Hello from the Greater Houston Community Foundation!

Welcome to the June issue of Insights. We hope you find the following community efforts and updates helpful as we continue to navigate these difficult and uncertain times.

Our foundation is here for the people of the community in times of opportunity and times of heartbreak and division. We offer compassion and a promise to work with our donors and our community partners to support dialogue and healing across Houston. If you want guidance on your philanthropic response, we can assist you with that. Please reach out to your relationship manager or Jennifer Touchet , Vice President of Personal & Family Philanthropy for more information. We are honored to partner with you and be part of finding solutions.

We look forward to returning in early fall with the next edition of Insights. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us .
 

Best Regards,
The GHCF Team 
ARTICLE ROUND UP
UNDERSTANDING HOUSTON

We're inspired by the spirit of unity and respect we've seen in our communities these past few days. We are proud and grateful that Houston’s powerful marches have remained primarily peaceful and constructive, and hope they will continue to be.

We acknowledge the inequalities facing Black Houstonians — in our criminal justice system, in our economy, in our education systems and beyond.

We will continue to provide a platform with accessible data to raise awareness of these and other critical issues in our region. The more we understand the inequities that persist in our communities, the more we can do to build a more vibrant and equitable Houston that provides everyone the opportunity to reach their full potential.
 
Explore the data: www.understandinghouston.org
GHCF RESPONSE TO COVID-19
HARRIS COUNTY COVID-19 RELIEF FUND
$30 Million to Serve Some of the Most Vulnerable in the County

Harris County has established the Harris County COVID-19 Relief Fund to provide much-needed relief to Harris County residents most impacted by the global pandemic. The $30 million fund, which will be administered by Greater Houston Community Foundation, aims to strategically serve a large number of the most vulnerable people, in particular county residents who may not be eligible for other COVID-related funding and/or who cannot afford to wait for assistance. The Harris County COVID-19 Relief Fund is expected to assist about 20,000 households to provide support with housing, electricity, food, childcare, and other essential needs. 
GREATER HOUSTON COVID-19 RECOVERY FUND
$15.5 Million Raised to Date

In collaboration with the United Way of Greater Houston, we are honored to help our neighbors in need through the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund.  This fund is a unique initiative to help meet the needs of our neighbors related to the COVID-19 outbreak and the sudden, severe financial hardships many in our community are facing. The joint fund provides urgently needed necessities such as food, health care, shelter, and utility assistance to vulnerable individuals and families, and will continue to respond to emerging needs over time. To learn more about the Fund and to donate, please visit www.greaterhoustonrecovery.org .

As of this newsletter’s publication, more than $10.5 million has been disbursed to organizations in two primary grant rounds and one interim/emerging needs round. You can learn more about the grantees here .
HOW DATA HELPS INFORM PHILANTHROPIC DECISIONS

Both the Harris County COVID Relief Fund and the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund are utilizing data , obtained through Understanding Houston and other data resources, to drive the grant making process. As a data-driven organization, GHCF has also supported others in using data to inform their philanthropy and understanding of community needs, including participation in the United Way of Greater Houston’s Grantmakers Forum, and providing data files of the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund nonprofit inquiry form . These data files detail community and nonprofit needs, COVID-19 response, and funding priorities.

In addition to social media posts sharing data and health guidance, we’ve authored Understanding Houston blogs that build awareness of important issues that affect quality of life and the impact of the pandemic, including The Importance of the Census in COVID’s America , linked in the above Article Round Up section. Collaboratively developing and deploying a rapid Nonprofit Needs & Capacity Survey and Data Dashboard in mid-March as the pandemic was first unfolding showed early community and nonprofit needs, as well as the COVID-19 response and anticipated funding gaps.

If you or people you know have been affected by the economic and social impacts of COVID-19, please take the COVID-19 Community Impact Survey at GulfCoastCovidSurvey.org . The information you provide will be used to help local nonprofits understand the economic needs of households affected by COVID-19.
GET SHIFT DONE FOR HOUSTON

Get Shift Done for Houston is an initiative in partnership with Get Shift Done and Houston Food Bank, and is managed by the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund, led by Greater Houston Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Houston.

The initiative coordinates, schedules, and pays adversely affected workers in the hospitality industry to work shifts for Houston Food Bank and their partner pantries. These workers are filling the critical roles that, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, were performed by volunteers. Shiftsmart technology registers workers for shifts and manages the onboarding, matching, scheduling, dispatching, and routing of workers to shifts. 
GHCF OFFICE UPDATE

The health and safety of our staff and stakeholders continues to be of the utmost importance. Our team is evaluating an open date for our physical office, which we will communicate with you as information becomes available. We are still fully operational and here to serve our donors and the community. Our team is available by email and phone during regular business hours; we look forward to being of service to you!

If you wish to contribute to your fund, please send checks to our alternate mailing address.  You must write your fund ID in the memo line for your donation to be attributed to your fund .

Make checks payable to:
Greater Houston Community Foundation, P.O. Box 734918, Dallas, TX 75373-4918  
GHCF STAFF PROMOTIONS

Even during uncertain times, you can be certain that the GHCF team works hard! We are pleased to announce the following promotions of several of our dedicated team members.
Susan Zarich
Senior Director of Advisor Relations
Michael Trout
Tax Manager
Michelle Morrison
Senior Donor Services Associate
Jenna Whyte
Senior Donor Services Associate
GHCF is proud to be a Houston Work Safe Company ! Learn more about the Greater Houston Partnership Initiative and what it means to be a Work Safe company.