MADISON COUNTY – From a local task force’s effort, officials have established the Remote Learning Supervision Fund to support nonprofit organizations that provide supervised learning during childcare for students in Huntsville, Madison and Madison County schools.

Toyota Alabama, Raytheon Technologies and The Junior League of Huntsville have donated the initial $50,000 in seed funding to start the initiative that will help students during virtual learning.

The Remote Learning Supervision Fund is a collaborative effort of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, The Schools Foundation and Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville. Businesses and individuals interested in donating can visit communityfoundationhsv.org.

Deadline for donations for the initial round of grants is Sept. 25. Officials will open grant applications soon.

The fund is intended to assist nonprofits who are providing supervised learning for students in Huntsville, Madison and Madison County school districts that are operating remotely, running staggered schedules or temporarily closed because of COVID-19 cases.

“While all three public school systems are operating virtually (now), schedules could adjust as the school year proceeds, and students will continue to need support,” Lucia Cape said. Cape serves as Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Industry Relations and Workforce for the Huntsville chamber.

“We are thankful for all of the organizations who have stepped up to provide expanded services to support children. This fund is intended to help provide scholarships and subsidies for parents who cannot afford existing options,” Cape said.

As the first donor to commit to the fund, Toyota created the momentum to open this venue for helping students. “Toyota is proud to support this initiative in collaboration with fellow community members,” Kim Ogle said. Ogle is Toyota Motor North America Communications Manager.

“We’re grateful to do our part and see our community come together and help each other during this unprecedented time,” Ogle said.

The hsvchamber.org website lists several groups that offer enhanced services for supervised learning support. Huntsville City Schools, Madison County Schools and Madison City Schools have posted additional options for parents.

The next step is to open the grant application process for nonprofits. The chamber will publish details for this procedure soon. For more information, email caiello@hsvchamber.org or visit hsvchamber.org.