We are pleased to introduce The Advisor, our reimagined newsletter, which will be delivered to your inbox quarterly and will regularly contain EAF news, grant recipient testimonials, featured fund engagement initiatives, relief fund tips and reminders, available resources, and more.
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The Advisor is written for you - our Fund Partners. Our goal is to share information that you'll find valuable as you continue to maximize the success of your program. After exploring the first issue, we'd love to receive your honest feedback. What would you like to see here in the future? (Your response will remain anonymous.)
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GRANT RECIPIENT TESTIMONIAL |
"Every day, I wear this mask of 'everything's fine!' but I am really spending 10 hours a day trying to figure out how to make my next rent payment or next electric bill payment while also trying to ensure I do a great job at my day job. This grant makes it a little bit easier to breathe. For that, I cannot stress this enough: thank you for giving us a break from stressing about money; thank you for being our saving grace."
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2020 GRANTS AWARDED BY EVENT |
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FEATURED FUND PARTNER INITIATIVE |
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FUND ENGAGEMENT THROUGH STORY SHARING |
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To boost employee engagement with the CARES Fund, Fresenius Medical Care North America regularly shares grant recipient stories and testimonials - like the one below - through the company's intranet (FMC4ME). |
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The Gift of Giving
Published December 1, 2020
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Finding reliable, affordable childcare is hard. But it's even harder during a pandemic, when schools and daycare centers across the country have been forced to close for public safety reasons.
As a mother of three, Patient Care Technician (PCT) Sarah Geffin was devastated when Massachusetts schools and daycares shut down and she found herself suddenly without childcare for her two toddlers and teenage son. Thanks to our company's temporary childcare stipend, she was able to slay afloat, paying a friend to watch her children while she went to her job as a PCT. But after the stipend ended, she found herself back in the same untenable position: no childcare, no school, and as a direct patient care provider, unable to work from home.
Just as she was losing hope, Sarah stumbled across a story on FMC4ME about Breeann Bellamy, a fellow PCT who received financial assistance from the CARES Fund when she was unable to work after testing positive for COVID-19.
With nothing to lose, and everything gain, Sarah decided to give it a try. And it's a good thing she did. The same week she applied, she heard back, and within a few days, the money was in her account. Thanks to the financial assistance Sarah received from the CARES Fund, she was able to pay for childcare and continue working.
When asked what she'd like to tell other employees about the CARES Fund, Sarah says, "All of us are facing different challenges during this pandemic. We're all in some kind of jam and we all need some kind of help. The CARES Fund isn't a loan, it's a grant; so, you don't have to worry about paying it back. Don't be afraid to ask - go for it!"
Today is Giving Tuesday - a worldwide celebration of generosity and kindness when people around the globe donate their treasure, talent, and time to support the communities and causes they care for. In the true spirit of the season, we're inviting you to help fellow employees like Sarah through financial hardships by donating to the CARES Fund. To help your generous gift go even further, our company will double your donation through a match as long as you donate by December 31.
Together, we can make a difference. Watch this brief video to learn how to donate now.
Employees going through a financial hardship are encouraged to apply to the CARES Fund online. The application process is simple and quick. And if you'd like to help more people like Sarah, donating is simple and quick too! Any amount helps and goes toward a great cause - helping each other. For more information, visit our CARES Fund page on FMC4ME.
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Do you have an impactful Fund engagement initiative or idea that could benefit other Fund Partners as they endeavor to help their own? |
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EAF remains dedicated to shortening the time between grant award and payment. As we continue to improve our processes, we are pleased to share that we are now making all non-U.S. grant payments through Western Union. EAF has long partnered with Western Union, and we have found that it provides broader global reach, lower bank rejection rates, and increased visibility compared to other non-U.S. grant payment methods.
The grant payment process remains simple for non-U.S. Grantees. As detailed in the grant award letter sent to them from EAF, they will receive an email about their grant payment from EAF’s Western Union email address.* The email will link to a landing page where the Grantee can provide their banking information by completing a secure form. As always, if the Grantee does not have a bank account, they will be able to collect payment in person at a Western Union Retail location by completing an alternate form, which is linked to on the landing page.
PLEASE NOTE:
- After submitting the Western Union form, Grantees will see a "Successful Submission" message. They should not submit the form more than once, as duplicate submissions will delay payment.
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For questions related to payment status, Grantees should contact EAF's Applicant Experience team at [email protected] for the fastest response and resolution.
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IMPORTANT WHITELISTING INFORMATION |
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To ensure that you are receiving all emails related to Fund administration, including important notifications about grant applications, please regularly check your junk/spam folders and whitelist the following domains, email addresses, and mail servers.
Domains:
- emergencyassistancefdn.org
- fluidreview.com
- smapply.io
- smappy.net
Email Addresses:
Mail Servers:
- Server: smtp3.chide.it IPs: 72.55.140.81
- Server: mta-81-40.sparkpostmail.com IPs: 192.174.81.40
- Server: mta-81-59.sparkpostmail.com IPs: 192.174.81.59
- Server: mta-87-232.sparkpostmail.com IPs: 192.174.87.232
- Server: mta-87-233.sparkpostmail.com IPs: 192.174.87.233
- Server: mta-81-57.sparkpostmail.com IPs: 192.174.81.57
- Server: mta-81-60.sparkpostmail.com IPs: 192.174.81.60
- Server: mta-91-147.sparkpostmail.com IPs: 192.174.91.147
- Server: mta-216-97.sparkpostmail.com IPs: 147.253.216.97
- Server: mta118a.mail.e.sparkpost.com IPs: 34.216.54.168
- Server: mta119a.mail.e.sparkpost.com IPs:34.216.245.73
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OUR IMMEDATE RESPONSE PROGRAM |
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During qualified disasters, EAF's Immediate Response Program (IRP) awards small grants (<$1,000) quickly and efficiently. IRPs are supplemental to the Fund's Standard Grant program, which can provide larger dollar amounts and may cover expanded grant criteria. Click here for more information about the differences between the IRP and the Standard Grant program, and watch this video to learn how to launch an IRP in response to a qualified disaster.
For Funds that launched with a focus on COVID-19, it may be time to revisit the Fund's grant criteria to ensure a significant and sustainable impact. Set up a time with your Relief Fund Senior Advisor to discuss.
REMINDER: If you launched an IRP for COVID-19, you can extend the program through April 30, 2021.
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> NEW: Our Supporting Documentation Guide provides a detailed overview of the documentation that must be submitted as part of the standard grant application. Per regulations, Applicants must provide specific proof of the event/expense for which they are seeking assistance.
> NEW: Our Grant Application Guide provides step-by-step instructions for accessing and completing the dynamic, cloud-based grant application. Note that we are in the process of transitioning all Funds to our new and improved application platform over the next few months. This guide provides an overview of the new user experience.
> Our Tableau Instructional Video provides an overview of everything you need to know to monitor essential Fund data using this real-time diagnostic reporting tool. For example, you can use Tableau to more accurately balance Fund donation and grant amounts. (RULE OF THUMB: The Fund should always be able to support three months of expected grants at any given time.)
> The EAF Communications Archive houses a digital library of all emails sent to our Fund Partners in one convenient location, so you can easily access past disaster alerts, newsletters, and more.
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2020: THE DIFFERENCE WE MADE TOGETHER |
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