The Rockefeller Foundation Commits $20 million in COVID-19 Assistance to Strengthen Global Pandemic Preparedness and Support Vulnerable Communities
NEW YORK – The Rockefeller Foundation is committing $20 million to create a better tracking and management system for COVID-19 and address the needs of America’s workers, families, and vulnerable communities around the world. The Foundation is supporting efforts in these key focus areas: new technologies to accelerate current and future pandemic preparedness and response capabilities around the world, and systemic change to close the gaps this crisis has highlighted for those in need. The Rockefeller Foundation will also provide key assistance and support in the cities where it operates, especially Bellagio, Italy; New York, NY; Washington, DC; Nairobi, Kenya; and Bangkok, Thailand.
“This global pandemic has exposed the reality that too many Americans cannot meet their basic needs, and globally, too many communities lack the resources and technologies to adequately track, mitigate, and overcome this disease,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “The Rockefeller Foundation is ready to work in partnership with others to identify, invest, and scale-up solutions in the communities we serve here at home and around the world.”
Families Facing Economic Challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on the failure of the American dream. Forty percent of Americans lack $400 in savings to address emergencies. Nearly 40 million Americans struggle with food insecurity, with 30 million schoolchildren across the country relying on school meals for sustenance twice a day. The Foundation will be providing immediate assistance designed to help workers, families, and the most vulnerable communities dealing with a new reality that includes lost wages and increasing food and housing insecurity. The Rockefeller Foundation recently announced a $65 million commitment to working families, promoting the use of proven innovations, effective economic policies, and investments in people and places that build a stronger safety net...