According to Variety, Rihanna and JAY-Z have each made sizable donations to Coronavirus relief efforts. RiRi’s Clara Lionel Foundation has already pledged $5 million to several worldwide foundations amidst the pandemic, but on Tuesday (March 31) it was announced that an additional $1 million donation would be matched by JAY-Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation.
The outlet reports that the combined $2 million donation will go toward several organizations, including the Mayor’s Fund for L.A., Fund for Public Schools, American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition.
More specifically, emergency funds will help offer daycare and resources for healthcare workers’ and first responders’ children, learning materials for children in shelters, meal deliveries for Los Angeles’ and New York City’s homeless and elderly populations, financial support for undocumented workers, COVID-19 testing in New York and Coronavirus emergency preparedness for prisoners.
“In times of 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,” Gloria Carter, JAY-Z’s mother and the CEO of the Shawn Carter Foundation, said in a statement. “The only way to get through this pandemic is with love and action.”
In addition to her donation, Rihanna also recently purchased $700,000 worth of ventilators for her home country Barbados.
“There are a number of populations who are especially vulnerable during this pandemic — those who are undocumented, incarcerated, elderly and homeless, as well as children of frontline health workers and first responders,” Clara Lionel Foundation Executive Director Justine Lucas shared in a statement. “Now more than ever, we need to support organizations prioritizing the health and rights of these individuals.”
Variety also reports that in light of the pandemic, the Clara Lionel Foundation has also announced that it will postpone this year’s Diamond Ball, which is held as an annual fundraiser for Caribbean-focused charities.