Dunham Foundation

The Dunham Foundation provides grants to organizations that encourage innovation and collaboration in educational and community development programs and projects. In the wake of COVID-19, the Dunham Foundation focused on the most pressing needs and ensuring that organizations could avoid obstacles to grant funding that could keep them afloat within a challenging financial landscape. “As money starts to filter to states and communities and we learn how federal and state dollars will be allocated,” Morcos explained, “we are also discovering how can we fill that gap.”

Morcos said local homeless shelters surfaced urgent needs early on, as they handled unanticipated demand by setting up tents in warehouses to afford families privacy. Food pantries also experienced a surge in clients, as local churches had to shut down their own soup kitchens suddenly. Walk-in social services that transitioned to home visits required more staff and proper sanitation and protective equipment—both costly changes.

In addition to making adjustments to its grantmaking process at the outset of the pandemic, the Dunham Foundation partnered with four other local grantmakers to pool resources and launch the Fox Valley Grantmakers COVID-19 Response Fund to address the most critical needs in quality healthcare, human services, and educational opportunities. “It was important for us to come together with our funding partners to maximize our resources,” Morcos said, “in an effort to address as many needs as possible.”