COVID-19 Tools and Resources for Nonprofits
Updated January 29, 2021
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Click here for SBA and PPP-related resources.
Are you feeling overwhelmed and disoriented by the impact the COVID-19 crisis is having to your staff, your clients, your community, and your organization’s finances? You are not alone. We are all dealing with the uncertainty as we navigate cancelled fundraising events, the inability to fulfill government contracts due to school closures, and other sources of revenue loss, all while needing to serve clients in new ways. We hope these tips, blogs, tools, and resources will help. We know you are busy and have tried to make this as practical as possible.
If you have a question and you can't find the answer here, check out our Ask NFF page.
Table of Contents
Insights
News
Tools and How-to Videos
Resources
SBA/PPP Resources
Webinars
Client Feature: Responding to COVID-19
Los Angeles Christian Health Centers has advocated for increased numbers of COVID-19 test kits throughout the pandemic and tested over 2,600 patients to date. Their walk-up screening and testing tents outside of their Skid Row and Boyle Heights sites ensure that people in surrounding neighborhoods stay informed about any COVID-related symptoms and diagnoses, particularly if they’re experiencing homelessness or any other barriers that complicate access to care. Street teams have been out in action, providing testing in streets and shelters, and looking for anyone who might need extra support due to COVID-19. And people in the neighborhood have been contributing to community health by manufacturing and distributing hand sanitizer and masks. “Our staff are energized and giving 110 percent while they support each other and our clients.” Lisa Abdishoo, President and CEO.
Los Angeles Christian Health Centers is a client in our loan portfolio.
Insights
- 6 Steps for Grant Makers to Take Now to Ensure Nonprofits Recover From Coronavirus Spread – Antony Bugg-Levine (Chronicle of Philanthropy – March 9, 2020)
- As Coronavirus Threat Continues, Experts Tell Nonprofits to Shore Up Reserves – Dan Parks, Emily Haynes, and Maria Di Mento (Chronicle of Philanthropy – March 10, 2020 – Sandi McKinley quoted)
- COVID-19 and Nonprofits: Start With These Self Assessment Steps – Sandi McKinley (nff.org – March 13, 2020)
- A ‘New New Normal’ for Foundation Giving: 3 Acts That Will Make a Difference – Antony Bugg-Levine (Chronicle of Philanthropy – March 20, 2020)
- Crisis Funding and Debt: What Nonprofits Need to Know – Sandi McKinley and Avichai Scher (nff.org – April 2, 2020)
- NFF COVID-19 Survey Results – data and stories that can be used to advocate for the actions nonprofits need from funders and investors (nff.org – April 14, 2020)
- Why Grantmakers Need to Break Their Restriction Habit—Permanently – Claire Knowlton (Nonprofit Quarterly – April 17, 2020)
- We Can’t Let Nonprofits That Serve People of Color Fail – Antony Bugg-Levine (Chronicle of Philanthropy – May 5, 2020)
- Best Practices for Nonprofit Boards with Crisis Tips to Navigate COVID-19 – Alice Antonelli (nff.org – May 2020)
- Essential Social Services Are Struggling to Survive the COVID-19 Crisis – Mekdes Tsega, Tanya Shah, and Kristin Giantris (The Commonwealth Fund Blog – June 1, 2020)
- With Capital, Communities of Color Can Lead Our Economic Revival – Antony Bugg-Levine and James Gutierrez (The Hill – June 3, 2020)
- COVID-19 & Cash Reserves: How Government Funding Practices Left Nonprofits Unprepared - Ines Marino-Torres and Avichai Scher (nff.org - June 15, 2020)
- How Foundations Can Help Grantees Respond to COVID-19 – Claire Knowlton (nff.org – July 14, 2020)
- What's Really Happening with Nonprofit Revenue - summary report for survey conducted by Bower & Co. Consulting (July 17, 2020)
News
NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund (no longer accepting applications)
NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund Launched to Support New York City Nonprofit Organizations - March 20, 2020 (Issued by Bloomberg Philanthropies)
NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund Issues $44 Million in Grants and Loans to New York City-Based Social Services and Arts Nonprofits - April 16, 2020 (Issued by Bloomberg Philanthropies)
NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund Has Issued Over $110 Million In Emergency Funds to New York City-based Nonprofits - July 29, 2020 (Issued by Bloomberg Philanthropies)
How to Use These Tools
Check out these short video walk-throughs of our Cash Flow Projection and Scenario Planning tools.
(Please click "CC" in the video player to access captions)
Resources
Here are some resources from the sector on how nonprofits and funders are tackling COVID-19:
- COVID-19 Resources for Nonprofits and Funders (Bridgespan)
- COVID-19 Funding Summary (Candid)
- COVID-19 Resource Hub (Council on Foundations)
- Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: Resources to Help Nonprofits (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
- COVID-19 Emergency Financial Resources (Grantspace)
- COVID-19 and the Workplace (US Department of Labor)
- Information on COVID-19 (Independent Sector)
- Guide for Nonprofit Capital Projects During COVID-19 (Hester Street)
- COVID-19 Resources for Nonprofits (BKD)
- New York Forward Loan Fund (Empire State Development)
SBA/PPP Resources
- Among those offering PPP funding is Optus Bank, a Black-owned bank and CDFI that has built an online platform to service these loans efficiently and welcomes nonprofit business
- Crisis Funding and Debt (a blog about PPP and EIDL) – NFF
- Sample Board Resolution to Apply for PPP – NFF
- CDFI Locator – Opportunity Finance Network
- The CARES Act Provides Assistance to Small Businesses – United States Department of the Treasury
- PPP Lender Locator – United States Small Business Administration
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources – United States Small Business Administration
- Paycheck Protection Program Toolbox – FMA
- Nonprofits and Coronavirus, COVID-19 – National Council of Nonprofits
- CARES Act: How to Apply for Nonprofit Relief Funds – Independent Sector
- PPP Loan Forgiveness – webinar for Mass Cultural Council
Webinars
To help nonprofits that are dealing with the effects of COVID-19, we're hosting free financial health webinars and we'll be posting the recordings here:
- Understanding Debt – April 10, 2020 (recording, PowerPoint slides)
- Managing Through Uncertainty Part 1 – April 16, 2020 (recording, PowerPoint slides)
- Managing Through Uncertainty Part 2 – April 17, 2020 (recording, PowerPoint slides)
We have recorded a new set of webinars called the Managing In and Beyond COVID-19 Series – May 15, 2020:
- Strategic Priority-Setting (recording, PowerPoint Slides)
- Cash Flow Projections (recording, PowerPoint Slides)
- Budgeting and Scenario Planning (recording, PowerPoint Slides)
- Decision Making and Communication (recording, PowerPoint Slides)
We're also making some of our core webinar content available, free of charge:
Our team members have also participated in COVID-19-focused webinars and podcasts that cover a variety of topics related to financial planning within the social sector:
- Coronavirus: Into the Weeds (Grantmakers in the Arts)
- Response, Recovery, Resiliency: What Nonprofits Need From Grantmakers During the COVID-19 Crisis (Grantmakers for Effective Organizations)
- Family Philanthropy's Response to COVID-19 (National Center for Family Philanthropy)
- Navigating CARES and Family First Acts (Mass Cultural Council)
- Building Budgets and Testing Scenarios (Mass Cultural Council)
- Cash Flow Planning in a Crisis (Mass Cultural Council)
- Decision-Making in a Time of Crisis (Mass Cultural Council)
- PPP Loan Forgiveness (Mass Cultural Council)