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The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the international and domestic economies. Thus, many organizations, private individuals, religious institutions and governments have created different charitable drives, concerts and other events to lessen the economic impact felt.
Due to concerns about the spread of the disease, many countries issued lock-down orders which shuttered non-essential businesses, such as restaurants, museums, and animal shelters. While some of the businesses and organizations had savings or endowments to help pay bills during the shut down, charitable acts became common during the pandemic to help in the economic down turn.[ citation needed ]
George Soros directed his Open Society Foundation to create a funding package of $130 million to support workers and their families in New York City, emergency relief to vulnerable workers across the world, and countering disinformation amongst other causes. [1] Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, directed their foundation Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to donate $1 million in relief with a quarter of the amount to go to the Wilcox Medical Center, and the remainder going to helping the community on Kauai. [2] Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to Feeding America non-profit to help Americans facing food insecurity during the pandemic. [3]
Michael Kors gave $2 million to the NYU Langone Health, New York Presbyterian Hospital, God's Love We Deliver non-profit and the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund for COVID-19 Relief. The Versace Family donated $500,000 to the San Raffaele Hospitals ICU and the Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana's relief fund. Jimmy Choo donated $500,000 to medical professionals via the National Health Service Relief Fund and the WHO Relief Fund. [4]
The founder of Bass Pro Shops, Johnny Morris, donated one million ASTM Level 1 Procedure Face Masks throughout the United States. [5] In a charitable action towards his workers the CEO of Delta Airlines Ed Bastian announced that he would forgo his own salary for six months in an effort to protect the general workers. [6]
On April 18, 2020, celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Andrea Bocelli came together to livestream a concert for the World Health Organization in support of the organizations general fund. [7] While the event was broadcast, philanthropists and companies were encouraged to contribute to the fund, although some had already contributed about $150 million to it prior to the airing of the program. [8] On World Health Day, Sean McLoughlin, an Irish YouTuber was the main organizer for the #HopeFromHome program that brought together entertainers, influencers, gamers and other creators from YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. All participants fundraised for multiple organizations through Tiltify with a total of $1.7 million distributed evenly to United Way Worldwide, the United Nations Foundation for COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the WHO, and Comic Relief US's Red Nose Day. [9]
Other celebrities have created clothing lines based around the pandemic with the proceeds donated to the World Health Organizations Fund, such as Harry Styles T-shirt campaign [10] and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's T-shirt campaign. [11] Misha Collins revamped his week long scavenger hunt; GISH, into a day long Play-At-Home hunt with the registration fee being used to provide meals for children who have lost food access due to the shutdowns. [12]
NBA Charlotte Hornets player Bismarck Biyombo donated over $1 million worth of medical supplies to his home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson announced via Instagram that he would help cover the salaries of all those who worked at the team stadium while the games were canceled. [13]
Starbucks committed $10 million to a newly created Starbucks Global Partner Emergency Relief Program to specifically work for their workers facing extreme hardships as a result of COVID-19 and allow them to have access to emergency support. [14] Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey committed $1 billion worth of equity of his digital payment platform Square to his Start Small LLC to fund COVID-19 relief around the world. [15] The Philadelphia Eagles matched a $1 million donation to COVID-19 relief efforts to the $1 million donation that the team's owner, Jeffrey Lurie did. [16] TikTok pledged $375 million to multiple organizations to fight the pandemic, Facebook has pledged $220 million, and Google has pledged $800 million. [17]
Other companies have created specific lines of products to sell during the pandemic with 100% of the sales being donated to a specific organization or charity to help offset the COVID-19 pandemic. PopSockets donated their proceeds from their limited run to Doctors Without Borders and Feeding America, a Houston-based jewelry brand Golden Thread donated the proceeds of their Community collection to Houston Food Bank, a partner of Feeding America. [18] The Igloo Cooler Company announced that for a thirty-day period they would donate 100% of all profits from their Playmate coolers to the CDC Foundation Coronavirus Response Fund. [19]
TikTok also added a "Donation Stickers" feature to the platform, allowing users to place stickers on the videos they create that link directly to in-app donation pages, with the goal of encouraging people to donate to charitable organizations during the pandemic. [20]
