Abstract
Community foundations are uniquely positioned within their localities to provide immediate needs and realize their communities’ strengths, resources, and challenges, affording them opportunities to be highly effective in responding to crises. Many community foundations act not only as grant-makers and social investors, but also as community mobilizers, experts, facilitators, and leaders, who work on identifying areas of greatest need to catalyze meaningful social change. As the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly spread across the United States, many community foundations are spearheading immediate relief efforts locally and mobilizing millions of dollars throughout the U.S. This article highlights the initial response efforts of specific community foundations to the COVID-19 outbreak, including operations, shifts in funding priorities, and fund allocation oversight. Moving forward, it will be increasingly critical for community foundations and all philanthropists to strategically prioritize funding initiatives, voice local concerns to policymakers, and advocate for both state and federal policies related to nonprofit support.