The Funeral Service Foundation Board of Trustees recently approved a grant of $40,000 for the foundation’s Crisis Response Fund, which makes grants to provide support for immediate needs within funeral service, including grants to organizations providing grief support services and resources to families directly impacted by disasters and other crises, such as the wildfires in Maui and Hurricane Idalia in Florida and the Carolinas.

In addition, the foundation has received commitments of $25,000 from NFDA, $25,000 from Legacy.com and $10,000 from The Messenger Co. In combination with the foundation’s grant ($100,000 total), these funds will be used to match contributions made to the Crisis Response Fund until the end of 2023.

The Crisis Response Fund offers urgently needed funding in the wake of regional, national or international crises. The foundation funded the Hurricane Katrina Memorial in 2010, offered support following other natural disasters and emergent situations, and, most recently, awarded more than $500,000 in COVID-19 relief grants and $50,000 in support of the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde.

“The foundation’s Board of Trustees, our donors and partners want to assure that assistance is available to those who are doing the difficult work of helping a devastated community,” said Lisa Baue, foundation chair. “After tragedy strikes communities, the work of funeral service professionals is truly awe-inspiring. The hope is that these funds can support that hard work.”

Visit funeralservicefoundation.org/donatenow or call 877-402-5900 to donate. You can also mail a check payable to Funeral Service Foundation Crisis Response Fund at 13625 Bishop’s Dr., Brookfield, WI 53005.