The Princeton Area Community Foundation, in collaboration with other community leaders, created a COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund in March 2020.

We knew that people in our region, particularly our low-income children, families, and seniors, would face increased struggles because of reduced or lost income, food and housing insecurity, health needs and childcare needs related to school closures. We partnered with our nonprofit community to address the immediate and long-term needs of our region.

We invited donors and funding partners to join us to ensure our region is served. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community and the collaboration of some of our grantmaking funds, we awarded more than $3.5 million to more than 70 local nonprofits.

We are grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support. Learn more about how our fund made a difference in the region by reading our COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund Summary Report.

Covid-19 Relief and Recovery Fund Summary Report
For more information or support, please contact:

Nelida Valentin
Vice President, Grants & Programs
Email Nelida Valentin

COVID-19 Resources for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Community

Funding Partners

Thank you to our initial partners who came together to support our community with $1 million for the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund. Following that initial outpouring of support, our generous community continued to make gifts to our fund, and we have now raised a total of over $2.5 million.

Leadership Supporters

Princeton Area Community Foundation | Betty Wold Johnson | George H. and Estelle M. Sands Foundation | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Bunbury Fund at the Community Foundation | The Burke Foundation | Princeton University

Major Supporters

Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation | Fund for Women and Girls at the Community Foundation | NJM Insurance Group
Horizon Foundation for New Jersey | Princeton University Class of 1965 |  Janssen | Billtrust | Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation | Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce Foundation | Glenmede | Bryn Mawr Trust | Roma Bank Community Foundation | Investors Foundation

Our Grants

We awarded over $1 million to more than 50 nonprofits in Phase I of our grantmaking. Learn more about our initial round of grants here.

For a full list and map of our Phase I grantee partners, click here. 

Read about our Phase II grants here.

We also awarded $199,000 in COVID-19 Relief & Recovery
Fund grants to nonprofits holding summer programs.
Learn more here.

The Princeton Area Community Foundation has awarded a $275,000 grant to fund a program to teach school staff throughout Mercer County how to identify students exposed to stressful or traumatic experiences and how to engage all students in a way that promotes healing from the mental health effects of the pandemic. Read more about our grant supporting the FEA’s Healing Centered Engagement initiative here.

Our Phase I & II Grants

Phase II Grants

The Princeton Area Community Foundation awarded more than $2 million to over 50 grantee partners in the second phase of  COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund grantmaking. This round of grants continued to support the immediate needs of the community and provided funding to help make nonprofits stronger.

Phase II grants are supporting immediate community needs, such as food, rental assistance and social services. Grants were also awarded to nonprofits that seek to strengthen operations and service delivery, and to build their capacity.

In Phase II, several grantmaking programs at the Community Foundation have collaborated to supplement the COVID-19 Fund. Through that collaboration, more than $2 million in grants was awarded. Phase II funding was awarded through a collaboration of:

  • the Bunbury Fund;
  • the Community Impact Grants/The Burke Foundation Legacy Grants;
  • the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund; and
  • the Fund for Women and Girls

We want to thank the many foundations, companies, charitable funds and individuals who have contributed to this fund, including our major funding partners.

Learn more about Phase II grants here.

Click below to read more.

Phase III Grants

Prior to launching a third Phase of COVID-19 Relief and Recovery funding, the Community Foundation engaged community members and organizations to better understand existing needs in the region. We used intelligence gathered to inform the focus of the third wave of funding.

In Phase III, we awarded $199,000 in COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund grants to nonprofits holding summer programs.
Learn more here.

We also awarded a $275,000 grant to fund a program to teach school staff throughout Mercer County how to identify students exposed to stressful or traumatic experiences and how to engage all students in a way that promotes healing from the mental health effects of the pandemic. Read more about our grant supporting the FEA’s Healing Centered Engagement initiative here.

2019 Grants

2019 Grants

We also changed restrictions related to some of our 2019 grants in the wake of this crisis.

Organizations that received a 2019 program grant from our Community Impact Grants, All Kids Thrive initiative, or the Fund for Women and Girls, may have received a grant modification.

While we believe grant reporting is useful to understand the impact your organization is making, we are suspending reporting requirements until further notice.