The COVID-19 Joint Response Effort for Santa Barbara County announced March 19 that it will provide more than $1 million in assistance to individuals and families as well as organizations actively assisting members of the community affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Santa Barbara Foundation, United Way of Santa Barbara County and the Hutton Parker Foundation are leading the countywide funders’ collaborative with members of the Foundation Roundtable.

“The full extent of the impact this pandemic will have on our community remains to be seen; however, it is clear already that the needs of our community members and the organizations serving them will be substantial,” said Steve Ortiz, president and CEO of United Way of Santa Barbara County.

The COVID-19 Joint Response Effort will align and coordinate efforts, collect and share information, and distribute financial resources on a rolling basis to the most vulnerable populations.

Nonprofits can submit applications through the collaborative COVID-19 Nonprofit Grant Intake packet (preferred method) and/or to individual funders through their application processes.

Donations can be made to support the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort for Santa Barbara County at the Santa Barbara Foundation at SBFoundation.org/covid-19responseeffort or at the United Way at unitedwaysb.org/covid19.

For more resources about COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County, go to publichealthsbc.org. For resources for individuals, go to unitedwaysb.org/covid19. For resources for nonprofits, go to SBFoundation.org/covid-19-sbc-np-resources.