The VNA Foundation of Greater North Penn proudly distributed a total of $300,000 in GENERAL OPERATING GRANTS to 32 community organizations between July and November, 2020, as part of its North Penn Unity Grant program. The North Penn Unity Grant program represents a departure from the VNA Foundation’s traditional form of grantmaking, and was inspired by the challenges expressed by our grantee partners during the COVID-19 pandemic. To help our partners better cope with the pandemic’s effects on their organizational operations and programming for vulnerable communities, we designed the North Penn Unity Grants program with the following features in mind:

  • 1. Rolling application deadlines: Applications are accepted and reviewed on an ongoing basis until October 30th, 2020, and a decision is awarded within 30-60 days of submission
  • 2. General Operating support: All grants will be made in the form of General Operating support, to maximize the flexibility of all dollars
  • 3. Streamlined proposal: The grant proposal asks for only basic and essential information and is a fraction of its former length
  • 4. Relaxed Reporting: In lieu of submitting a formal written report, all grantees are invited to participate in a brief follow-up meeting via Zoom
  • 5. Increased grant funding: VNA Foundation increased its Fall grants budget by 50% in order to provide larger grants to more organizations when they need it most
  • Visit the VNA Foundation’s 2019-2020 Annual Report to see a complete listing of all grantees from this program.