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From providing essential community relief to planning for various scenarios to keep the Olympic trials going, federal loans have helped nonprofits continue their key work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Between April 2020 and May 2021, $ 868.6 million entered Lane County from the Federal Paycheck Protection Program, which aimed to provide relief to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The federal government, through private lenders, has provided loans to about 6,500 businesses in Eugene, Springfield and the rest of Lane County, according to a Register-Guard analysis of US Small Business Administration data.
Read more:* For subscribers * Lane County employers have secured $ 868.6 million in P3s loans. Where did the money go ?
This analysis also found that at least 264 of the loans, totaling $ 58.9 million, went to nonprofits.
The people who run two of these organizations say the loans have been important and have had an impact on the smooth running of things.
Which organizations have obtained loans?
According to SBA data, around 260 organizations classified as nonprofits have obtained loans.
But some organizations that have 501 (c) (3) status have not been marked as nonprofits in federal data. For example, the Cascades Raptor Center is identified as a professional association and Lane Arts Council is listed as a corporation.
Organizations labeled as nonprofits received $ 55.6 million, according to the SBA.
The top 10 nonprofits received $ 19.2 million, based on current approval amounts, which sometimes differ from the original amount an employer was approved to receive:
- Willamette Community Health Solution: $ 2.54 million
- Family planning in southwestern Oregon: $ 2.13 million
- University of Oregon Bookstore: $ 2.02 million
- Oregon Option Advisory Services: $ 1.99 million
- Mirrored Community Services: $ 1.98 million
- North West Christian University: $ 1.92 million
- Oregon Research Institute: $ 1.88 million
- Alvord-Taylor: $ 1.82 million
- Drug addiction counseling and education services: $ 1.58 million
- Northwestern Youth Corps: $ 1.34 million
Use the drop-down menu below to find organizations and see how much money they’ve received along with other details
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Other organizations that have nonprofit status but were not classified that way received at least $ 3.3 million, based on Register-Guard analysis, but an analysis of records could have missed other similar cases.
What difference have loans made?
The loans helped TrackTown USA keep staff on the job to plan various scenarios for track and field trials in the United States after they were delayed for a year, CEO Michael Reilly said.
When the trials were postponed, he said, TrackTown “took advantage of that extra year to really plan for a variety of different scenarios that we might face.”
The impact of the virus was constantly changing, Reilly said, and securing two loans allowed “all staff to work diligently throughout the rigorous planning of these different scenarios.”
TrackTown got about $ 300,000 between rounds of loans, according to SBA data.
When state regulations changed at the end of May, things went even further from no spectators to the possibility of having thousands, he said.
“The only way we could change was because the staff were able to plan this set of scenarios,†Reilly said.
Without the loan to facilitate this planning, he said, TrackTown may have had to cut staff or even cut back on trials and surrounding events.
Keep employees at work to meet basic needs
A loan has also helped United Way of Lane County keep its staff at full capacity, said CEO Noreen Dunnells.
The organization obtained just under $ 226,000 in the first round of P3 loans.
That amount was “pretty big for us,” Dunnells said.
The money, she said, has helped the United Way keep its staff, create emergency funds and mobilize volunteers.
United Way created a fund that raised around $ 1 million and created a process to distribute money to other nonprofits every two weeks for about 12 weeks, Dunnells said.
In total, the organization has distributed 135 grants to organizations across Lane County, she said, including groups focused on housing support, telehealth, food security and other health needs. based.
About a month after United Way finished handing out that money, she said, the organization rallied again when the wildfires started. United Way then raised $ 1.7 million to distribute for wildfire relief.
“Without the PPP we wouldn’t have been able to do all of this, so it was pretty critical,†Dunnells said.
United Way has also helped support other nonprofits through virtual meetings each week. At these meetings, United Way assessed needs and helped connect other nonprofits with various resources, including providing information on PPP loans.
The loans were probably a topic of discussion for four to six weeks, Dunnells said, to “make sure they were aware of the funds so they could apply for their own organizations.”
Nonprofits needed help, she said, as many rely on annual fundraising events they were unable to host during the pandemic.
Many started hosting virtual events in the fall and spring, she added, but many struggled in the first six months due to canceled events.
Federal P3 loans “have plugged the hole to some extent,” Dunnells said, and helped nonprofits to be “a little bit more operationally sound.”
United Way has also partnered with other organizations to form the Lane Emergency Response Network, adopting 15th Night’s text program to centralize communication between groups in need and those who can help.
Read more:Help is at your fingertips: Nonprofits connect advocates with supplies, volunteers
The pandemic is not over, Dunnells added, and organizations can still use help.
People can still give to Centraide, she said, as the organization funds others in the community. They can also donate directly to organizations that focus on their interests, she said.
Now that the restrictions are lifted, she said, there are also “lots of volunteer opportunities.”
Contact municipal government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com. Follow her on Twitter @ MeganBanta_1.
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