When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our community in March 2020, ACT quickly worked with the City of Alexandria to mobilize partners, donors, and nonprofit organizations to meet our community’s needs head-on. Our community rallied to provide critical
services, including:
- emergency food and financial assistance
- access to healthcare, technology, and personal protective equipment (PPE), and
- educational supports to enhance distance learning and student success
The Fund served 13,708 Alexandria residents, with the majority living in the 22304, 22305, and 22311 zip codes and the majority identifying as Hispanic or Latinx and Black or African American.
In addition to grants, the Fund invested in coaching and training to help stabilize nonprofits. The training addressed the fundraising, financial management, and leadership needs of local nonprofits. As a result of this investment, Alexandria has a stronger nonprofit sector that will continue to meet the needs of Alexandrians in the years to come.
Nearly $1.3 million in total grant awards
57 grantee organizations
61 grants distributed
Across the past year, new partnerships and news ways of doing business took root and they will help accelerate the pace of change. We will continue to work with partners and grantees to address the urgent human service needs of Alexandrians. And we will work with partners to disrupt systems and rebuild programs so that we can have a more equitable future. ACT looks forward to continued collaboration with the community to ensure a future where we are all stronger together.
Alexandria Resilience Fund Racial Equity Statement
ACT for Alexandria and the City of Alexandria envision a community where the color of one’s skin, ethnicity, or citizenship status does not determine their outcomes in life. Historically, African Americans, Latinx, immigrants, and our neighbors of color have had fewer economic and educational opportunities, are more likely to experience housing and food insecurity, and have worse health outcomes compared to their white counterparts due to systemic and institutional racism.
We believe that the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 is a racial equity issue and the pandemic has exacerbated the pre-existing inequities in our community. Prioritizing racial equity in our grantmaking is the most effective way to respond to the needs of our community now and in the future.
The Alexandria Resilience Fund intends to support organizations providing essential services to residents disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, while also addressing the underlying factors – specifically systemic and institutional racism – that perpetuate poverty and limit economic opportunity. We will prioritize partners and programs committed to addressing racial equity and that have deep, trusted relationships with marginalized communities on the sidelines of Alexandria’s prosperity.
We know we will continue to bear witness to COVID-19’s devastating impact on our community and we are committed to finding ways to invest in longer-term solutions that address the root causes of poverty and disproportionate economic opportunity for people of color in Alexandria. The Alexandria Resilience Fund is one among many important efforts to build a more equitable and just Alexandria.