The Pascua Yaqui Tribe Charitable Organization was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the Jewish Community Pandemic Relief Fund to assist in ongoing pandemic relief efforts for the Pascua Yaqui communities throughout Southern Arizona. The grant was made possible by generous gift from the David and Lura Lovell Foundation. This timely gift was facilitated by an introduction from the staff at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona.
The $10,000 grant will be used to pay for COVID-19 related assistance to Pascua Yaqui community members, including:
- Rapid Response grants to low-income families for ceremonial and burial services for COVID-19 deaths;
- Grants for distance learning for children who are remote learning and do not have the equipment necessary to effectively learn online (lack of bandwidth, lack of equipment in some school districts, etc.). Reimbursement requests for already purchased equipment do not qualify;
- Rental assistance to prevent eviction for individuals laid off due to COVID-19 and unable to pay their rent.
Robyn Schwager, Grants and Legacy Officer at the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, had this to say about the donation,
“Knowing that Native American people across the United States and especially in Arizona have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, The David and Lura Lovell Foundation wanted to find a meaningful way to assist this population in their time of need. When they learned that the Jewish Community Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona had already reached out to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Charitable Organization, they asked us to facilitate their gift. We were more than happy to partner with them to help ensure that these valuable services were able to be provided to our friends and neighbors in the Pascua Yaqui tribal community.”
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe Charitable Organization is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit aimed at improving lives for people living within the Pascua Yaqui communities throughout Southern Arizona. To learn more, visit yaquicharity.org.
The Jewish Community Pandemic Relief Fund is a project of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, both 501(c)(3) organizations devoted to creating, fostering, and sustaining positive change in the Jewish and broader communities in Southern Arizona, nationally, and around the world. To learn more about the Jewish Community Pandemic Relief fund, visit jfsa.org/pandemic.
If you would like to apply for COVID-19 relief funds in one of the three categories above, please either apply online at https://yaquicharity.org/grant-application/, call our office at (520) 308-5763, or send an email to director@yaquicharity.org. Funds are limited, and cannot be used for reimbursement of already purchased equipment, internet service, or other purposes not outlined above in our priority areas.
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