COVID - 19 Outbreak

Communities around the globe are currently responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease, known commonly as "COVID -19", which is caused by the virus “SARS-CoV-2”.  The virus has now been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States.

As we do during times of disaster, Maryland Philanthropy Network will serve as a clearinghouse for resources and information about relief and recovery efforts to aid Maryland's philanthropies response. This page will be updated as new information is received, so please check it regularly. Please read our Statement about COVID-19.

Philanthropic Responses: Resources and Information

• Webinar: Philanthropy California is hosting a webinar How Philanthropy Can Support and Enhance the Government Response to COVID-19 on Thursday, March 12 from 12-1 pm EDT on how philanthropy can support and enhance the government response to COVID-19. Click here for more information and to register for this free webinar.
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) COVID-19 website is a go-to source for impacts, critical needs, updates and ways to learn more about this crisis. CDP also created a list of suggestions for foundations to consider related to disaster giving.
  • Recording and slides from the March 5 webinar on COVID-19: How Philanthropy Can Respond
  • CDP advises, "There are going to be multiple phases and needs in this crisis – the medical response situation, support for research and assisting vulnerable people who have been impacted. Match your giving to one of these areas or decide how you will transition funds as needs change. Reach out to your existing grantees to see how the crisis has impacted them. Consider issuing some additional funding to help them meet the new needs of their clients."
• Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) statement on COVID-19 and how funders can combat xenophobia and take action
• See Candid's website for up to date information on how philanthropy is responding to COVID-19 across the world or visit Foundation Maps
• Chronicle of Philanthropy:

  • As Coronavirus Threat Continues, Experts Tell Nonprofits to Shore Up Reserves

  • 6 Steps for Grant Makers to Take Now to Ensure Nonprofits Recover From Coronavirus Spread

  • Coronavirus Giving Tops $1 Billion Worldwide

• FSG: COVID-19⁠—Seven Things Philanthropy Can Do

• The US Chamber of Commerce Foundation is tracking how business is responding in real time. We encourage you to visit their COVID-19 Aid Tracking page to see how companies are responding.

• World Health Organization: Getting Your Workplace Ready for COVID-19
• Maryland Nonprofits: COVID-19: What Nonprofits Need to Know About Coronavirus

Funding Options

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Emergency Response Fund to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): CDC is taking aggressive public health measures to help protect the health of Americans against coronavirus, COVID-2019, and we need your help to mobilize quickly.  Funds raised by the CDC Foundation through our Emergency Response Fund will be used to meet emerging needs identified by CDC to help respond to the public health threat posed by this virus. These include additional support for state and local health departments, support for global response, logistics, communications, data management, personal protective equipment, critical response supplies and more.
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) has a COVID-19 Response Fund that provides an opportunity for donors to meet the ongoing and ever-expanding challenges presented by this virus.
• Give2Asia is partnering with leading Chinese nonprofit organizations to support frontline health workers and hospitals responding to the coronavirus crisis.
• Direct philanthropic support to community foundations.
• Convert grants to organizations serving affected communities to general operating grants and lift pre-existing time and reporting constraints.

Please let us know how you are engaged in relief efforts. Grant amounts, assisted organizations, and any other relief work that your organization undertakes will serve as valuable resources as your grantmaking colleagues craft response strategies.

Other Information Sources

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention constantly updates their main page on COVID-19
• The NIH has a dedicated page on COVID-19 with frequent updates and resources
• Visit the WHO page to learn more about global response efforts

Best Practices in Disaster Grantmaking

A joint study of the European Foundation Centre and the Council on Foundations determined that grantmakers can be more effective and strategic in addressing disasters by following eight principles of good disaster management.

1. Do no harm.
2. Stop, look and listen before taking action.
3. Don't act in isolation.
4. Think beyond the immediate crisis to the long term.
5. Bear in mind the expertise of local organizations.
6. Find out how prospective grantees operate.
7. Be accountable to those you are trying to help.
8. Communicate your work widely and use it as an educational tool.

A number of practical suggestions for good disaster grantmaking flow from these principles and are highlighted in "Disaster Grantmaking: A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations".

Click here for more resources about disaster grantmaking.