Rapid Response Fund Grants

Rapid Response Grants are designed to provide immediate funding for health and human service nonprofit organizations experiencing unanticipated changes in financial circumstances jeopardizing a critical program’s ability to be effective and causing negative consequences to clients and the community. Alternatively, funding may address a significantly increased demand for services that exceeds the organization’s capacity to meet with current financial resources.

2022 Grant Awards

Rapid Response Fund Grants support a wide variety of services to help provide shelter, food, transitional housing, access to healthcare and financial stability. To date, Response Fund Grants have been awarded to:

  • Co-County Wellness Services
  • Literacy Council of Reading-Berks
  • Clare of Assisi House 
2021 Grant Awards

Rapid Response Fund Grants support a wide variety of services to help provide shelter, food, transitional housing, access to healthcare and financial stability. To date, Response Fund Grants have been awarded to:

  • Literacy Council of Reading-Berks
2020 Grant Awards

Due to the pandemic, much of the funding that would have been distributed through Rapid Response Grants was distributed through the Berks COVID-19 Response Fund Grants. Rapid Response Fund Grants support a wide variety of services to help provide shelter, food, transitional housing and access to healthcare. The 2020 recipients are:

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County
  • New Journey Community Outreach
  • Safe Berks
2019 Grant Awards

Rapid Response Grants support a wide variety of services to help provide shelter, food, transitional housing and access to healthcare. The recipients are:

  • Alvernia University
  • Clare of Assisi House
  • Co-County Wellness Center
  • Communities in Schools
  • Dayspring Homes, Inc.
  • Hannah’s Hope Ministries
  • Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank
  • Hope Rescue Mission
  • John Paul II Center
  • Literacy Council of Reading-Berks
  • Rudden Family Foundation
  • Veterans Coalition of Pennsylvania
2018 Grant Awards

Rapid Response Grants awarded this year supported an array of organizations and issues, including increased case management supporting the homeless, emergency renovations to an agency that experienced severe building damage due to flooding, supporting the growing need around winter weather “Code Blue” shelter for women and children and expanding services for a homeless youth program. The recipients are:

  • Family Promise of Berks County
  • Hope Rescue Mission
  • Literacy Council of Reading-Berks
  • Lutheran Campus Ministries at Kutztown University
  • Opportunity House
2017 Grant Awards

Rapid Response Grants awarded this year supported an array of organizations for a variety of initiatives including the launch of a Day Center to provide a supportive and nurturing environment for homeless individuals during the day; increased access to free tax preparation services for low/moderate income working individuals; an emergency food distribution site providing the largest soup kitchen in the City of Reading; a summer educational therapeutic program for children in residential treatment for emotional, behavioral and mental health issues; a backpack feeding program to elementary students and their families in a rural community; and to provide literacy opportunities for children experiencing homelessness. The recipients are:

  • Angels in the Attic (Alvernia University)
  • Berks Counseling Center
  • Centro Hispano Daniel Torres, Inc.
  • Children’s Home of Reading
  • Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness
  • Friend, Inc. Community Services
  • Hope Rescue Mission
  • New Journey Community Outreach
  • Reading Recreation Commission
  • Reading Risk Reduction
  • The Rudden Family Foundation
  • The Salvation Army Reading Corps
  • YMCA of Reading & Berks County
  • Yocum Institute for the Arts
2016 Grant Awards

Rapid Response Grants totaling $125,000 were awarded to 11 organizations in 2016.

Rapid Response Grants awarded this year support an array of organizations and provides for items including medical equipment for an outreach medical team helping the county’s homeless population; supporting a home care vocational training program; replacing damaged playground equipment and lighting at a community recreation site; emergency facility repairs; and providing equipment to help physically challenged individuals. The recipients are:

  • Amity Township Athletic Club
  • Antietam Valley Recreation & Community Center
  • Berks Coalition to End Homelessness
  • Berks Encore
  • Catholic Soup Kitchen
  • Clare of Assisi House
  • Prospectus Berco
  • United Community Services
  • Vision Resource Center of Berks County
  • YMCA of Reading & Berks County
2015 Grant Awards

Rapid Response Grants totaling $66,000 were awarded to five organizations in 2015.

The grants were awarded to help support emergency rent and utility assistance to local families in need, to support of an after-school program for Brandywine Heights Area middle school, to help homeless women and children, to support ESL programs, and to support a child-friendly and comforting site for abused children undergoing forensic interviews and medical exams. The recipient are:

  • Family Promise
  • YMCA of Reading & Berks County
  • Bridge of Hope
  • Literacy Council of Reading and Berks
  • Opportunity House/Children’s Alliance Center
2014 Grant Awards

Rapid Response Grants totaling $85,500 were awarded to seven organizations in 2014.

The grants were awarded to support programs centered on promoting successful reentry into the community, financial stability and working to end homelessness. Additional grants were awarded to focus on GED programs, to support of Operation Purple Camp for children of parents serving on active military duty, to support housing programs, to improve the Easter Seals Camp Lily building after a building collapse and to continue critically needed food and clothing services for low-income individuals. The recipients are:

  • Berks Connections Pretrial Services
  • Family Promise
  • Literacy Council of Reading-Berks
  • South Mountain YMCA
  • YMCA of Reading and Berks County
  • Easterseals Eastern PA
  • New Journey Community Outreach, Inc.