Rihanna and Jay-Z have joined forces to boost coronavirus relief efforts by each making $1 million donations via their charity foundations.
The Umbrella hitmaker last week (ends March 27, 2020) pledged $5 million in grants through her Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) to provide medical supplies and items for food banks in needy communities across the U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa, while she also sent a shipment of crucial personal protective equipment for first responders in New York, which has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in America.
Now she has made an additional $1 million donation to support non-profits located in New York and Los Angeles, with her mentor JAY-Z matching the amount through his Shawn Carter Foundation.
The emergency funds will be shared between officials at organizations such as the Mayor’s Fund for L.A., Fund for Public Schools, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the New York Immigration Coalition to support those impacted the most by the coronavirus chaos.
Justine Lucas, Executive Director of the Clara Lionel Foundation, says of the ongoing philanthropy, “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. Now more than ever, we need to support organizations prioritizing the health and rights of these individuals.”
In a statement, JAY-Z’s mother, Gloria Carter, who serves as CEO and co-founder of the Shawn Carter Foundation, adds, “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. The only way to get through this pandemic is with love and action.”
Meanwhile, the ongoing health crisis has prompted Rihanna to postpone her 2020 CLF Diamond Ball fundraiser. The annual event typically takes place in the Big Apple in September but will be rearranged for a later date.
The gala has raised more than $14 million to date for good causes since its first star-studded gathering in 2014, two years after Rihanna established the CLF in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite.
