Examination of region’s COVID-19 giving

Posted by Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia on January 5, 2021

Report: Local funders need better data to evaluate COVID efforts

“When the coronavirus hit Philadelphia, the impact on our region’s economy and welfare was immediate. Businesses and schools closed, basic essentials were in short supply, and thousands began losing income and employment. The philanthropic and nonprofit sectors sprang into action. The need was great, and philanthropy responded by establishing more than a dozen charitable funds to support the community.

Within weeks, tens of millions of philanthropic dollars were distributed for emergency COVID-19 relief in this region. The rapid infusion of funding was critical, but also raised basic questions about what the flow of support looked like: Which organizations received support? What needs were being addressed? What communities were being served? And perhaps most importantly, given the well-known social and economic disparities: are there communities that were left out?

With these questions in mind, the Lenfest Foundation and William Penn Foundation funded Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia and the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania (CHIP) to gather and examine data about the relief grantmaking and develop a regional COVID-19 Response Dashboard that compiles the data in one place.”

Click here to read about their findings.