PHOTO: Designated as a safe space for children under conditions of COVID-19, the Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center creates a safe, nurturing, and relaxed environment with caring adults.


Five months after COVID-19 restrictions on business and physical distance first started, nonprofits like Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center are still responding to the unique needs emerging under pandemic conditions. 

Families continue to face challenges finding and securing childcare and family supports. As many as 2.2 million Washingtonians - about 30% of the state's population - are facing food insecurity. Housing is another challenge, even while Governor Inslee's October 15 extension on a statewide eviction moratorium will ensure some individuals and families aren't displaced from their homes in the short-term.
 
As they respond to the dramatic rise in need, organizations face their own challenges to normal operations and sustained funding. 

 


 

A snapshot of 2020 GTCF grants and charitable giving through Donor Advised Funds as of August 5, 2020, compared to the same time last year.


Every summer, the Giving USA Foundation releases a report on the previous year's charitable giving numbers. This summer, the data arrives in the middle of major changes to the country's health, civic institutions, and the economy due to COVID-19. As COVID-19 conditions have driven a surge in community need, charitable giving is already looking significantly different from last year. 

At GTCF, Donor Advised Fund activity offers a lens into individual giving in Pierce County. Donor Advised Fundholders make grants to organizations based on their unique philanthropic vision. Alongside grants through designated funds, agency funds, initiatives, and PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED, among other funds, Donor Advised Funds are an important part of community philanthropy. 



PHOTO: Students participate in a "mystery bag challenge" via Zoom during a summer class with Tacoma Arts Live


The youth Choreographer's Workshop at Tacoma Arts Live looked a lot different this summer.  Gathering on screen via Zoom, instead of in a dance studio, each student rehearsed their routine in their own individual square with their sound settings on mute.  Whenever a classmate had a question or needed ideas for a new step, they would turn their microphone on to ask for help, and the rest of the group would come back to their screens and offer support. 

Instructor Katie Lappier said this "open studio" format came about through feedback from the students. 

Listening to students and adapting to meet their needs is one lesson Expanded Learning Opportunity providers like Tacoma Arts Live learned as they shifted to online platforms for their programs this summer. Antonio Maclemore from Tacoma Urban League's Male Involvement Program and Miya Barnes from Snapology also moved their programs online, learning more about supporting student engagement in a virtual space. 

 
Read more takeaways for helping students make connections through Online Expanded Learning Opportunities 

 
Upcoming Virtual Fundraisers
 
 
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