Here’s a List of COVID-19 Relief Funds Worth Donating To
These organizations are doing all they can to help those in need.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations near and far have been collecting donations from countless generous people to help those directly impacted by the virus. Here are eight noteworthy organizations that have established COVID-19 relief funds.
World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund
WHO is leading the charge against the COVID-19 pandemic with its Solidarity Response Fund that aims to help the world’s most vulnerable people. The global health organization has established a strategic response plan that includes sending personal protective equipment (PPE) to medical facilities in more than 100 countries, including 1 million boxes of gloves and nearly the same amount in surgical masks, along with thousands of gowns, goggles and face shields. It’s also targeted the pandemic at the root level by contributing to research efforts to find a treatment for the virus. Donations not only go toward the aforementioned tactics, but also ensure that patients have access to necessary care and provide healthcare professionals with accurate information to properly care for patients.
United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund
Like WHO, United Way is setting its sights on the most vulnerable people in the midst of COVID-19. According to the organization’s website, 95 percent of donations go toward providing vulnerable communities with access to vital needs like food and shelter. At the local level, the Community Response and Recovery Fund is assisting United Way sites around the U.S. with its 211 program that provides residents with accurate information about COVID-19, as well as answers questions regarding access to food, housing and financial assistance. Additionally, United Way is keeping its mission of social awareness at heart by helping low-wage families receive healthy meals for their children, providing local resources to those who’ve lost their jobs and sending supplies to food pantries around the country.
Humanitarian organization Direct Relief has a presence in all 50 states and more than 80 countries in an effort to help at-risk communities around the world, including those affected by deadly viruses such as the novel coronavirus. Direct Relief’s four major branches of its COVID-19 Relief fund are getting PPE to healthcare workers; stocking up on resources and medication models in the event of a second coronavirus wave; establishing safety nets for overwhelmed medical facilities; and collaborating with infectious disease professionals, technology companies and public agencies to deploy resources in response to the pandemic. Through the COVID-19 Relief fund, the organization is partnering with public health officials and nonprofits to supply PPE across the U.S., Caribbean and South America, as well as send medication and daily delivers to healthcare facilities.
Feeding America’s Coronavirus Response Fund
As the largest hunger relief organization in the U.S., Feeding America has been at the forefront of providing nutrition to those in need during this pandemic. In addition to supporting food banks around the country by providing grants or household essentials like cleaning products and diapers, Feeding America is also working with school districts to ensure that students who are part of the National School Lunch Program are receiving meals at home. The organization states that all donations made to the COVID-19 Response Fund are used to send food and money to food banks around the U.S.
Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response
Senior citizens are at high-risk of contracting COVID-19, and that’s where Meals on Wheels steps in. The food-focused program has launched the COVID-19 Response Fund to deliver meals to seniors nation-wide and keep up with the increased demand for meals in this time of isolation. Donations accumulated thus far have supported more than 330 local Meals on Wheels programs, as the money is put toward replenishing food supplies, paying for transportation costs and supporting technology-based efforts that enable the organization to remain connected to the citizens it serves.
Campaign For Southern Equality’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants
Through the Southern Equality Fund, the Campaign For Southern Equality is supplying a variety of grants to the LGBTQ community across the south. The advocacy organization is providing grants to LGBTQ families and individuals experiencing health and financial ramifications due to COVID-19, particularly those who are high risk, allocating funds to help them pay for basic needs like prevention supplies and medical bills. Other grants are going toward projects that help LGBTQ elders have access to food and communication technologies, as well as alleviate mental health challenges across the community.
MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund
In response to the countless artists, musicians, crew members and others who are out of work due to the mass cancellation of live events, the Recording Academy’s philanthropic arm, MusiCares, started a fund that donates money to aid those who’ve lost work and pay for such expenses as rent and groceries. As of April 9, the fund has raised $10 million for creative artists in need. “Please join us to help keep the music community alive and thriving, giving it as much as it gives us,” the Recording Academy writes in its mission statement.
ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund
Through its charitable nonprofit, ACM Lifting Lives, the Academy of Country Music is also stepping up to help members of the country music community affected by COVID-19. The fund was instituted to alleviate the financial burden that behind-the-scenes personnel ranging from songwriters and up-and-coming artists to backstage caterers and tour bus drivers are experiencing due to loss of work. “Your support will directly help the country music community until they are able to get back out there and produce the music and entertainment that we all love,” ACM Lifting Lives Chairman Paul Barnabee says in a letter. ACM’s COVID-19 Response Fund raised $1 million by April 8 and has dispersed $500,000 in checks to country music industry professionals in need.
Sony Global Relief Fund For COVID-19
Sony’s Global Relief Fund covers many of the bases of COVID-19, including partnering with educators to support activities and technology that will sustain students’ learning as schools remain closed. The company is also supporting those in the entertainment industry who’ve lost their jobs, in addition to dedicating $10 million to medical professionals and first responders working on the front lines of the pandemic.
Here are additional organizations that are helping people around the world impacted by COVID-19:
Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Crisis Relief Fund