In April 2020, the Astros Foundation partnered with Crane Worldwide, both owned by Jim Crane, to provide medical equipment to those in need. The Astros Foundation donated $400,000 to support hospitals in the Texas Medical Center while Crane Worldwide delivered approximately 10 million masks, hundreds of thousands of test swabs, 200,000 face shields, 30,000 goggles and 470 forehead thermometers to hospitals in Texas. [21] [22]
Many food based non-profits created food distribution programs to help alleviate the strain on local food banks as unemployment rose due to the pandemic. Non-profits such as Feeding America, World Central Kitchen, and Half-Table Man Disaster Relief worked to either distribute food directly to individuals or to the food banks. [23]
Other organizations such as the World Health Organization urged for donations that would go to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, a central fund to aid for critical response efforts worldwide. [24] The Actors Fund, an emergency fund for essential medication costs and basic living expenses live streamed The Phantom of the Opera at London's Royal Albert Hall starring Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, and Hadley Fraser, on YouTube to provide entertainment and raise funds. [25]
In an effort to lessen the impact for the animals in their care, local animal shelters and rescue groups across the world have lessened services and pushed for animal adoption or fostering during the pandemic. [26] Shelters used the lack of animals in their care due to community response, to help distribute pet food to those unable to purchase food for their pets either due to economic or health based concerns. [27]
Some organizations remained partially open in an effort to help the families of essential employees or the homeless populations in the area. The YMCA in certain areas opened the bathroom and shower facilities during certain hours for the homeless populations, [28] created activity packs for children based on school district lists, [29] and child care for essential workers while asking for donations to offset the costs. [30]
The Crypto community started a charity for relief efforts in India, [31] raising almost $1B in funds, the majority from a charitable donation from Vitalik Buterin. [32]
The Houston Food Bank (HFB) is a non-profit organization and the nation's largest food bank by distribution; providing access to 207 million nutritious meals in 18 counties in southeast Texas. The food bank's operations are made possible through a network of 1,800 community partners alongside their partner food banks in Montgomery County, Galveston and Brazos Valley. Headed by its current President and CEO, Brian Greene, the Houston Food Bank is a member organization of Feeding America, with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. The Houston Food Bank, which bares the mission statement of Food for Better Lives, continues to be acknowledged for its community impact. Notable recognitions include Food bank of the Year in 2015, presented by Feeding America and the Pinnacle winner in 2012 and 2014, presented by the Better Business Bureau.
ISNA Canada is a non-profit Muslim religious organization in Canada. It offers a variety of programs and services to the Canadian Muslim community at large, and is associated with the Islamic Society of North America, which is based in the United States. The organization has three centres, located in Mississauga, Toronto, and Yellowknife.
Direct Relief is a nonprofit humanitarian organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people in poverty or emergency situations by providing the appropriate medical resources. The charity provides emergency medical assistance and disaster relief in the United States and internationally. The organization is headed by an independent board of directors and its president and CEO, Thomas Tighe.
Americares is a global non-profit organization focused on health and development that responds to individuals affected by poverty, disaster, or crisis. The organization addresses poverty, disasters, or crises with medicine, medical supplies and health programs.
The humanitarian responses by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake included many organisations, such as international, religious, and regionally based NGOs, which immediately pledged support in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Besides a large multi-contingency contribution by national governments, NGOs contributed significantly to both on-the-ground rescue efforts and external solicitation of aid for the rescue efforts.
BAPS Charities is an international, religious, charitable organization that originates from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) with a focus on serving society. This focus on service to society is stated in the organization's vision, that "every individual deserves the right to a peaceful, dignified, and healthy way of life. And by improving the quality of life of the individual, we are bettering families, communities, our world, and our future." BAPS Charities carries out this vision through a range of programs addressing health, education, the environment, and natural disaster recovery. The organization's worldwide activities are funded through donations and are led by a community of over 55,000 volunteers who are mostly members of BAPS. The volunteers work with local communities and other charities and the organization's activities are mainly based out of their mandirs.
