During February through May of the Coronavirus pandemic the Cloudsplitter Foundation restricted grants to emergency awards related to the pandemic. We transferred $250,000 to the jointly managed (with the Adirondack Foundation) Special and Urgent Needs (SUN) Fund. This fund still exists for emergency grants occasioned by Covid-19 of up to $10,000. Applications and information are linked here.
Effective June 1, 2020 the Cloudsplitter Foundation will again accept grant requests for quarterly review. The next cycle will be for grants submitted by June 30th for review and award in July. In response to the pandemic and the associated stresses on our local food supply, healthcare, childcare, and small businesses, we will prioritize grants that address those needs first.
We have also added a new category of grant to our Mission Support awards. The current annually recurring mission support awards can be up to $5,000 for operational needs. New one-time Emergency Sustenance Awards will have no cap. These ESAs are special-purpose grants to rescue mission-critical local not-for-profits rendered financially unstable or at risk of failure by the pandemic.
We will also prioritize project grants based on the ability of such grants to effect long-term systemic change. Examples would be innovative ways to improve our emergency response, communication, transportation, or food distribution networks. “Brick and mortar” grants will continue to be given low priority unless part of an larger strategic project. Endowment grants will continue to be denied.
Covid-19 Financial Aids:
Cloudsplitter Foundation and Adirondack Foundation have created, with others, a rapid-response grant making facility. The SUN Fund has over $1,000,000 that is being awarded to grantees by a joint team that processes grant requests posted here.
Dial 211 to access United Way’s resource hot line. Trained professionals will help you navigate agencies that can provide help. These agencies are list on the United Way 211 website, www.211Adk.org.
The new CARES Act provides short-term benefits for citizens and small businesses.
- A summary is linked here.
- Loans available are described here.
- Unemployment benefits in the CARES act can be found here.
- The Federal actions available to citizens are linked here
- Loans available are summarized here
- Not for profits can find helpful links here. Arts and cultural institutions can access CARES funding too. Federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that may be available under the COVID-19 major disaster declaration(DR-4480).
- A new grant opportunity complements the NEH CARES act funding opportunity, which offers relief grants of up to $300,000 to many larger organizations across the country and in New York. Application guidelines are available now on the HNY website. The deadline for applying for funding is May 15th, with applicants being informed of funding decisions by June 15th, 2020.
Businesses can access funding under the Small Business Administration’s Disaster Loans Program.
- There is more information linked here
- How to apply for a loan is linked here.
- Economic Injury Disaster Loan information linked here.
- Forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans are available from qualified banks.
- Overview linked here
- Application linked here
- Brower Information Fact Sheet
- Lending sources linked here
- Paid leave in quarantine linked here
- Adirondack Economic Development resources are linked here.
- The Rural Law Center of NY is open to help low-income residents with legal issues, including questions about NY unemployment benefits and the CARES Act. 518-561-5460, is still open and our paralegals are doing new client intakes.
- North Country Public Radio has a live blog on this coronavirus, linked here.
- Adirondack Regional Federal Credit Union is offering low-cost emergency loans to individuals and businesses impacted by this epidemic
- There is now no wait in applications for unemployment insurance. Here is a link to frequently asked questions.
- The Essex Farm Institute has distributed a list of food delivery and curbside pickup options, linked here
- The NY Department of Financial Services issued a new directive to New York State mortgage services to provide 90-day mortgage relief to mortgage borrowers impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The directive includes:
- Waiving mortgage payments based on financial hardship
- No negative reporting to credit bureaus
- Grace period for loan modification
- No late payment fees or online payment fees
- Postponing or suspending foreclosures
Information regarding the reopening process is available at the following link: https://forward.ny.gov/ny-forward. The site includes the detailed guidelines for businesses opening during phase 1, including the business safety plan templates: https://forward.ny.gov/industries-reopening-phase.