Down Syndrome Association for Families Awarded $5K GLOBAL Grant for COVID Relief

The Down Syndrome Association for Families (DSAF) of Nebraska (dsafnebraska.org) recently was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) to help cover operational costs and provide a $1,000 mini-grant to a single mother of a child with Down syndrome who was furloughed by COVID. In an environment where the nonprofit is particularly strapped for financial support and applying for government loans and cutting costs accordingly, the grant is crucial to DSAF’s ability to provide continuous support for area individuals with Down syndrome and the families, friends, educators, and professionals who share in their lives.

DSAF was one of 42 Down syndrome organizations in 23 states and four countries to benefit from GLOBAL’s COVID-relief grants to provide food, medical care, shelter support, and other critical assistance to individuals with Down syndrome facing crises during the pandemic. GLOBAL President and CEO Michelle Sie Whitten said that while GLOBAL is struggling financially, too, they decided to convert their educational grants to emergency grants because the need is so great right now. While they didn’t think they would be able to fund all of the overwhelming number of family grant applications they received, The Salah Foundation—a private invitation-only foundation—stepped in to make sure every application was funded.

The Down Syndrome Association for Families of Nebraska provides networking, education, and a positive vision for the future by operating on the tenet that every person with Down syndrome is an individual who has a unique purpose and abilities. For more information, visit dsafnebraska.org or call (402) 421-1338.