Global Matters

The Visa Foundation commits to COVID-19 recovery

$10 million in regional grants will support humanitarian aid

By Graham Macmillan, President of the Visa Foundation

 

At the Visa Foundation, we are committed to supporting individuals, businesses and communities around the world as we navigate the ever-changing social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the situation evolves to both a medical emergency and an economic crisis, there is an urgent call to action for philanthropic organizations to support communities in greatest need.

The Visa Foundation recently announced a $10 million COVID-19 relief program to support organizations on the frontlines of emergency response around the world. Over the last few weeks, we worked to identify potential grantees who are experts at providing critical services, such as medical care, access to food, and education and to disburse funds as judiciously and effectively as possible.

Today we announced $8.8 million in grants from the Visa Foundation’s $10 million COVID-19 emergency relief fund to support leading disaster relief organizations such as the Red Cross ($4.3 million), UNICEF ($1 million), and Feeding America and Food Banks Canada ($1 million). These organizations have strong regional and local footprints, and we believe they will leverage their vast networks to quickly and effectively help the greatest number of people possible.

I am proud to share our full list of approved regional grantees with a strong track record for impact, including:

 
  • Direct Relief
  • Feeding America
  • Food Banks Canada
  • Give2Asia
  • Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)
  • Red Cross
  • The Asia Foundation
  • The Children's Aid Society
  • UNICEF

We will update this list over the next few weeks, as we identify and approve additional grants.

In our COVID-19 response and beyond, we are committed to being part of the solution to address both short-term needs as well as longer-term recovery as our foundation steps up to support inclusive economies where individuals, businesses and communities can thrive.

 

 

Read more about Visa's COVID-19 response including how we are supporting the shift to digital commerce and providing resources to small and micro-businesses

Tag: Social Impact Tag: Visa Foundation

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