What happened to the One Sioux Falls fund?

Megan Raposa -

Simplified: The vast majority of money in the One Sioux Falls fund – created in response to needs that arose in the early days of the pandemic – has been spent. Here's a look at where the money went.

Why it matters

  • Mayor Paul TenHaken created the fund on March 17, 2020 in the very early days of the coronavirus pandemic in South Dakota. Within a couple weeks, the fund saw two $1 million contributions – one from the city, matched by one from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford.  
  • In total, the fund raised more than $3.4 million from more than 500 donors, which helped people pay for things like rent, their mortgage, utilities and food.
  • The greatest chunk of funding went to rental assistance, and in total, the fund helped more than 4,700 people, said Andy Patterson, president of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, which oversaw the fund.
"Over $2 million was given to families or individuals to stabilize their (living) situation," Patterson told City Council members Tuesday afternoon.

What's the breakdown of how all the money was spent?

Here's a look at where the money went, and the organizations that helped distribute it:

  • More than $2 million went to rental assistance – distributed by The Community Outreach.
  • Another $200,000 went to mortgage assistance – distributed by Lutheran Social Services.
  • The county distributed about $665,000 in utility assistance.
  • The county also took over helping with housing assistance after the initial demand began to wane. In that, they helped distribute about $250,000.
  • Feeding South Dakota distributed $180,000 in food assistance,
  • And $20,000 was given back to the Helpline Center and The Community Outreach to help cover administrative costs for all of their help in responding to community needs.

What happens next?

The remaining money – about $60,000 – will stay in the fund and be used the next time there's an emergency situation in the city where folks need it, Patterson said.