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During the COVID-19 pandemic, there are millions of people who are in need, leaving many of us to wonder what we can do to help. Luckily, myriad charities have stepped up to assist. Below are a few that have been identified by the Loeb Affinity Groups as specifically targeting members of their respective communities. We hope you will find this list helpful if you are looking for a way to support those in need during these unprecedented times.
Attorneys of Color and Ethnic Diversity Affinity Group
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) – Additional burdens have fallen on the Asian and Pacific Islander community during this pandemic. The AALDEF protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. In recent weeks, the fund has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by criticizing the use of racialized terms to describe the coronavirus, challenged police responses to anti-Asian harassment and documented coronavirus-related racism. Click here to donate.
- Masks for the People – The coronavirus death toll and infection rates are disproportionately higher in the black community. Masks for the People is a campaign working to provide free masks, hand sanitizer and testing kits for the most vulnerable members of black and brown communities. The campaign is sponsored by Live Free, an NGO that focuses its efforts on the poor and people of color. Click here to donate.
- Sista Afya – It may take quite some time to unpack the extent to which the coronavirus pandemic has destabilized communities, particularly those that are hit the hardest by the virus. The majority of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Chicago are from within the African American community, and mental wellness organizations such as Sista Afya can help in the fight against rebuilding communities in the wake of the pandemic. Sista Afya takes a community approach to supporting mental health and is focused on black women in the Chicago area. Click here to support the organization in its ongoing efforts.
Pride Affinity Group
- Point Foundation Emergency Fund – Point Foundation empowers promising LGBTQ students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential and is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students of merit. With the closing of many colleges and universities due to COVID-19, the Point Foundation has established an Emergency Fund to support its displaced LGBTQ students who do not have a home to return to.
- Brave Space Alliance – Brave Space Alliance is an LGBTQ center located on the south side of Chicago dedicated to the health, wellness, promotion and elevation of ethnically diverse LGBTQ people in the city. Reports show that African Americans disproportionately make up more than half of Chicago’s COVID-19 cases. In response to the pandemic, the organization developed a food drive and relief fund to assist marginalized LGBTQ people of color. Former President Barack Obama recently lauded the organization for its rapid response in helping this community. To learn more about the organization, click here. Donations can be made here.
- Howard Brown Health – Howard Brown Health is a Chicago-based organization with a mission to eliminate the disparities in health care experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through research, education and the provision of services that promote health and wellness. The organization has served the community since the 1970s and is well known in Chicago for tending to the health and well-being of those in the LGBTQ community, including those who may be particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. To help Howard Brown Health combat COVID-19, donate here.
Women’s LEAD Network
- National Domestic Violence Hotline – With lockdown and stay-at-home orders in place, there has been a worldwide surge in domestic violence cases. In the United States, nine cities reported double-digit jumps in domestic violence cases in the month of March. This month, the United Nations has called for urgent action to combat the worldwide surge in domestic violence. At the National Domestic Violence Hotline, highly trained expert advocates are available 24/7 to talk confidentially to anyone in the United States who is experiencing domestic violence. The hotline provides lifesaving tools and immediate support to empower victims and survivors to find safety and live free of abuse.
- Saving Innocence – Saving Innocence partners with law enforcement and social services to get children and young adults (mainly girls between the ages of 8 and 18) out of the sex trafficking industry. Saving Innocence intakes most of its clients through a “Crisis Call,” resulting when partners in law enforcement recover a child victim of sex trafficking. Saving Innocence receives an average of 2.5 cases per week generally; however, this number has more than doubled since the COVID-19 crisis began. During the crisis, these vulnerable members of our society have become even more vulnerable. Saving Innocence has received reports of cars driving around Los Angeles advertising for girls who need money to enter into the porn industry or prostitution. It has been made very clear that the sex trafficking industry is ramping up during this time in which people are out of work and experiencing increased financial stress. Click here to donate.
Additional charities include:
- National Domestic Workers Alliance – The National Domestic Workers Alliance has created a Coronavirus Care Fund, which is working to slow the spread of the virus by providing to domestic workers emergency assistance that enables them to stay home and healthy. Click here to donate.
- No Kid Hungry – Kids in need have missed millions of school meals due to closures. No Kid Hungry is helping schools and community groups find new ways to feed these children. Click here to donate.
- Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation – The Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation has created a COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, which is raising funds for direct relief to individual restaurant workers, nonprofit organizations’ services for restaurant workers in crisis and loans for restaurants to get back up and running. Click here to donate.
For information on the business impacts of COVID-19, please visit our COVID-19 Resource Center, which we continue to update as the situation evolves. If you have questions about COVID-19’s impact on your business, please reach out to your Loeb relationship partner.