distributing donated computers to students without access to a computer in the home.
Morningstar Family and Children’s Services – Providing telehealth counseling sessions. Continuing to provide residential care to students.
Darien United Methodist Church – Providing weekly food delivery to elderly and at-risk individuals in McIntosh County.
St Andrews and St Cyprians Episcopal Churches – Food distribution and financial assistance for rent and utilities for McIntosh residents.
House of Hope – Providing residential care for girls that are victims of human trafficking.
Grace House – Providing residential care and treatment to women recovering from addiction.
Additional funding phases will occur in the coming weeks.
“We are so pleased to be able to quickly begin distributing resources to help Coastal Georgians weather the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Mary Jenrette, United Way of Coastal Georgia Board Chair.
“As we look toward reopening our community, we are seeing so clearly that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a deep and wide impact on local economy,” Jack Kilgore, Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation Board Chair. “We will see and feel the need continuing to increase for some time. We encourage all to consider making a gift to the Emergency Needs Fund.”
Individuals, families, businesses and other philanthropy organizations are invited to continue to give to the Needs Fund at this link.
A just-announced $100,000 grant to the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation by The Anschutz Foundation is dedicated to assisting coastal area residents who have suffered temporary or permanent job losses due to the economic impact of COVID-19. The grant will be added to the Community Emergency Needs Fund established and managed jointly by the United Way of Coastal Georgia and the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation.
Scott Steilen, President and CEO of Sea Island, one of the largest employers in our area which has temporarily closed its resort operations, approached The Anschutz Foundation to support this effort. “I have been asked by many area residents how they can assist those in our community who have lost their jobs because of this pandemic. A key way to help is to follow their lead and donate to the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, which has the infrastructure in place to quickly distribute these funds to those agencies assisting individuals who have lost their jobs. This is our home, and now is the time when our community needs us most. Please join with us to help.” Steilen has issued a challenge to the community to match or exceed these donated funds.
Davis and Robin Love quickly accepted this challenge with a pledge of $50,000 from the Love family. According to Love, “Robin and I are incredibly saddened to see the economic pain caused to so many people we know and see on a regular basis. We experienced the caring, giving spirit of this community first-hand recently and encourage others to join us in helping many of the people who make our area an amazing place to live.”
Paul White, President and CEO of the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, extends his thanks to both The Anschutz Foundation and the Loves and encourages the community to accept this challenge to help those directly affected by the loss of their jobs. “In these challenging times, collaboration will help our community survive this crisis and emerge stronger when it is past. The Coastal Georgia Foundation and the United Way look forward to working with Coastal Georgians to meet and exceed the generosity of both donors. The addition of these grants to the generous gifts already made by other foundations, fund holders and many coastal Georgians have combined to give this initiative a very strong start.”
Community members are invited to visit the Coastal Georgia Foundation’s web site – www.coastalgeorgiafoundation.org - to donate to the Community Emergency Needs Fund. Information for agencies seeking funding is also available on the site.
About the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation
The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation (CCGF) was incorporated in 2005, as a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people of Glynn, McIntosh and Camden counties. The Foundation now has assets over $30 million and has awarded over $16 million in grants to community organizations in the three-county region and beyond. The Foundation serves ordinary citizens who have the extraordinary vision for a better life for their neighbors, friends, families, and fellow coastal Georgians - today and for future generations. The Foundation seeks to be the region’s trusted source for thoughtful philanthropic counsel, sound financial management and strategic community investment. www.coastalgeorgiafoundation.org
About the United Way of Coastal Georgia
United Way of Coastal Georgia located in Brunswick, Georgia is the leading facilitator of community enrichment for both Glynn and McIntosh counties. The mission of United Way of Coastal Georgia is to bring diverse people and resources together to address the most urgent issues that the community faces. Through unique partnerships and approaches, United Way of Coastal Georgia seeks to invest in the building blocks of a good life; a quality education that leads to a stable job, income to support a family though retirement and good health. For additional information, visit www.uwcga.org.
{slider=About}
The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and the United Way of Coastal Georgia opened the Community Emergency Needs Fund after Hurricane Irma brought high winds and flooding to the Golden Isles as a way to help our communities deal with the immediate aftermath and recovery efforts. The Fund pivoted in early 2020 to address emergent needs in response to the spreading Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by distributing grants to local non-profits working to help those in crisis.
The Community Emergency Needs Fund has remained a flexible resource able to respond to the emergent needs of the residents of Coastal Georgia who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the economic and public health consequences of this outbreak.
Charitable grants fund agencies in our community with strong experience in providing basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, water, prescriptions/healthcare, and transportation to work and medical care. The Fund is designed to complement the work of local public health, nonprofit, and government entities, and to expand local capacity to support individuals and families experiencing hardship because of the COVID-19 outbreak and related closures and disruptions.
For more information, please contact:
Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation
info@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org
Justin Callaway, President & CEO
United Way of Coastal Georgia
justin@uwcga.org
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{slider=How to Donate}
Donate online: Please see our Donation page for more information.
