Recovery Connect: Sedgwick County COVID Recovery

The Recovery Connect Community Navigators program is a pandemic relief program that uses awareness, access, and support to connect individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses with resources through a grassroots community navigators model to help Sedgwick County residents bounce back from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recovery Connect is for every citizen in Sedgwick County. The marketing and communications efforts of the program seek to connect with all areas of the population to provide equitable access to services. The COVID pandemic has changed our daily lives in Sedgwick County, but the impact of the pandemic is not the same for all people. Research indicates that communities of color and low-income individuals have received less funding through traditional avenues. This program is designed to address those disparities. The PPMC provides a comprehensive, grassroots approach for Recover Connect that connects individuals, businesses, and non-profits to benefits and services that help meet the needs resulting from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic, with a specific focus on targeted zip codes of underrepresented populations. The American Rescue Plan Act funding, in addition to other federal, state, and local resources, are available to assist many of those struggling from the effects of the pandemic. This program creates connections to these opportunities and help beneficiaries overcome barriers to have Awareness, Access, and Support to obtain those resources.

Recovery Connect is for all residents of Sedgwick County. The global COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the health and economic issues affecting everyone in Sedgwick County, and particularly among minority populations. Before the pandemic, over 25% of Black and Latinx adults were food insecure. The pandemic only made these issues worse. People and communities of color are disproportionately affected by the pandemic and problems related with housing, health insurance, and employment. Plus, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous populations are three times more likely to get COVID-19 and twice as likely to die from it, compared to white people.

Historically, non-profits led by people of color garner significantly less grant funding than their white counterparts.

• 24% lower revenues among Black-led non-profit organizations (compared to white-led)
• 75% lower unrestricted net assets among Black-led nonprofit organizations (compared to White-led)
• White grant applicants raise more money.

There is also a major disconnect in rural versus urban funding opportunities. Small communities in Sedgwick County often have similar areas of poverty but not at the same scale as Wichita. The issue of funding in small community or rural non-profits has arguably become the most essential gap to address. Only 6.8% of annual giving by foundations went to rural America, yet rural America is 18% of the population and it is home to 21% of people in poverty. 

Recovery Connect seeks to offer knowledge and resources to people, businesses, and non-profits, especially in minority and underserved populations. Recovery Connect will only be effective if new partnerships and collaborations occur, instead of the traditional organizations and distribution methods. The PPMC has put together a coalition of grassroots organizations that already serve these communities and are trusted and embedded in them. This creates a greater opportunity for individuals, non-profits and businesses located in or serving these areas to become aware, gain access, and receive support to apply and receive funding or access to programs that help improve their economic conditions

Enhancing public service to best serve your community.
The Public Policy and Management Center has more than 60 years of experience working directly with governments and non-profit organizations in the areas of applied research, technical assistance, facilitation, and professional development. The PPMC has the professional knowledge and capacity to implement, manage and ensure the successful completion of client projects.

Learn More about the PPMC

Do you have a funding opportunity or resource that isn't listed on the individual, nonprofit, or business pages? Let us know!

Recovery Connect Resource Submission