United Way and the Greater Houston Community Foundation

“As we face unprecedented challenges related to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are reminded of the importance of community and working together. United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Community Foundation have joined forces to help our neighbors and our community recover from this crisis. This is our home and we are here for the long-haul.”

Steve Maislin, Greater Houston Community Foundation
Anna M. Babin, United Way of Greater Houston

United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Community Foundation are standing together to help support those in our community who have been impacted by COVID-19 and those who may be impacted by unforeseen economic conditions. Together, we have established the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund to serve our region’s most vulnerable neighbors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Greater Houston area, many households already struggle to make ends meet. With public events, schools and workplaces closing, low-wage workers living paycheck to paycheck may experience unprecedented financial hardship. With schools closed, the demand for affordable child care and emergency food assistance will increase exponentially.

The Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund will help the most vulnerable of our neighbors meet their basic needs and will help impactful nonprofits in our area serve our community through the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic aftermath. 


The COVID-19 Recovery Fund has been endorsed by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Fort Bend County Judge KP George, and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.


“The measures that Fort Bend County and the State of Texas have ordered to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus are working, but they are not without costs. Thousands of Texans have had their lives upended overnight, and I do not know anyone who has not been affected by this crisis. Many of our neighbors find themselves in difficult situations through no fault of their own, with little time to prepare or plan for an emergency that has enveloped the nation in a matter of weeks.

But when Texans struggle, we don’t sit idly by and wait for the storm to pass; we work together to make sure everyone can stay afloat. That is why I am wholeheartedly endorsing the Greater Houston Recovery Fund, an incredible collaboration between the United Way Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Community Foundation. This fund will support residents of Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Waller Counties who are experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis.” – Fort Bend County Judge KP George

In partnership with United Way of Greater Houston, Harris County Long Term Recovery Steering Committee, and Texas Gulf Coast Regional Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Executive Committee, we thank our nonprofit partners who responded to our Nonprofit Needs + Capacity Survey | COVID-19 Response. It allowed us to gain a rapid understanding of nonprofit needs and capacity, increased demand, and a sense of anticipated community needs. The results of the survey can be viewed here.