Government and Nonprofits:
A Strategic Partnership to Help Communities Through the COVID Crisis
We know that communities benefit when nonprofits and government partner to meet local needs. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen government and nonprofits come together to distribute CARES Act and ARPA funding to nonprofits that provide essential services, jobs, and impact our quality of life. These nonprofits are on the frontlines providing increased food assistance, mental health supports, childcare, and housing. They are training and placing people in jobs, educating children and adults, and caring for animals and our environment.
Thanks to this vital partnership, CARES Act funding was effectively distributed to a variety of organizations and programs in counties across the state. Organizations stepped up to work with government agencies to get needed funding to nonprofits, demonstrating what a successful government/nonprofit partnership can look like.
As illustrated in the following stories, when government and nonprofits partner to prioritize the wellbeing of communities, everyone wins.
Washington State Department of Commerce (Commerce): Unfamiliar Territory Leads to a Model for Successful Government/Nonprofit Partnership
In the beginning, working with nonprofits was unfamiliar territory for Cheryl Smith, Director of Community Engagement and Outreach with the Washington State Department of Commerce (Commerce). ...
Voices of Pacific Island Nations (VOPIN) – CARES Act Funding Helps Nonprofit Address Achievement Gap among Kitsap County Pacific Islander Students
When Patrick Woo-Ching founded Voices of Pacific Island Nations in 2015, he did so by asking himself the question, “If not me, who else?” What Patrick felt he had an obligation to address was ...
United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF): CARES Act Grant Administration Uses a Humanistic Approach, Paving the Way for Trust-based Philanthropy
United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF), an organization with its origins in activism, has a 51-year history of providing a variety of culturally responsive services and programming to ...
Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA): State Agency with Deep Community Ties Made Sure Arts and Culture Organizations Were Supported
COVID-19 had a devastating impact on the creative economy across the country, and the creative economy in Washington state was not spared. The Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) says the ...
School’s Out Washington (SOWA): Nonprofit Umbrella Distributed State Funds in a way that Worked for Nonprofits
School’s Out Washington (SOWA), an organization dedicated to strengthening community systems that support quality expanded learning programs for Washington’s children and youth, is another ...
Yakima Valley Community Foundation: Partnership with Yakima County Ensured that Vital Funding Stayed in the Local Community
Washington Nonprofits recently had the opportunity to connect with Sharon Miracle, President and CEO of the Yakima Valley Community Foundation. Sharon shared their success story of assisting ...