LAKE WORTH, Fla. — Keeping certain programs going during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial for a non-profit organization, especially when the need is greater.
The colors of the LGBTQ flag waved vibrantly outside the Compass Community Center in Lake Worth on Friday.
The center's doors are still open for everyone, but a lot has changed during the pandemic.
"We’re paying for things like a Zoom subscription. All of our therapy sessions are now happening virtually that way," said Claudia Harrison, the chief communications officer at the Compass Community Center.
The center offers variety of activities and programs for LGBTQ youth, and for the past two years, grants have kept one vital program going.
"We found them through GrantWatch back in 2019, and the funding we receive from them is a crucial part of our youth mental wellness program that allows us to offer mental health therapy to youth clients free of cost to them," Harrison said.
On GrantWatch's website, there are grants for businesses, non-profits, and individuals.
This year, the website is seeing a 44% increase in available grants compared to the same time last year.
"I think the needs is greater and the people that give grants are realizing that the need is greater," said Libby Hikind, the founder and CEO of GrantWatch. "We see that the foundations that were only funding non-profits are now funding businesses and individuals."
Hikind said the pandemic has caused more grants to become available for tourism, clinical research, and mental health.
Compass just applied for a $25,000 grant to continue funding its youth mental wellness services.
"Without grants we wouldn’t be able to do a lot of what we do here," Harrison said.
You need a subscription to use GrantWatch.
The founder of the site said anyone who donates a minimum of $5 to a fundraising campaign on YouHelp gets a 24 hour trial to use GrantWatch.