In a third round of emergency funding, UJA-Federation of New York has announced nearly $9 million in new Covid-19 relief grants to support “newly vulnerable families seeking to access Jewish life, front-line workers, and needy Jewish congregants in the New York region.”
The grants will fund Jewish summer camps, day school scholarships, synagogue funds for the vulnerable and personal protective equipment.
UJA-Federation has so far allocated approximately $44 million to help respond to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the Jewish community.
“At the core of the New York Jewish community is an incredible infrastructure of organizations that underpin our ability to sustain and strengthen Jewish life into the future. In this third round of relief, we’re helping to ensure that the tens of thousands in our community directly impacted by Covid-19 are still able to access these critical Jewish resources,” said Eric S. Goldstein, the charity’s CEO.
Aid so far has supported New Yorkers facing food insecurity, UJA-Federation partner organizations providing essential health and human services, Jewish Community Centers, low-income students and single parents. Funding has also ensured dignified burials, and supplemented the $75 million NYC Covid-19 Response & Impact Fund with other leading philanthropic organizations.
UJA-Federation granted $300,000 to the Afya Foundation for a month’s supply of gloves and masks for its nonprofit partner agencies and $50,000 to the Hatzalah ambulance service to purchase personal protection equipment for their more than 1,000 volunteers and 100 crews.
The philanthropy had earlier announced allocations of up to $6 million to support residential and day camps even as no final decisions have yet been made regarding this summer’s camping season.
“It’s evident camps will face enormous budget shortfalls,” said Goldstein.
Two weeks ago, UJA-Federation also allocated more than $1 million in emergency funds to support counseling for caregivers, loan funds for small businesses and nonprofits and networks coordinating leaders and volunteers.
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