Community Foundation of Tampa Bay receives $500,000 commitment from The Humana Foundation

TAMPA, Fla. - June 1, 2020 - PRLog -- The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay has received a $500,000 commitment from The Humana Foundation to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Tampa Bay region. The gift bolsters the Community Foundation's ability to mobilize its funding resources and collaborate with local nonprofits for the community's benefit.

The Humana Foundation's gift will be distributed to local nonprofits through the Community Foundation's Tampa Bay Rapid Response Fund, which provides grants to local nonprofits to address immediate and mid- to long-term needs.

"The COVID-19 pandemic escalated community concerns, such as food insecurity and access to health care and mental health resources," said Marlene Spalten, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. "As a community collaborator, we support the local nonprofits who are best equipped to meet our community's greatest needs."

The Humana Foundation's $500,000 commitment adds to Humana's $100,000 donation to the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay in the earliest days of the pandemic.

"The Humana Foundation understands the far-reaching strain the pandemic has placed on many organizations working on the frontlines to provide healthcare, food and employment for those disproportionality affected by the COVID-19 health crisis," said Walter D. Woods, Chief Executive Officer of The Humana Foundation. "Our aim is to remove barriers and help them respond, recover and rebuild."

The Rapid Response Fund is one avenue that the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay is using to connect resources to local nonprofits who are serving the Tampa Bay community.

The Community Foundation also created the Nonprofit Needs List, a centralized list of local nonprofits' greatest needs during the pandemic. Already, the Nonprofits Needs List has collected more than $21.9 million in needs from 487 nonprofits across the Foundation's five-county service area.

The Community Foundation has infused nearly $4 million into local nonprofits, which includes $1.9 million for 157 nonprofit projects from the Nonprofit Needs List since late March 2020. In addition, it has collaborated with businesses, foundations and individuals and connected nonprofits to resources.

"Our intention with this commitment is to not only help provide immediate crisis relief, but also serve as a catalyst in building sustainable achievement and long-term community resilience," said Woods.

The Humana Foundation's gift is part of its historic April 30 announcement to commit $50 million to coronavirus relief and recovery efforts to a select group of organizations supporting essential workers, food security, behavioral health and local communities.

This commitment to the Community Foundation builds upon The Humana Foundation's continued work in Humana's Bold Goal communities, which aims to improve population health in Florida by co-creating solutions that address health-related social needs for our communities.

Learn more about the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay's COVID relief efforts at https://cftampabay.org/response/.