Stavros Niarchos Foundation Distributes $31 Million First Round of Grants to Reach Areas Hardest Hit by COVID-19
April 30, 2020 - The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) has announced the first round of grants under its $100 million Global Relief Initiative to help alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty-five grants totaling over $31 million focus on food, mental health, and health needs in some of the hardesthit regions of the United States and Europe, as well as worldwide, and on aiding health care staff on the front lines in Greece.
“We cannot overstate the impact of the pandemic on society at large, and we owe our deepest gratitude to those who continue, in spite of the immense challenges they face daily, to serve the most vulnerable among us,” said SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos. “Within our lifetimes, the need has never been greater. Our collective response will have to be both swift and forward-looking; these immediate grants represent the first step from SNF on a long path, as the effects of the pandemic will be with us for a long time.”
UNITED STATES
SNF grants totaling $5.93 million, made to both individual nonprofit organizations and collaborative funds, focus on ensuring access to food and other essentials, offering mental health support to populations specially affected, and providing emergency relief to artists.
Mike Dahl, Executive Director of Broad Street Ministry (BSM), one of these organizations, remarked, “BSM’s guests are among the most vulnerable populations during this pandemic. It is hard to shelter at home when you have no home to which to go. The generosity and timeliness of SNF’s support will mean we can continue to provide life-saving services during this unprecedented time...