ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund
Alexandrians are known for their generosity. The spirit of collective action is core to Alexandria. Now is the time for all of us to come together to support our neighbors affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
ACT and the City of Alexandria established the ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund to provide emergency funding to nonprofits that are delivering the critical services and programs that are needed by Alexandrians right now.
Donate to the ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund:
Donate to the ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund to support the vitality and health of our community. Please know a donation of any size will make a big difference. To learn more about the Fund, click here.
For Nonprofits:
ACT is hosted a call to share more details about the Fund and the grant process. Click here for the video or here for the slides.
To access the grant application, click here.
Grant applications will be due every Friday by 5:00pm and decisions will be made by the following Friday. The number of future grant awards will be dependent on the funds raised through the ACT Now COVID-19 Response Fund and the evolving needs over time. We anticipate funding through a multi-phased approach that will continue throughout the outbreak and recovery phases of the crisis.
Resources for Community Members:
ACT is working with local nonprofits to provide a regularly updated list of emergency resources for community members in need. For a list of emergency resources, click here.
Spring2ACTion 2020!
ACT for Alexandria has decided to move up Spring2ACTion to April 15, 2020, with Early Giving opening on Friday, April 3. During this unprecedented time, we feel change is necessary to meet the current needs of our community. This move is to meet the immediate and urgent needs of our nonprofit sector while providing an immediate call to action to our generous community.
Spring2ACTion, Alexandria’s Giving Day, is the time Alexandrians come together, uplift one another, and support the organizations that serve our community in the best of times and during challenging times. This giving day has become an indispensable platform for local nonprofits to engage the community and raise critical funding. Because of the current crisis, we know many nonprofits have cancelled fundraising events and programs that generate revenue. Classrooms and theaters are dark, and programs are cancelled in adherence of social distancing guidelines. Nonprofits are depleting their reserves to purchase emergency food and supplies for their constituents. The financial health of nonprofits is threatened at a time when our community needs them the most.
For the past ten years, Alexandrians have come together to show their support for the community they love. Since 2011, more than 65,000 generous donors have given more than $10 million to more than 165 nonprofits through Spring2ACTion. When we come together again on April 15th, we know generosity will shine.
To learn more about Spring2ACTion, please contact Brandi Yee at brandi.yee@actforalexandria.org or visit www.Spring2ACTion.org.
Census Mini Grants
Beginning in mid-March, all Alexandrians will be called upon to be counted as part of the 2020 Census. ACT envisions a City that embraces residents from all walks of life and where everyone can fully participate in our civic life and economic prosperity. Census data helps us understand the full story of our community by counting everyone who lives here. In order to facilitate a complete count in Alexandria, ACT is allocating $10,000 for Census Mini Grants to be awarded to nonprofit organizations working to build awareness in hard to count commmunities in Alexandria. Find out more.
City of Alexandria to purchase Freedom House
The City of Alexandria and the Northern Virginia Urban League (NVUL) reached an agreement on December 31 for the City to purchase the Freedom House Museum in order to preserve and interpret this National Historic Landmark for future generations. The building, located at 1315 Duke Street, was once part of the headquarters for the largest domestic slave trading firm in the United States. From 1828 to 1861, five successive firms forced as many as 50,000 enslaved adults and children from the Chesapeake Bay area to the slave markets in Natchez, Miss., and New Orleans by foot or ship. The City plans to enlist partners to help us restore the building and expand the exhibits to tell the story of the domestic slave trade and those who were enslaved.
Click Here to donate and support the purchase of Freedom House.
Together, we can make a difference in Alexandria!
Learn About Our Racial Equity Capacity Building Opportunities
Allyship workshops: What does it mean to be an ally for racial justice? ACT has hosted 7 sold-out workshops in 2019 and the next workshops will be held on March 24 and May 14. The Allyship Workshops, led by Whitney Parnell, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Service Never Sleeps, are designed to help you learn more about how you can use your areas of privilege to advance racial justice and begin your journey of adopting an allyship lifestyle. These one-day workshops are open to individuals living in or serving the Alexandria community.
Register for March 24 (Note: this session is for Board members of Alexandria organizations or commissions). NOTE: ACT has decided to postpone the Allyship Workshop scheduled for Tuesday, March 24 due to growing public health concerns related to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. We do not wish to risk the health and safety of anyone in our community. We will reschedule this workshop at a later date.
Register for May 14
If you have any questions, please contact Brandi Yee at
.