RIHANNA, DORSEY, JAY-Z DONATE $6M TO COVID-19 RELIEF

Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF), Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey’s Start Small fund, and JAY-Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation (SCF) have announced additional joint grants dedicated to supporting COVID-19 response efforts in the U.S. and worldwide. The latest funds of over $6.2m will go towards protecting marginalized populations and helping those most vulnerable, with a focus on New York, New Orleans and Puerto Rico as well as international communities.

Domestically, grants will go towards Give Directly, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, Covenant House New Orleans, World Central Kitchen, Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans & Acadiana, Total Community Action, and The Hispanic Federation.

Internationally, grants will go towards Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Direct Relief and Team Humanity. In response to CLF, Dorsey and SCF’s relief efforts, the UBS Optimus Foundation has generously committed to matching their $1m grant with an additional $1m dedicated to Médecins Sans Frontières.

Last week, CLF and Dorsey’s fund announced a joint grant of $4.2m to the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles to address the current crisis for domestic violence victims in L.A. as a result of the COVID-19 “stay at home” order. Dorsey also announced earlier this month that he was dedicating $1b of his equity in Square to help fund COVID-19 relief efforts, girl’s health and education, and Universal Basic Income pilot programs.

Earlier this month, CLF and SCF announced $2m in grants to COVID-19 response efforts to support undocumented workers, the children of frontline first responders, and incarcerated, elderly and homeless in NYC and L.A. Prior to that, CLF announced $5m in grants to partners working on the frontlines of the coronavirus response, to protect and prepare marginalized communities in the U.S., Caribbean and Africa. For those that wish to help, donations can be made here.