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Burton D. Morgan Foundation Responds to COVID-19 Crisis

April 21, 2020

Burton D. Morgan Foundation continues to support and connect the elements of Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, while adjusting to the current reality of the COVID-19 health emergency.  Our goal is to support our staff, grantees, and the community during this unprecedented crisis.

Foundation Operations

Morgan Foundation is open and operating at full capacity, with our staff working remotely.  For the present time, face-to-face meetings, site visits, and travel have been suspended.  Staff is creatively utilizing technology to conduct business virtually and can still be reached by phone or email.

Emergency Grants

The Foundation is working diligently to identify ways to support Northeast Ohio’s people and businesses impacted by the pandemic.  To date, we have awarded emergency grants totaling $422,500 to address needs that have arisen from the COVID-19 crisis:

  • $200,000 to Greater Akron Chamber for the COVID-19 Small Business Emergency Relief Grant Program
  • $120,000 to United Way of Summit County for the Akron Summit County COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund
  • $50,000 to Hebrew Free Loan Association for a business loan fund that will supply emergency loans to small businesses in Northeast Ohio
  • $20,000 to Akron Community Foundation for the Community Response Fund
  • $10,000 to Wayne County Community Foundation for the Wayne County Emergency Response Fund
  • $10,000 to Kent State University and $10,000 to Akron MakerSpace to purchase supplies and equipment to create personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals in Ohio
  • $2,500 to Hudson Community Foundation for the Hudson NOW Fund

Grantee Support

Our primary focus for the foreseeable future will be to support our grantees in sustaining and adapting Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.  We have been in contact with many of our grant partners and understand the considerable challenges you are facing.  We are committed to being flexible and working in partnership with you to navigate these uncharted waters.  If you haven’t already been in touch and need to discuss changes to your program or terms of your agreement, please contact your program officer or Gina Dotson, Grants & Communications Manager at gdotson@bdmorganfdn.org. 

Response to New Grantees

With Morgan Foundation’s focus on supporting our current grantees through this unsettling time, we are unlikely to consider funding for new grantees through the remainder of 2020.   If you are not a current or recent grantee, please review grant guidelines on our website (https://www.bdmorganfdn.org/apply) and request guidance from the Grants & Communications Manager at gdotson@bdmorganfdn.org before completing a grant application.  We wish everyone well as we work to support our communities through this time of crisis.