You can now add Jay-Z to the list of celebrities pledging to drop some coins as more relief is needed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
After an initial $5 million pledge, on Tuesday, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) announced they would be donating an additional $1 million in grants. Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation is joining CLF’s pledge and will be matching today’s donation with an additional $1 million.
“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,” Gloria Carter, CEO and co-founder of the Shawn Carter Foundation, told Variety in a statement.
The Bajan artist’s initial donation was intended to provide relief, including medical supplies, protective equipment and much more.
Of the additional funds, Variety reports:
According to the announcement, specifically, funds will support:
Offering daycare, learning materials, food and supplies for the children of frontline healthcare workers and first responders;
Providing learning materials for the over 20,000 children and youth learning in shelters and virtual mental health support for parents.
Ensuring child-care centers are clean, have smaller clusters of children and that all personnel are protected;
Supporting the expansion of home delivered meals for the elderly and meals for homeless populations in emergency shelters;
Providing emergency economic support and the expansion of rights for immigrants and undocumented workers,
Advocating for free testing and treatment for all New Yorkers, regardless of status; and
Provision of legal support to protect members of marginalized populations, including advocating for people to be released from jail and detention, encouraging voting and civic engagement during the COVID-19 response period and protecting immigrant communities.
Rih took to Instagram on Tuesday thanking the Shawn Carter Foundation for joining the efforts of CLF “in support of undocumented workers, children of frontline health workers and first responders, and incarcerated, elderly and homeless people in the United States” and also shout-out the initiatives leading 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.