Philanthropic Efforts to Battle COVID-19 Around the Corner and Around the World

About

This Complimentary SSIR Live! Program Will Explore:

• How philanthropic resources are being deployed to support medical response, fund vital research, and assist people and organizations who have been directly impacted
• The ways in which community foundations are working to move money to where it is needed most
• How donor-advised funds are providing support to nonprofits as they continue to provide services during the
• COVID-19 pandemic, in the near and long term
• Suggestions for funders who want to effectively support individuals and organizations affected by COVID-19 locally, nationally, and globally

As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, large amounts of philanthropic dollars are being marshalled to support frontline clinicians and health care workers, researchers, and others striving locally, nationally, and internationally to address the virus’ impact on our communities. Funders and grantees are trying to better understand the immediate- and long-term needs of the nonprofit sector.

Locally: The ripple effects of the new coronavirus outbreak are already affecting low-income families, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses. What steps are community foundations—who are uniquely positioned to meet the ongoing needs of local communities—taking to help address these unexpected challenges, protect public health, and assist those affected by the virus and its impact?
Nationally: Nonprofits in the United States are experiencing increased demand for their services at a time when in-person fundraising activities such as galas and walk-a-thons are being canceled. In adverse and challenging times like these, how can national donor-advised funds function as a philanthropic “capital reserve,” with funds that are at the ready to be deployed to support nonprofits across the country and beyond?
Internationally: Research and development of drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics have become a global project, with philanthropic resources helping move the most promising therapeutics from the lab, through clinical trials, and into the manufacturing process as quickly as possible. Equally important is the need to ensure that tests, vaccines, and antivirals are available for even the poorest countries. How is direct philanthropic intervention on the part of foundations helping to make this happen?

In this complimentary SSIR Live! webinar,  we will explore how resources are being deployed in local communities across the United States and around the world to support organizations combating the new coronavirus. Nicole Taylor, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (the largest US community foundation), will share information on the work that community foundations are doing across the United States. Kim Laughton, president of Schwab Charitable, will discuss the ways in which the financial resources of national donor-advised funds are being directed into the hands of nonprofits nationally. And Jennifer Alcorn, deputy director, philanthropic partnerships, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will discuss what the foundation believes are the most pressing global needs during this pandemic.