By Ben Olson
Reader Staff
A coalition of philanthropic and business partners has joined together to create a COVID-19 Response Fund that will rapidly deploy resources to community-based organizations at the front lines of the region’s coronavirus outbreak in North Idaho. The fund is anchored by the following initial donations: $50,000 from Innovia Foundation, $30,000 from Equinox Foundation and $50,000 from Avista Foundation (allocated between the Eastern Washington and North Idaho Funds). Additional funders include BNSF, Bank of America and LC Valley Healthcare Foundation.
The COVID-19 North Idaho Community Response Fund will provide funding to organizations working with people disproportionately impacted by coronavirus and the economic consequences of the outbreak. This includes the elderly, the homeless, residents without health insurance and/or access to sick days, communities of color, healthcare, hospitality and gig economy workers, and low-wage employees among others. Funds will not be awarded directly to individuals, but instead to support organizations, resources and efforts that help individuals and communities weather the impact of this pandemic.
Grants will be administered in partnership with an advisory group to help identify organizations aligned with the priorities of the fund.
Individuals and organizations interested in donating to the fund can visit www.innovia.org/give-now and select North Idaho Fund to learn more. Contributions are eligible for a charitable tax deduction.
While we have you ...
... if you appreciate that access to the news, opinion, humor, entertainment and cultural reporting in the Sandpoint Reader is freely available in our print newspaper as well as here on our website, we have a favor to ask. The Reader is locally owned and free of the large corporate, big-money influence that affects so much of the media today. We're supported entirely by our valued advertisers and readers. We're committed to continued free access to our paper and our website here with NO PAYWALL - period. But of course, it does cost money to produce the Reader. If you're a reader who appreciates the value of an independent, local news source, we hope you'll consider a voluntary contribution. You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.
You can contribute at either Paypal or Patreon.
Contribute at Patreon Contribute at Paypal
Coming up this week! Don’t miss out on MarchFourth, A Reunion Concert, a Street Scramble... and more! See the full list of events in the 
