Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Tuesday, his charitable organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies will be donating $40 million to coronavirus-related causes.
The former presidential candidate said the charity would be organizing a Coronavirus Global Response Initiative to ensure that low- and middle-income nations have rapid funding to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus in their countries with a focus on helping nations in Africa.
The focus of the funding will be in Africa, but the charity will also direct some funds to cities throughout the world that are struggling to contain the coronavirus. Bloomberg Philanthropies will make the decision in partnership with the World Health Organization and Tom Frieden, the CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Millions of lives depend on getting the coronavirus response right — and so does the economic and social health of communities around the world. We need to slow transmission of the virus and minimize the impact of the outbreak in all countries,” Bloomberg said.
Frieden, who was also the New York health commissioner under Bloomberg, commended Bloomberg Philanthropies for supporting the efforts against the coronavirus.
“We have a window of time to partner with Ministries of Health in sub-Saharan Africa to protect their population from a disease that could kill through both infections and disruption of health services,” Frieden said. “From Ebola to H1N1, we now know more than ever how to minimize the risk of epidemics, especially in low- and middle-income countries. With Mayor Bloomberg’s support, we can help mitigate the worst effects of coronavirus in Africa.”
During his brief presidential bid, Bloomberg spent more than $500 million on advertising alone. He joins other charitable billionaires in working to tackle the coronavirus, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has pledged more than $125 million to address the pandemic.
