Accepting Requests for Urgent Funding

March 19, 2020

During this time of uncertainty, The Rees-Jones Foundation remains committed to you and those who you serve. Because of organizations like you on the front lines, offering urgently needed services to our community, we are now accepting for consideration Urgent Funding Applications.

The Rees-Jones Foundation invites nonprofit organizations in North Texas who are serving the vulnerable population most impacted by COVID-19 to communicate through the Urgent Funding Application how short-term concerns are requiring additional resources and revenue to enable you to implement adjusted and expanded programs.

Applications are available on the grantee portal, which is accessible by visiting www.rees-jonesfoundation.org/apply. Organizations who have not yet applied for funding as of March 2, 2020 will need to first create an account to access the portal (instructions available online).

The Urgent Funding Application is now open with no due date. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and evaluated promptly. Decisions will give the upmost consideration to the evolving community needs.

To be considered, organizations must serve North Texas with a focus on the areas of interest of The Rees-Jones Foundation.

In an effort to best serve you and your constituents, and to enable us to respond as quickly as possible, the Urgent Funding Application requests additional details from you as described below.

We appreciate as much information as you can provide at the time of submission to things such as:

• What you are experiencing as far as overall increase in demand for all assistance and any projections you are making in that regard
• How you and your board have determined adjustments to general operations and programming in the short-term and perhaps onward (including creative solutions and innovations as possible)
• Impact to specific programs and what that related staffing and financial plan/need is
  • The plan should include information as to need over time – such as 2nd and 3rd quarter impact projections and an adjusted 2020FY operations budget amendment.
• We would also like to know to whom in your donor group, you have also submitted urgent funding requests to, including through mass email fundraising

Additionally, organizations will be requested to submit the following documents:

• Current Year Operating Budget and/or Amended COVID-19 Budget
• Urgent Funding Project Budget – this should include
  • Statement on whether reserves are available and how they will be used to meet urgent needs
  • Projected loss of revenue by revenue type (specific line item)
  • A list of other funders being solicited for urgent funding needs

Please reach out to your program officer before applying for urgent funding if your organization has a pending grant request at this time.

We will continue to evaluate our processes in the coming days so that we can most effectively respond to the needs of our community, and will supplement our communications regarding the Urgent Funding Application as needed.