The Park City Community Foundation credited their 2018 formation of a community crisis fund as how so many in-need local organizations were able to stay open and lend a hand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Tuesday’s Coffee With Council roundtable, the Park City Community Foundation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was a central topic.
The foundation’s executive director, Katie Wright, announced she would be stepping down last November, and Tuesday’s event was meant to honor her contributions during her 13-year tenure at the organization -- including the success of the annual Live PC Give PC fundraiser and COVID-19 response over the past year.
Soon after the live stream started, discussion transitioned to COVID-19.
Wright said the community foundation actually started a crisis relief fund in 2018 in anticipation of an eventual need during a community crisis. She said the initial infrastructure was ready to go no matter what the emergency was.
“So this is exactly the role of a community foundation,” Wright explained. “This is, unfortunately, something we know we need to be here because one thing we’re really good at is accepting donations and making grants, and that’s exactly what you need in a disaster or a crisis.”
According to the community foundation, the COVID relief fund has raised over $3.7 million and distributed roughly $2.5 million since the start of the pandemic.
Wright added that another important aspect of a crisis response is flexibility, something the foundation was careful to include when they initially set up the fund. The solution was unrestricted donations that could be used any way the foundation saw fit.
“We all know that, especially in a natural disaster, at first you might need first aid support, but then later you need support to recover,” sh said. “The thing about our response fund is that those funds are unrestricted so that they continue to be adaptable and responsive as the needs evolve over the crisis and as unforeseen things occur.”
Community foundation board member Anna Frachou said the fund operated in phases with urgent needs like food and housing security being first, then education and other nonprofit support, and finally addressing the recovery needs of the community. She said the sheer number of requests for assistance compared to a typical workload not only created a challenge, but also an opportunity.
“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s definitely been addressing our community’s needs and making sure that they’re getting the resources that they need,” Frachou said.
Wright is set to leave the community foundation on March 31st. Frachou said the search for her replacement is currently underway. To learn more about the Park City Community Foundation and their crisis relief fund, click here.