Philanthropies, formerly LDS Philanthropies, is a department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is responsible for facilitating donations to humanitarian and educational initiatives. The department works under the direction of the church's Presiding Bishop. The most widely known educational projects are the operation of church-owned schools, such as Brigham Young University (BYU). Humanitarian funds are given to Latter-day Saint Charities which sponsors and organizes relief efforts. In 2019, the church reported over 3,000 community-based projects with an excess of 2,000 partners, in locations around the world. A 2020 statistic reported a total of $2.3 billion that had been donated over Philanthropies' existence.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first two cases in Ghana were confirmed on 12 March 2020, when two infected people came to Ghana, one from Norway and the other from Turkey.
COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund was a global fund for supporting the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. It was launched on 13 March 2020 by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation in support of WHO, and was announced by the Director-General of WHO in Geneva, Switzerland. The fund ceased its active fundraising activities at the end of 2021, with further donations to be directed to the WHO Foundation.
Social media became an active place to interact during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the onset of social distancing. Overall messaging rates had risen by above 50%, according to a study by Facebook's analytics department. Individuals at home used social media to maintain their relationships and access entertainment to pass time faster.
MusiCares' COVID-19 relief effort was a charitable initiative aimed at providing financial and other forms of assistance to musicians and music industry professionals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative was established by MusiCares, a non-profit organization that was founded in 1989 by the Recording Academy, the organization behind the GRAMMY Awards.
The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund was created on 27 March 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Although it is named for the Prime Minister of India, and uses the State Emblem of India, it is a private fund, used at the discretion of the Prime Minister and the Fund's trustees, and does not form a part of the Government of India's accounts. The Fund was established for the purpose of redressing the COVID-19 pandemic in India, in 2020. While complete documentation for the Fund's establishment has not been made public, the Government of India has stated that the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, is the chairman of the fund, and that trustees include the Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh; the Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, the Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman, and several corporate leaders and industrialists, including Ratan Tata, and Sudha Murty.
This article documents the chronology of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect. Reporting on this pandemic began in December 2019.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a leading organisation involved in the global coordination for mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic within the broader United Nations response to the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the performing arts, mirroring its impacts across all arts sectors. Due to physical distancing requirements and closure of the physical venues, curtailing not only public performances but also rehearsals, many performing arts institutions attempted to adapt by offering new digital services. In particular this resulted in the free online streaming of previously recorded performances of many companies – especially orchestral performances and plays – lists of which were collated by journalists as well as bespoke crowdsourcing projects.
The Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) is a private sector-led organization in Nigeria established to assist the government in combating the Coronavirus disease in the country. It was launched on March 26, 2020, following an announcement made by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele. The purpose of the relief fund is to "support the Federal government of Nigeria in containing the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria; to ensure patients get the care they need and frontline workers get essential supplies and equipments; and to accelerate efforts to provide tests and treatments. Major companies, including Dangote Group, Access Bank and MTN have donated to the CACOVID Relief Fund, in addition to several private organizations and individuals.
Rethink Food NYC Inc, commonly called Rethink Food or just Rethink, is a non-profit organization based in New York City. The organization was founded to address hunger in the United States by contributing to a sustainable and equitable food system. Rethink collects excess food from restaurants, grocery stores, and corporate kitchens to provide nutritious meals for people living without food security at low or no-cost. The organization expanded its operations in March 2020 to meet growing food demands amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Due to its severity, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused countries to send aid, as part of the international responses and management regarding the pandemic. Types of materials aided includes masks, medical supplies, personal protective equipment, money, and test kits. It started with aid to China as the virus spreads primarily there, and then internationally as it spreads globally. The destination of the aid ranges from hospitals, COVID-19 healthcare workers, research on the vaccine, to societies vulnerable. People donating includes the government of said country, notable people, organizations and institutions, charities, as well as regular people.
The United Nations response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been led by its Secretary-General and can be divided into formal resolutions at the General Assembly and at the Security Council (UNSC), and operations via its specialized agencies and chiefly the World Health Organization in the initial stages, but involving more humanitarian-oriented agencies as the humanitarian impact became clearer, and then economic organizations, like the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the International Labour Organization, and the World Bank, as the socioeconomic implications worsened.
The Government of Malaysia along with various non governmental organisations (NGOs), companies, and foreign governments introduced various financial aid and relief programs in response to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. On 27 March 2020, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin introduced an economic stimulus package known as the Prihatin worth RM250 billion.