As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan of 2020, Spokane Faith and Values (FāVS), the parent non-profit of SpokaneFāVS.com and the FāVS Center, won a $2,500 grant to help keep it economically viable during the current pandemic crisis.
Funding has been provided by Humanities Washington and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
“Since the pandemic, FāVS has seen a significant loss in revenue because donations are down and our building is closed,” said Tracy Simmons, editor of SpokaneFāVS.com and executive director of the FāVS Center.
“However, stories on faith and ethics are still needed in the Spokane community, and this generous grant from Humanities Washington and the National Endowment for the Humanities will allow us to continue meeting that need. We’re so grateful for their support!”
Accordingly, Simmons has dedicated a special section on FāVS’ website to all COVID-19 related news within the faith and values beat. This includes the new FāVS Forward podcasts about how people of faith, and non-faith, can stay connected during COVID-19.
She also continues to offer her digital expertise to faith communities who have found themselves needing help to create an online presence.
As of today, the Humanities Washington website lists the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture as the only other Spokane non-profit that has received this grant.
FāVS is still in need of community support in this time. If you’d like to contribute to their journalism efforts or help support the interfaith center until it can re-open, you can make a tax deductible donation below.

Cassy (pronounced like Cassie but spelled with a ‘y’) Benefield is a wife and mother, a writer and photographer and a huge fan of non-fiction. She has traveled all her life, first as an Army brat. She is a returned Peace Corps volunteer (2004-2006) to Romania where she mainly taught Conversational English. She received her bachelor’s in journalism from Cal Poly Technical University in San Luis Obispo, California. She finds much comfort in her Savior, Jesus Christ, and considers herself a religion nerd who is prone to buy more books, on nearly any topic, than she is ever able to read. She is the managing editor of SpokaneFāVS.com.