COVID-19 and Community Grants

During this time of great uncertainty, many in the not-for-profit sector are grappling with COVID-19 planning and response. While we are still trying to understand the full impact of the situation, we know that you are exceptionally challenged right now as you look for ways to safely serve your communities. We are mindful of unintended consequences that might seem minor to those in positions of privilege and power, but that can overwhelm the daily lives of people who are already struggling.

As a precautionary measure for everyone involved, CAI is doing everything we can to “flatten the curve”. While we will continue normal operations, effective immediately, all CAI staff are working remotely as per the social distancing recommendations of public health experts. You may still reach our staff by email and phone, and we will get back to you as quickly as possible. Like many organizations and institutions, we have also suspended meetings at our office and plan to convert in-person meetings, gatherings and public convenings to remote/online participation.

We want to assure you that CAI prioritizes the health and safety of your staff, clients and the communities you serve. With that in mind, you can be certain that:

  • If a component of your grant with us includes a convening, a public event, one-to-one support or other activity that would not be prudent given current concerns, please be aware that we absolutely support and encourage any decision to postpone that element of your grant to a later date as you deem fit.
  • The same is true of any reporting deadline that you cannot meet because of disruptions to your schedule and capacity. We do not expect you to do anything that puts anyone else at risk. There will be no loss of funding as a result of delays or programmatic adjustments.

We remain committed to equity-oriented funding principles, including flexibility. Should you require further flexibility around your budget, reporting, or any other element, we encourage you to speak directly with your project/community grants manager and we will do all we can to accommodate your needs. For organizations we support, we will strive to ensure that this transition is largely seamless.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Although we will be physically isolated, we are committed to remaining connected with you.

Together with you,
The CAI Team