When disaster strikes, relief money that comes from the state and federal government can take a long time to arrive. But a private nonprofit can work faster.

That’s according to Mike Waid, director of the Douglas County Community Foundation, a nonprofit that is building up a “community emergency relief fund” that can help take care of people when their lives get turned upside down.

“I always say the community foundation is the Red Cross” of the Douglas County community, said Abe Laydon, one of the county’s elected leaders.

His comments came at a July 18 meeting between the foundation and county officials, where Laydon and one other county commissioner voted to give the foundation up to $200,000 toward its emergency fund.

And “100% of the county’s match goes directly into that fund — no fees, no overhead,” Waid told Colorado Community Media.

The money the county authorized will be “matched” with up to $200,000 of funding the nonprofit raises through an upcoming event.

‘Quarterback’ an emergency

The donation’s approval comes against the backdrop of damage dealt by a tornado that tore through neighborhoods on June 22 in Highlands Ranch, leaving downed trees, branches and other debris strewn about.

Since the tornado did not become a “displacement event” — meaning houses weren’t torn away — the foundation’s response was not as intensive as it could be in a different disaster situation, according to Waid. But the foundation still stepped in to provide water, snacks and Gatorade to volunteers while they cleaned up debris, Waid said.

In a different emergency — such as a mass shooting, a fire or another natural disaster — the foundation can work with other nonprofits in Douglas County to assist the public in other ways.

For example, if the immediate problem in a disaster is food insecurity, “we’re able to activate those nonprofit partners — basically quarterback the (emergency) on their behalf,” Waid said.

A search-and-rescue event or transportation issues are other needs the foundation can step in to help with in dire times.

And “we would be able to fund the mental health needs right out of the gate for those first responders that are dealing with those tragedies,” Waid said.

County backs gala fundraising

The foundation will support first responders in a different way at an event in September that it calls its inaugural “Heroes Gala.”

“It’s going to be an opportunity for us to showcase and honor first responders and active military,” Waid said, adding: “Not only are we going to be honoring those first responders (that night), but we are specifically raising money for our community relief fund.”

The foundation intends for the county’s matching funds to drive donations from other sources.

“People need to see, ‘Hey, the county is committed to this’” and decide to contribute too, a person with the foundation’s team said during the July 18 meeting.

County funding source

The county commissioners approved the county’s donation to come from funding related to the federal American Rescue Plan Act, often called ARPA.

(The American Rescue Plan Act is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill signed into law in March 2021 with a goal to support the economic and public health recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.)

Commissioner Lora Thomas, who was not present at the July 18 discussion and vote, had expressed concerns with the move to spend money. (Laydon and Commissioner George Teal approved the spending.)

Thomas’ newsletter days before the vote implied that supporting the foundation’s request for funding would not be “fiscally conservative."

The county commissioners began a partnership with Douglas County Community Foundation in 2018 to help people in need in the county, according to Thomas’ newsletter.

“For several years now, our county has given DCCF over $380,000 for DCCF to organize and get about its stated purpose of helping those in need,” the newsletter said.

The newsletter expressed the opinion that “the Douglas County Community Foundation needs to wean itself off county dollars.”

Laydon said during the meeting, regarding the foundation, that “the hope and the dream is independence and autonomy and the ability to generate revenue independent of the county.”

The foundation’s team emphasized funds from the county would be “seed money” intended to drive private donations.

‘100% of the dollars’

Waid, the foundation’s director, said the cost of putting on the gala is covered by selling sponsorships.

So in terms of the county’s matching funds, “100% of that match goes into our emergency fund,” Waid said. “It does not go to putting on the event at all.”

He also said: “We don’t charge a fee or anything like that for the management of this fund. So 100% of the dollars that are donated into our community relief fund … are used in the fund.” The money does not go to overhead or staff salaries, he added.

The foundation created its community emergency relief fund in late 2021. Soon after came the Boulder fires, underscoring the need for a community to have a relief fund, Waid said.

Waid’s nonprofit plays a broader role than just emergency response.

The foundation “represents, in essence, the over 320 nonprofits that exist or have operations in Douglas County,” Waid said.

One of the foundation’s other activities is to “raise money organically as well” and provide quarterly grants to other nonprofits, Waid said.

It also manages Colorado Gives Day for Douglas County. Last year, the foundation’s nonprofit partners raised over $1.3 million on Colorado Gives Day, according to Waid.

Waid, who began serving as the foundation’s executive director in August 2021, was mayor of Parker from 2012 to 2020.

Since December 2021, the foundation has given out 118 grants totaling just under $400,000. That figure doesn’t have to do with the foundation’s emergency fund but, rather, the foundation’s support for the nonprofit community in Douglas County, Waid said.

The foundation received its 501(c)3 designation in 2006, Waid said.