New York, NY – JAY-Z and Rihanna are providing help during the coronavirus pandemic. Hov’s Shawn Carter Foundation and RiRi’s Clara Lionel Foundation have teamed up for a $2 million donation to assist COVID-19 relief efforts in New York and Los Angeles.
“In times crisis, it is imperative that we come together as one community to ensure that everyone, especially the most vulnerable, has access to critical needs: shelter, health, nutrition and education,” Hov’s mother Gloria Carter, who serves as his foundation’s CEO, said in a press release. “The only way to get through this pandemic is with love and action.”
Organizations receiving money from the donations include Mayor’s Fund for L.A., Fund for Public Schools, American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition. Funds will be used to support the following causes during the pandemic:
- Offering daycare, learning materials, food and supplies for the children frontline healthcare workers and first responders
- Providing learning materials for the more than 20,000 children and youth learning in shelters and virtual mental health support for parents
- Ensuring child care centers are clean and that all personnel are protected
- Supporting the expansion home-delivered meals for the elderly and meals for homeless populations in emergency shelters
- Providing emergency economic support and the expansion rights for immigrants and undocumented workers
- Advocating for free testing and treatment for all New Yorkers, regardless immigration status
- Provision legal support to protect members marginalized populations, including advocating for people to be released from jail and detention, encouraging voting and civic engagement during the COVID-19 response period and protecting immigrant communities
Last week, the Clara Lionel Foundation announced $5 million in grants to support on-the-ground partners fighting COVID-19 in the United States, Africa and the Caribbean. Rihanna’s organization also donated personal protective equipment to the State New York.
“There are a number populations who are especially vulnerable during this pandemic — those who are undocumented, incarcerated, elderly and homeless, as well as children frontline health workers and first responders,” CLF executive director Justine Lucas said. “Now more than ever, we need to support organizations prioritizing the health and rights these individuals.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Rihanna and CLF’s annual Diamond Ball has been postponed. The foundation is focusing all its efforts on COVID-19 relief for the foreseeable future.