HELPING THE HELPERS

 

Urgent Needs Fund

In response to unforeseen circumstances in 2020, UMC established the Urgent Needs Fund. The Fund provided stopgap support for local nonprofits who found themselves under-resourced to serve unanticipated demand for their services. As with all UMC donations,100% of all donations received benefit local nonprofits that are meeting the immediate needs of individuals seeking help in Knox and Waldo counties.

Scroll down for more detailed information.

To apply for a URGENT NEEDS grant, click HERE

URGENT NEEDS GRANTEES

  • $5,000 to Knox County Homeless Coalition to fund temporary and safe housing solutions
  • $1,500 to Islesboro Community Center’s Care and Comfort Program for food and supplies for community kitchen meal delivery
  • $750 to One Less Worry to supply toilet paper for local food pantry clients
  • $3,000 to the Belfast Soup Kitchen to support increased costs associated with COVID-19
  • $5,000 to Mid-Coast Recovery Coalition to assist newly released inmates needing shelter
  • $3,750 to New Hope for Women for emergency shelter for domestic violence victims
  • $5,000 to Rockland Salvation Army to support the increased need for food services
  • $5,000 to Finding Our Voices for a domestic violence awareness mailing to Waldo County residents
  • $5,000 to AIO Food and Energy Assistance to support a warehouse manager in coordinating local pantries to meet increased needs
  • $5,000 to Waldo Community Action Partners to improve web-based communications about available services
  • $5,000 to Full Plates Full Potential to support summer meal programs for children in Waldo County
  • $5,000 to Full Plates Full Potential to support summer meal programs for children in Knox County
  • $5,000 to Rockland District Nursing Association to allow for increased nursing hours in relation to COVID-19
  • $5,000 to VOANNE’s Mid Coast Regional Reentry Center for staffing support to cover shortfalls in County resources
  • $5,000 to Full Plates Full Potential to support summer meal programs for children in Knox County (2nd grant)
  • $5,000 to Full Plates Full Potential to support summer meal programs for children in Waldo County (2nd grant)
  • $5,000 to Big Brothers Big Sister to support mentoring for kids in Knox and Waldo counties.
  • $5,000 to New Hope for Women for emergency shelter for domestic violence victims
  • $600 to No Greater Love Food Pantry for delivery van repairs
  • $3675 to Palermo Food Pantry for heating oil and electricity costs

Click for a list of UMC’s 2022 regular cycle grantees >

Urgent Needs Application Information

United Midcoast Charities’ Urgent Needs applications are open by invitation and reviewed on a rolling basis as funds allow. Please email us at admin@unitedmidcoastcharities.org with your Urgent Needs inquiry

UMC will provide a funding reply within 48 business hours of reviewing a completed application, and a check will be issued immediately if the application is approved.

Like our regular grants process, we require all applicants to submit a current non-profit tax-exempt status 501(c)(3) or letter of agreement from a fiscal agent and the agent’s 501(c)(3) documentation. All applicants must provide programming aimed at promoting the welfare of residents of Knox and Waldo counties within UMC’s focus areas of food, housing, health and safety, and economic security. We do not fund capital projects, debt service, endowments or private schools. Urgent Needs Grants are capped at $5,000 each.

All grant applications are thoroughly reviewed by our Urgent Needs committee based on the following criteria:

  1. Mission Match: The work proposed is strongly aligned with UMC’s focus areas of food, housing, health and safety, and economic security. The proposed support is accessible and appropriate to vulnerable populations–e.g., children, older adults, medically fragile, communities of color, unemployed/underemployed, and low income people.
  2. Stand in the Gap: The applicant is facing an acute spike in community need and/or shortfall in ordinary income. Reserves and other sources of funding are absent or slow.
  3. Organizational Capacity: The organization(s) has the necessary capacity and infrastructure to meet the community need.
  4. Partnership and Non-Duplication: The applicant evidences strong relationships with groups doing related work in their geography. Strengths and assets are coordinated among partners for efficiency and success.
  5. Oversight: The budget, financial structures, and governance are in good health. Capacity for oversight of funds is strong.

UMC has signed on to the Council on Foundations’ COVID-19 Philanthropy Pledge – read more here.