All Points North Foundation Makes Second Round of COVID-19 Urgent Funding Grants

$400,000 in General Operating Support Goes to 10 Nonprofits

Brookline, MA (September 8, 2021) – With COVID-19 cases again on the rise nationally, the negative economic impact of the pandemic continues for nonprofit organizations across the country. In response, the Board of Directors of All Points North Foundation is awarding its second round of COVID-19 Urgent Funding Grants, totaling $400,000 in general operating support for 10 of its current grantees. All Points North Foundation previously awarded $360,000 in COVID-19 grants in June 2020.

A private foundation, All Points North Foundation funds U.S.-based nonprofits in two areas:

  • Public middle school education, specifically social emotional learning programs for students in grades 6-8 and professional development for teachers in underserved communities, whether urban or rural, and
  • Advancing the adoption of solar energy through education, job training and use of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies, particularly through solar installations for small-to mid-sized science centers and in Tribal communities.

“The pandemic closed off critical revenue and fundraising streams for so many nonprofits,” said Board Chair Larry Promisel. “We are pleased to provide this additional funding and give grantees the flexibility to apply the money to their most pressing organizational needs.”

In public education, a multitude of challenges were created by COVID-19 which amplified inequities in the educational system, particularly in Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. When schools went online, under-resourced school districts were at a significant disadvantage in terms of not having adequate funding to get laptops and internet access to students and families quickly versus their counterparts in more affluent school districts. In many cases, teachers felt unprepared and unsupported with the shift to virtual learning. For nonprofits working in the education sector, demand for services in areas like mentoring, training, crisis response and social emotional support for both students and teachers increased exponentially while revenue and staffing were stretched. For grantees in the solar energy sector, the pandemic’s disruption severely interrupted on-site job training programs and supply chains, creating shortages of key materials. Many projects were stalled or construction completely stopped, particularly on Tribal lands which were closed to non-community members.

“We are deeply humbled to be working with so many amazing grantees across the U.S. to address inequities that long have been present but are now even more visible given this global pandemic,” said Executive Director Laura Staich. “Despite the hardship of the last year-and-a-half, they have displayed incredible resilience, and we are pleased to be able to provide important general operating support to them at this time.”

Including the COVID-19 Urgent Funding Grants, All Points North Foundation has awarded more than $4.65 million since its inception in 2011, impacting over 390,000 lives nationwide.

Education Grant Recipients

ARSF logo FINAL

Austin, TX-based Ann Richards School Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on ensuring that students from the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders gain the confidence and skills to apply, attend and graduate from college, regardless of socioeconomic barriers.

CISW logo

The Washington state network of Communities In Schools serves 84,500 students through local affiliates working in partnership with local communities. CIS connects students to caring adults and community resources that help them see, confront and overcome the barriers that stand between them and a brighter future. Together, they are building a powerful change movement made up of peers, students, and alumni committed to shaping an equitable path to education for future generations.

Power My Learning

Los Angeles, CA-based PowerMyLearning partners with underserved schools and libraries to strengthen the learning relationships between students, teachers and families. Their programs promote culturally responsive education practices, foster social-emotional learning and help students reach rigorous learning standards.

Teach United

Fort Collins, CO-based TeachUNITED supports teachers and administrators with a world-class coaching program to increase academic achievement and growth for all learners, especially underserved rural communities.

Solar Grant Recipients

American Solar

Boulder, CO-based ASES is a nonprofit that advocates for sustainable living and 100% renewable energy by sharing information, events and resources to cultivate community and power progress in the U.S. and beyond.

Temecula, CA-based Everybody Solar works to protect the environment and strengthen U.S. communities by bringing cost-saving solar power to local charities.

Grid Alternatives

Oakland, CA-based GRID Alternatives is a national nonprofit building community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy. Its National Tribal Program works with more than 40 Native Nations to support their clean energy goals while providing energy cost savings and job training opportunities to improve tribal members’ quality of life.

Mo Lab

Tallahassee, FL-based MoLab provides on-the-go, dynamic, hands-on and inquiry-based science experiences through a mobile laboratory that promotes discovery. Cultivating and inspiring a greater understanding of STEM, MoLab provides equal access to hands-on science education that creatively and positively impacts students in underserved communities.

Solar Energy International

SEI, based in CO, is dedicated to scaling the global solar workforce at a pace that significantly impacts climate change by delivering hands-on experience, safety and technical skills training. SEI collaborates with Native American organizations, rural groups and learning-focused nonprofits to grow renewable solar power capacities in vulnerable communities via programs like Tribal Train the Trainer, Solar Forward and training scholarships.

Spark Northwest

Seattle, WA-based Spark Northwest works to advance equitable clean energy in communities across the U.S. Pacific Northwest. This nonprofit accelerates the shift to clean, affordable energy by teaming up with local communities to deliver the benefits of solar and efficiency to people who need it most.

About All Points North Foundation

All Points North Foundation was founded in 2011 by a family who believes passionately that everyone has a “true North”—a place of achievement—and that all should have equal opportunity and access to realize their goals. All Points North Foundation provides grants to U.S.-based nonprofits in two areas, public middle-school education (grades 6-8) and solar energy, that have the power to help communities navigate upward.

All Points North Foundation provides grants for U.S.-based projects and initiatives that support our priorities: improving public middle school education and teacher training, and implementing effective solar programs and/or projects.

Have a U.S.-based project you’d like to discuss?