April 29, 2020 – The IMS Employee Peaks Fund is best known for our semi-annual grants that support nonprofits across our community. Traditionally, nonprofits submit an application, which is reviewed for eligibility by the Board of Directors, and then eligible candidates are voted on by Employee Peaks Fund participants for final selection.
However, events over the last two months have presented opportunities for the Peaks Fund to support our community in different ways. In early March, employee participants voted to support the Middle Tennessee Disaster Relief Fund established to provide relief to areas affected by the tornadoes in the Nashville areas with a $3,000 grant. Several IMS employees live in the affected areas and many extended family members also live in those areas. 99% of our employee participants voted in favor of supporting this relief effort.
More recently, the Coronavirus pandemic has created an unprecedented threat to both our health and economic livelihood. In early April, the employee participants were presented with an opportunity to support the Huntsville/Madison County Community Foundation Emergency Relief Fund. This fund was activated specifically to support local nonprofits that have been heavily impacted by the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. 100% of our employee participants votes were cast in favor of supporting the Relief Fund. Nearly 90% of those votes were cast in favor of awarding a $5,000 grant to this cause. These funds will be used to provide basic needs and health and wellness resources related to the COVID-19 crisis for our community.
We are proud of the Employee Peaks Fund history of support for nonprofits in our community. We are also proud that we’ve been able to lend a hand, outside of our typical grant process, to those in need during time of crisis. Thank you to all our employee contributors!