New COVID-19 response fund created to help Idahoans
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IDAHO FALLS — A new fund is being established to help Idahoans find relief from COVID-19 related economic troubles.
The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health donated the first $100,000 to the COVID-19 Response Fund for Idaho. The fund was created through a partnership between United Ways of Idaho, Idaho Nonprofit Center and Idaho Community Foundation.
“We will be distributing grants from that fund in the short term and in the long term statewide to help organizations that are working with people who are being financially affected by this COVID-19,” Idaho Community Foundation spokeswoman Jennifer Kronberg told EastIdahoNews.com.
Grants from the fund will be provided to organizations like social service groups that work with low-income members of the community rather than giving money directly to individuals.
“I’m talking about organizations that help people with their rent or their utility payments. Those kinds of organizations,” Kronberg said.
Including the primary donation from the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health of $100,000, the fund has raised around $120,000.
“Blue Cross of Idaho is proud to be an Idaho-based company, serving our friends, family and neighbors,” Blue Cross of Idaho President and CEO Charlene Maher said in a news release. “We believe that people matter most and are proud to contribute to the response fund. I encourage other state and community leaders to join us in supporting our fellow Idahoans.”
Those wishing to donate to the fund can do so by clicking here. Donations can be designated to be used regionally or statewide.
The grants the fund awards are not meant to take the place of relief efforts from the state and federal government, but rather are meant to fill the gap that those relief efforts may not cover.
“We have not started sending grants out yet. We are still accumulating donations into the fund. When we get those (donations) in there, we will put out information on all of our websites and all of our social media letting organizations know that they can apply for those grants,” Kronberg said.
She said the application process will be simple and easy.