All eyes in Washington and across the country have been on the CARES Act and speculation around further relief bills. But, while the government is doing what it can to respond, and time will tell how effective this response is, philanthropists across the country are stepping up to address urgent health and economic needs where the government hasn’t and perhaps cannot.
Government interventions are notoriously slow, but philanthropy and the heroic and generous efforts of everyday people are already addressing some of the most critical challenges we face.
One of the most pressing needs is for effective treatments for the disease, and not just discovery and development, but also global distribution. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which for years invested significantly in public health measures around the globe, has partnered with Wellcome, a British trust focused on medical research, and the Mastercard Impact Fund to put up to $125 million into this treatment effort.
The limited capacity for testing people for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has been a serious problem. Another major giver, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, is quadrupling the capability of the University of California San Francisco to test local residents for the virus, something that will be critical to slowing and eventually stopping the spread of the disease in an area with a dense population and a higher likeliness of spread.
The challenges aren’t just medical. The economic toll is significant as well and not everyone will get what they need in the recently passed economic relief package.
Fortunately, local funders are able to step up to meet these needs, including community foundations. These charities historically have been among the first to respond to local crises, and this is no exception. According to Inside Philanthropy, more than 100 community foundations around the country have either set up funds specifically in response to COVID-19 or have activated preexisting programs designed to respond to community emergencies.
COVID-19 Response Fund of the Seattle Foundation, for example, will be directing grants to local nonprofit groups able to meet the needs of local residents, such as helping to pay mortgages and utility bills, buy food, and meet other necessities. The St. Louis Community Foundation has launched its Regional Response Fund, which will help meet local residents’ needs, including the vulnerable elderly who face prolonged isolation.
Others are also stepping up in a variety of ways that don’t always show up in conventional measures of philanthropy. Zion Williamson, star rookie of the New Orleans Pelicans basketball team, will personally pay the salaries of all the workers at the arena where his team plays for the next month. Numerous other athletes have made similar pledges.
While not all are able to be as generous as professional athletes, countless others are helping out by going shopping for elderly neighbors, tutoring neighborhood children who aren’t in school, visiting those who would otherwise face severe isolation, and otherwise filling gaps that government and business cannot.
Many businesses are also giving where they can. The pharmaceutical giants Bayer and Teva are both donating millions of doses of medicine to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, several banks, including Bank of America, are allowing those facing financial difficulties because of the crisis to defer mortgage payments, and Charter Communications in Connecticut is providing free Wi-Fi and broadband service to homes with K-12 or college students who don’t already have access.
Philanthropy and the civil society it supports have always taken the lead in meeting needs where government falls short, something that is possible because of the freedom afforded to those who wish to donate their resources, time, and talent for the benefit of others. We should celebrate and continue to encourage the philanthropic investments being made to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
Sean Parnell is a senior fellow for philanthropic freedom at The Philanthropy Roundtable, which seeks to protect, defend, and promote philanthropic excellence.
