Cooper Foundation Awards Fourth Round of Rapid Response Grants at July Board Meeting

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Lincoln, Neb. — The Cooper Foundation Board of Trustees awarded the fourth cycle of Rapid Response COVID-19 grants at the July board meeting to help address the critical needs of nonprofits and the communities they serve. Grants will be awarded monthly for unrestricted general operating support with a simplified application process through September 2020. Information about the Rapid Response application is available at www.cooperfoundaton.org.

For more than 50 years, Legal Aid of Nebraska has provided free civil legal services to low-income Nebraskans to ensure the fair enforcement of the law, to protect the rights of the people, and to address the urgent legal needs of communities. Legal Aid quickly adapted to serve clients remotely as the pandemic created new and unanticipated civil and legal challenges due to the economic fallout. They continue to provide consultations, virtual clinics, representation in telephonic hearings, and now offer pandemic-related resources. A disaster relief hotline and legal resources dedicated to the COVID-19/Coronavirus is on their website, and regular updates are shared via social media. They have prioritized legal services to help with evictions, unemployment compensation, sick leave, health care, and debt collection protection. As eviction moratoriums are expiring, Legal Aid created a new Tenant Assistance Project in Lancaster County and other counties to address the increasing caseloads. They continue to support essential workers, including employees of meat-packing plants and others who are working in hazardous conditions. To learn more, visit  www.legalaidofnebraska.org/.

The Foundation awarded a total of $67,000 in program and unrestricted general operating grants to nine nonprofit organizations. The grants were awarded to a diverse group of arts, education, and human services organizations.

Child Advocacy Center: $10,000

HopeSpoke: 10,000

Legal Aid of Nebraska: $10,000

Lincoln Music Teachers Association: $2,500

Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach: $10,000

Meadowlark Music Festival: $2,500

St. Monica’s: $10,000

Southeast Community College Educational Foundation: $10,000

The HUB Central Access Point for Young Adults: $2,000

The Cooper Foundation, established by Joseph H. Cooper in 1934, has granted over $25 million to benefit the people of Nebraska. The Foundation makes grants supporting arts, civic and community engagement, education, environment, humanities, and human services, primarily in Lincoln and Lancaster County. For more information about grant eligibility and the application process visit the foundation’s website, www.cooperfoundation.org.

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