With the declaration of a COVID-19 pandemic, the McConnell Foundation wants to assure its grantees, investees and partners that we are committed to providing appropriate support throughout this period of heightened risk and uncertainty.
We will continue to make grants, process progress reports and make payments in keeping with current agreements.
We believe that we have an obligation to be proactive in mitigating the spread and severity of the disease. Given our responsibilities to our employees, Board members and their families we are introducing robust hygiene practices at work; limiting business travel; and testing remote working procedures in case conditions make them necessary.
For the next three months most group convenings organized by the Foundation will be postponed, cancelled or reorganized as virtual gatherings. Modest local meetings where little or no air travel is involved may go ahead, with the understanding that any individual may decide to attend virtually instead. We will review and revise this policy as necessary on an ongoing basis.
We appreciate that the activities of some grantee organizations may be disrupted – especially those providing front-line community services. In order to ensure continuity of operations and security of employment, we can maintain payment schedules in situations where work could not be completed within expected time frames. Please contact your Program Director for details.
If you’d like to join the COVID-19 response Slack workspace that we’ve set up for McConnell grantees investees and partners, please contact info@mcconnellfoundation.ca with your name, email and organization.