Our Response
YWCA USA is quick to reach out and communicate our concern and support impacted communities in the wake of a natural disaster. However, we need an infrastructure to provide meaningful emergency disaster assistance in short term and support community resilience in the long term. Our goal is to ensure that our local associations can return to delivering critical services as quickly as possible and create capacity and resilience to response future disasters. By launching the YWCA USA National Disaster Relief and Community Resilience Program, we can support our local YWCAs through a variety of technical assistance, relief services and financial support. YWCA will continue to position itself as a trusted national intermediary for emergency relief funds, serve as a credible entity to receive financial donations, request specific contribution of goods and services, and serve as a network able to deploy donations/contributions through our association network.
Program Funding
Funding may be made available in the form of low interest loans and grants. Requests may be made for both short and long-term recovery efforts. Resources are available for local associations that are in directly impacted areas, or may be made available for associations that stand to serve displaced clients from directly impacted areas.
- Short term loans up to $50,000 are available with a repayment term of 18 months.
- Long term loans up to $150,000 are available with a repayment term of 36 months.
- Grants up to $50,000 are available to support programs and services to build community resiliency.
YWCA USA’s Natural Disaster Relief and Community Resiliency Program creates two funds that local associations can access:
Relief Fund will provide financial support to address the immediate needs to return to business. This fund will support short-term needs such as:
- Assistance for debris removal, life-saving emergency measures
- Repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged facilities
- Temporary facility costs to continue services
- Emergency funding to support YWCA families impacted by the natural disaster
- Provide immediate cash while waiting for insurance adjustments and payment dollars
Resiliency Fund will provide financial support to address the long-term impacts and to build resiliency within the community. This fund will support long-term needs, such as:
- Future hazard mitigation measures
- Provide mental and emotional health services for those impacted
- Household items for displaced individual and families
- Local associations outside the impacted area that receive displaced persons from a disaster-impacted area
Criteria to Access Natural Disaster Relief Program
- Located in an area aligned with a federal disaster declaration.
- Provide proof of damage or projection of service interruption of critical programs for more than 30 days.
- Request FEMA assistance
- Document need for new or enhanced community support services and programs.
Eligibility and application
- Open to all local associations meeting membership standards/locals in “good standing.”