Know when not to call the county COVID hotline
MOUNT VERNON – In an effort to cope with the task of contact tracing for the county while preserving testing resources vital for those who are symptomatic, Knox Public Health is offering advice on when tests are not needed.
First, anyone who has been exposed to a positive case of COVID-19 should not be tested. They should quarantine at home for 14 days from the last contact with the positive case. For a person to be exposed to a positive COVID-19 case, they must be within six feet of someone who tested positive for 15 minutes or more with one or both parties not wearing a mask.
Additionally, someone having only one symptom, such as a fever, will also not warrant testing since there are many possible causes outside of COVID-19.
2021 Knox County Foundation grant applications now available
MOUNT VERNON – Nonprofit organizations serving Knox County residents are invited to apply for grants from the Knox County Foundation through its competitive grant program. New for 2021, both the major and small grant applications will be accessed via the Foundation’s new Online Grant Portal. The portal can be accessed through the Foundation’s website, www.knoxcf.org, under the "Grants and Scholarships" tab.
The submission deadline for the first of two major grant rounds in 2021 is Jan. 15, with grant award announcements in February 2021. The second major grant application deadline will be July 15, with awards being announced in August, Program Director Lisa Lloyd said.
The Major Grant Application applies to requests for projects of $5,000 or more. Grants of lesser amounts may be sought using the abbreviated Small Grant Application. Small grant requests are considered six times annually by the Foundation's distribution committee, with the first deadline being Feb. 1.
Prospective applicants are urged to review the Foundation's revised Grantmaking Guidelines before completing either application to learn about the Foundation’s mission, priorities for funding, criteria, grant acceptance requirements and deadlines for submission. Furthermore, first-time applicants or organizations seeking funding over $20,000 are recommended to discuss their grant proposal with the program director before applying.
Since 2021 is the first year utilizing an online grant application, organizations are encouraged to create an account on the Online Grant Portal and familiarize themselves with the applications well before the application deadlines. Instructions and tutorials for creating an account and applying can be found on the Foundation’s website.
For additional information about any of the Knox County Foundation's grant programs, please contact Lisa Lloyd, program director, at 740-392-3270, or by email at lisa@knoxcf.org.