Donate by check: Make checks payable to the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and indicate that your gift should be directed to the Community Emergency Needs Fund. Mail checks to: The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, Attn: Ellen Post, 1316 Newcastle St., Suite 201, Brunswick, GA 31520
CCGF can facilitate other types of donations, including donations from Donor Advised Funds and stock transfers. For questions about making a charitable donation, please contact Ellen Post at epost@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org.
If your business or company would like to join the collaboration and provide a corporate gift, please email Ellen Post at epost@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org.
CCGF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity and all donations to the Fund are tax deductible as allowed by law.
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{slider=Organizations Seeking Grants from the Needs Fund}
To deploy resources rapidly, we will not be posting a grant application. We will instead work together with community advisors and funders to identify organizations currently providing types of support to area residents that are aligned with the priorities of the Fund to expand available resources and relief.
For questions regarding the Community Emergency Needs Fund, and how grant funds will be deployed, please email Ellen Post, epost@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org or Janelle Harvey janelle@uwcga.org.
Ellen Post
Grants & Gifts Manager
Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation
Janelle Harvey
Community Impact Manager
United Way of Coastal Georgia
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{slider=Grantees}
Current list of Recipients:
America’s Second Harvest – Providing community-wide food distribution events and increased food distribution to partner agencies.
Faithworks Ministry – Providing food distribution at the Sparrow’s Nest and maintaining the Well for the homeless.
Golden Isles YMCA - Providing childcare for the children of essential workers who don’t have the option of working from home and require childcare (healthcare workers, first responders, DFCS, Gateway).
Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Georgia– Food distribution of snack and dinner to area children.
Salvation Army - Extended their capacity to shelter clients by resourcing their chapel into a temporary shelter to accept 20 additional clients.
Safe Harbor Street Outreach - Providing homeless assistance with hotel/motel vouchers, transportation, and food distribution.
Safe Harbor-Coordinated Entry Systems
Coastal Community Health Services - Providing financial assistance for fees, copays, and medication for those who have lost insurance due to unemployment, as well as extending their capacity for drive-thru COVID-19 testing.
Communities in Schools – Food distribution for families that have no access to transportation. Distributing donated computers to students without access to a computer in the home.
Coastal Outreach Academies - Food distribution for families that have no access to transportation. Distributing donated computers to students without access to a computer in the home.
MorningStar Children and Family Services – Providing telehealth counseling sessions. Continuing to provide residential care to students.
Darien United Methodist Church – Providing weekly food delivery to elderly and at-risk individuals in McIntosh County.
St. Andrews and St. Cyprians Episcopal Churches – Food distribution and financial assistance for rent and utilities for McIntosh residents.
House of Hope – Providing residential care for girls that are victims of human trafficking.
Grace House – Providing residential care and treatment to women recovering from addiction.
Family Connections-Coastal Georgia Community Action Authority
Coastal Coalition for Children
Camden Community Crisis Center
Centered for Life
Coastal Counseling Center
St. Simons Presbyterian Church
STAR Foundation
Hospice of the Golden Isles
Ravens of Elijah Food Ministries
Glynn Community Crisis Center
American Red Cross
St. Marys Salvation Army
Saved By Grace
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{slider=Impact Assessment Tool for Nonprofits}
As our communities work together to eradicate COVID-19, the Community Foundation and United Way are often asked how we determine which organizations are eligible for funding.
Here’s what you need to know about :
• Any 501(c)(3) organization doing business Coastal Georgia is eligible to complete the survey.
• Organizations (preferably executive directors) can complete a survey at any time. Logging in from the same computer and browser they used to initially complete the survey, they can update their information as situations develop. Be sure to update the date on your survey as you adjust your answers.
• If you’d prefer to skip a specific question, you may do so.
• It is very important to note that every organization’s information will be listed publicly. Any question can be left blank if the organization doesn’t want it to be public information.
• Results will be posted in Excel, sorted alphabetically by Organization Name. They can be downloaded and resorted by the Organization’s City and/or Organization Type.
Click here to complete the survey.
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{slider=Media Inquiries}
Media Inquiries
Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation
info@coastalgeorgiafoundation.org
Justin Callaway
President and CEO
United Way of the Coastal Georgia
justin@uwcga.org
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Frequently Asked Questions
{slider=I’m an individual who’s been affected by Coronavirus. Can this Fund help me?}
We understand many individuals and families have already been affected by the outbreak and more will continue to be affected. On behalf of the Fund’s partners, the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and the United Way of Coastal Georgia are working to move resources to community-based organizations that are directly supporting residents and families who are most affected by emerging health, economic, and social impacts.
While the Fund is not able to provide grants to individuals, it is funding community-based organizations that have the experience and history of providing people and families with services and support. We will work to update you on the organizations that have received grant funding. If you are looking for resources now, please call United Way of Coastal Georgia at 912-265-1850 for information about direct assistance organizations.
