COVID-19 Check-Up – Assessing Response and Planning Recovery

After 18 months, COVID-19 has taken a devastating toll on communities worldwide: 159 million cases and 3.3 million deaths, with numbers rising quickly every week. Health care systems around the world have been stretched beyond capacity. Lockdowns have impacted every sector of society, including arts, education, employment, nutrition, supply chain systems and transportation. U.S.-based non-governmental organizations alone lost nearly a million jobs in 2020. Additionally, COVID-19 has highlighted the pre-existing inequities across race, class, gender, family status and other identities.

The latest available data shows that grantmakers and high net worth donors have given almost $23 billion in response funds. Although the amount is staggering, has philanthropy done enough to respond to meet immediate needs?

And even as the pandemic continues and relief efforts continue worldwide, philanthropy also needs to turn its eye to recovery.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) hosted a webinar to look at the current status of COVID-19 and dream about the future. Speakers shared how their organizations have been responding to COVID-19 and their visions for equitable worldwide recovery.

CDP Vice President Regine A. Webster moderated the discussion and panelists included:

• Arisha Hatch, vice president, chief of campaigns, Color of Change
• Dr. Judy Monroe, president and CEO, CDC Foundation
• Sally Ray, director of domestic disaster recovery funds, CDP

This webinar was co-sponsored by United Philanthropy Forum, National Center for Family Philanthropy, Grantmakers in Aging, The Funders Network, Council on Foundations.

Please see the slide deck and watch the webinar recording to learn more:

Photo: Dr. Omnia conducting a health screening on a child at a religious school in Khartoum state, Sudan. (Source: Mohammed Osman & Abubaker Garelnabei/ Save the Children)