Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are seven ways that philanthropists can help address the coronavirus while considering the role of equity in the wake of this global health crisis. 

• How will marginalized communities be impacted differently by coronavirus? How can donors take this into account when funding solutions? 

• Read more about preparing for the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. 

As governments, businesses, and individuals scramble to respond to the threat of a COVID-19 pandemic, those of us who work in the social sector rightly ask what we can do to effectively contribute.

In the setting of an infectious disease outbreak such as what we are currently experiencing, such pressures can make it very difficult for people to heed the sound public health advice to “stay home when you are sick.” So in addition to a health problem, we face an equity problem, as this excellent article from the NYT points out: “Unequal access to precautionary measures cuts along the same lines that divide the United States in other ways: income, education, and race.”

Now is a good time to remind ourselves of what my colleague and our partners at the Greater Houston Community Foundation suggested foundations can do in the wake of a natural disaster. Their excellent recommendations are equally relevant for a public health crisis, like a pandemic. In addition, here are some additional ideas crowd-sourced from my colleagues:

  1. Ask your grantees what their communities need. 
  2. Help community-based organizations and nonprofits prepare and enhance their crisis planning and emergency readiness so they can maintain operations and avoid disruptions in critical services and programs.
  3. Seek out and support groups that are less connected to health care and public health systems and fund effective public information campaigns aimed at hard to reach audiences.
  4. Provide resources to communities to increase their resiliency. 
  5. Use all of the philanthropic tools available, beyond grant making, and share what you’re learning.
  6. Tap into existing and local structures.
  7. Consent is key.

Read the full article about coronavirus by Lauren A. Smith at FSG.