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{slider=My organization is interested in resources from this Fund. Can we be considered?}
We understand the coronavirus outbreak is impacting nonprofits in many ways, including increased demand for services, lost revenue due to closures and cancellations, as well as other challenges. We are working closely with the United Way of Coastal Georgia, local governments and community partners to ensure that the grants awarded meet the greatest needs in communities disproportionately impacted by coronavirus. To move resources quickly, we are not hosting a formal application process for the Fund at this time. You may complete this survey to make sure we are aware of your needs and can keep them in mind as the granting process progresses and needs become more clear.
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{slider=I want to donate. Can I restrict my funding to a prioritized grantee?}
To ensure we move resources as efficiently as possible and respond to the needs of communities most impacted, we are not able to restrict donations at this time. If an organization you normally support is involved in this work and you would like to continue that support, we encourage you to donate to them directly (see the next question).
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{slider=Should I give to this Fund instead of making other donations?}
This Fund is not meant to be the only vehicle for getting needed resources into the community, but to help facilitate getting more targeted resources into the community. This is a critical time for so many, including the nonprofit organizations who’ve benefited from your giving in the past, as well as those who’ve had to cancel their annual fundraising events or depend heavily on public gatherings. Please continue to give to organizations you regularly support, and those that need your help at this crucial time. Now is the time to double down for our community.
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{slider=What will NOT be included in the first phase of funding?}
We anticipate multiple phases of funding to address both the acute needs now and the longer-term impacts of the outbreak and recovery. In this first phase, we are prioritizing community-based organizations that are serving communities and individuals who are immediately and disproportionately suffering from this crisis. Our immediate focus areas include access to food; access to health care and prescription medications; access to transportation, and access to child care.
Based upon the charitable structure of the Community Emergency Needs Fund, our grants are limited to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, groups fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, or other charitable organizations able to receive a tax-deductible contribution, such as schools, faith-based organizations, and other public entities. We will do our best to use philanthropic resources to address needs that are outside of governmental responsibility, but we also appreciate that philanthropy can often act nimbly in a way that the government cannot.
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{slider=Is there a geographic area of focus for the Fund?}
The Needs Fund will prioritize grants to community-based organizations that serve the residents of McIntosh, Glynn, and Camden counties. We are doing this with a recognition that many nonprofits serve workers and residents in our neighboring counties.
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{slider=When will you share who you fund?}
We anticipate making a first round of grant funding in the coming weeks and will publish the list of selected grantees on the Foundation and United Way websites. We hope that this will help the community navigate available resources.
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It was a beautiful day for lunch and some good information about the SECURE Act, retirement saving and disbursement legislation passed in December 2019. Hillary Stringfellow of Gilbert, Harrell, Sumerford and Martin presented the updates and changes, and shared some charts that detailed various distribution, inheritance and charitable options.
Some additional key points are:
- Most retirement beneficiaries must distribute their inherited IRA account over a 10-year period.
- The new age for required minimum distributions is 72.
- The age limitation on IRA contributions has been removed.
- Parents can take a distribution in an aggregate amount of $5,000 penalty-free for qualified births or adoption.
- Unearned income for some children will be taxed at the parent's marginal rate.
- There are new qualified expenses for 529 plans, including apprenticeship programs and "qualified education loan repayments."
- Busines owners receive a $500 tax credit for automatic enrollment in their retirement plans.
- Small businesses are eligible for a $500 tax credit for the start-up costs of establishing a retirement plan.
- Defined contribution plans must share a lifetime income disclosure statement to participants at least once a year.
- There are increased annuity options inside defined contribution plans.
- It is easier for small businesses to participate in a "multiple employer plan" (MEP).
For more information, please call the Foundation: 912-268-4442.
The Coastal Georgia Foundation welcomes two new Board members for 2020. They are Burch Rountree Barger and Michael D. Hodges.
Burch Barger is a fourth generation resident of Glynn County. She holds a B.A. from Wake Forest University and an M.B.A. from Georgia State University. Her early career included working in Washington DC for the U.S. Senate and in Atlanta for WebMD. She then spent 11 years working in graduate school recruiting, admissions, outreach, development, and alumni relations – first with the University of Alabama’s MBA program and later with Samford University.
In 2014, she and her husband Jim made the decision to move home to coastal Georgia and to raise their boys, James and George. Burch previously served as director of membership and communications for St. Simons Land Trust and is currently the engagement coordinator for Stewards of the Georgia Coast, a donor affinity group focused on coastal conservation in Georgia. She also serves on the board of Friends of Coastal Georgia History.
Mike Hodges, also a native of Glynn County, is the Southeast Georgia market president of Ameris Bank in Brunswick. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware. Mike and his wife, Dana, reside on St. Simons Island and have two sons, Michael and Matthew. His previous board appointments include the College of Coastal Georgia Foundation, Southeast Georgia Health System, Jekyll Island Authority and the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce.