Round two of Emerging Needs Fund distributes nearly $250,000 to 31 local non-profits

United Way of Rock River Valley in collaboration with the 815 Community Response Team, has awarded nearly $250,000 in the second round of grants from its COVID-19 Emerging Needs Fund to 31 non-profit organizations in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago Counties.

United Way of Rock River Valley distributed $250,000 in this second round thanks to contributions from local companies, organizations, foundations and individuals who have generously donated to its COVID-19 Emerging Needs Fund. The quick response from the community has allowed United Way and the 815 Community Response Team to get funds to local agencies quickly and efficiently.

“We established the COVID-19 Emerging Needs Fund in late March with an anonymous $10,000 donation and it has quickly grown to more than $550,000 thanks to the generosity of our community,” said Paul Logli, United Way of Rock River Valley president and CEO. “From our beginning 100 years ago, we’ve been able to meet the critical needs of our region because of the community support. We’ve received individual donations from $10 to $10,000 and every amount makes a tremendous impact.”


Click here for a list of organizations that received second round grant funding, and how they are using the money.


Interested in applying for round 3 grant allocations?

Grant applications are vetted and chosen by the 815 Community Response Team Grant Making Committee, which is made up of representatives from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, the Kjellstrom Foundation, the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence and United Way of Rock River Valley and is part of the larger 815 Community Response Team, which also includes Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Transform Rockford and the Workforce Connection.

Priorities for funding include but are but are not limited to:

  • Housing
  • Utility and Rent Assistance
    • Medical Assistance
    • Prescription Assistance
  • Basic Necessities
    • Childcare
    • Food
    • Transportation
  • Resources for Human Service Organizations as they respond to their clients’ needs.

In order to be eligible for a grant allocation from the United Way COVID-19 Emerging Needs Fund, nonprofit agencies must:

  • Be a 501(c)(3) Organization
  • Be in operation and providing human services in Boone, Winnebago, Ogle or Stephenson counties for at least three years
  • Have an active, local Board of Directors comprised of nonpaid volunteers who meet at least quarterly
  • Maintain an annual operating budget
  • Agree to the Emerging Needs Fund Memorandum of Understanding
  • Comply in a timely manner to a request for information