United Way of Greater Newark Raises More Than $4M in Donations for Community COVID-19 Fund

The Community COVID-19 Fund is providing critical aid to address individual, public health, non-profit and long-term recovery needs to meet four phases of disaster relief

(Newark, NJ) April 17, 2020 – Today, Catherine Wilson, President & CEO of United Way of Greater Newark (UWGN) announced the Community COVID-19 Fund has raised more than $4 million to support local community members, organizations and small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. UWGN established the fund and has partnered with the City of Newark, Prudential Financial (Prudential), Victoria Foundation, the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey and Invest Newark to serve its 13-municipality network including Newark, Irvington, East Orange, West Orange, South Orange, Orange, Belleville, Nutley, Maplewood, Kearny, Harrison, East Newark and North Arlington.

“United Way has a long history of serving its communities in times of need and this crisis is no different. We have established the Community COVID-19 Fund to meet the critical needs of our local residents and hardworking business owners who have been and continue to be significantly impacted during this crisis,” said Wilson. “We are grateful to our partners who have been instrumental in getting this fund off the ground and to our donors who have supported our work in serving the greater Newark community during this time of need.”

The Community COVID-19 Fund commits resources to respond to the Four Phases of Emergency Management as outlined by FEMA: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Additionally, UWGN has established four categories of funding to address individual relief, public health needs, non-profit/social service relief and long-term recovery needs.

To review funding requests, UWGN will utilize the expertise of an advisory board that includes high-level funders, experts from the small business community, and members of its Board of Trustees. These funds will be reviewed through a streamlined rubric that establishes criteria for unmet needs in any of the phases of emergency management and relief. As always, donations can be designated to address a specific phase, need or population.

Major fund contributors include: the City of Newark, Prudential Foundation, Victoria Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation, the Wells Fargo Foundation, the TD Charitable Foundation and Santander Bank, N.A. The RWJ Foundation issued this grant as part of its $50 million effort to provide humanitarian aid to help some of the families and communities feeling the greatest strain under the COVID-19 health emergency.

Prudential was the first corporation to answer the call for support and commit funds. “We recognize the extraordinary challenges people and businesses in New Jersey are facing, and Prudential is committed to this partnership to provide both short- and long-term relief,” said Shané Harris, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, Prudential. “Together, we will work to restore the health, well-being and prosperity of our neighbors.”

As relief efforts move through mitigation towards long-term recovery, UWGN remains a vigilant partner to the community in tackling the greatest needs of residents, social service providers and public health sectors and will continue to distribute funds accordingly. For more information about the Community COVID-19 Fund and United Way of Greater Newark’s commitment to serving the community or to make a donation, please visit: www.UWNewark.org

About United Way of Greater Newark

United Way of Greater Newark’s (UWGN) mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty by convening, collaborating and investing in strategies to improve outcomes for children and families. UWGN has a long history of convening disaster funds in the community, including having established the 9/11 fund, the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund and, most recently, the Newark Water Fund. In order to continue providing support to the community and its non-profit partners during the COVID-19 crisis, UWGN has established the Community COVID-19 Fund. This is a regional fund serving its 13-municipality footprint including Newark, Irvington, East Orange, West Orange, South Orange, Orange, Belleville, Nutley, Maplewood, Kearny, Harrison, East Newark and North Arlington.

For more information about United Way of Greater Newark, please visit UWGreaterNewark.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UWGreaterNewark and #LiveUnited.