Shelby County United Fund (SCUFFY) is pleased to announce that it will receive a second COVID-19 Economic Relief Initiative grant for $132,057 from Indiana United Ways, the state professional association of which SCUFFY is a member. 

The grant will be used to support our community in meeting basic human needs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grant is one of 47 grants that Indiana United Ways is making to member organizations and community foundations through the initiative, which was made possible by funding Indiana United Ways received from Lilly Endowment Inc.

“SCUFFY has been a key convener and coordinator of our community’s response to meet human needs for decades. Even before this crisis, we knew that many families in Shelby County were not able to make ends meet - despite working. In the wake of COVID, those needs became even more dire. Thanks to the generous,continued support of Lilly Endowmentto our State Association, we can continue to help our community, through nonprofit partners, deal with and hopefully resolve the impacts of this trying time,” said Amber Dile, Board Chair for SCUFFY.

The second COVID-19 Economic Relief Initiative grant again calls for United Ways that receive funding to leverage partnerships and relationships to better meet COVID-related basic needs aligned with the social determinants of health as defined by the CDC.  Specifically, SCUFFY and a grant committee of community leaders will award funding to projects that provide food, shelter, clothing, utility assistance, child care, and addiction recovery support.

SCUFFY will begin accepting funding requests from area human and social service nonprofits whose IRS designation is in good standing beginning July 14.  Interested organizations should consult Blue River Community Foundation’s website for guidance on funding intent and application instructionshttps://app.smarterselect.com/programs/66820-Blue-River-Community-Foundation. A link to the application can also be found at www.scuffy.org.

In April 2020, Lilly Endowment helped Indiana United Ways establish the COVID-19 Economic Relief Initiative with an initial $30 million grant. Lilly Endowment made an additional $15 million grant in March to Indiana United Ways to support the initiative. Both grants are part of Lilly Endowment’s overall grantmaking to help organizations meet COVID-related needs. Since March 2020, Lilly Endowment has made grants totaling more than $210 million to organizations working in Indiana and across the nation as they respond to the pandemic.