COVID-19 RESOURCES

Photo Credit: Giancarlo Mancuso via Amplifier

We stand with you.

The Libra Foundation stands in solidarity with grantee partners and social justice funders who are responding to the COVID-19 crisis with bold, swift, and equitable action. Here, we are sharing some of the resources our team has received from our partners, including information for nonprofits seeking financial support, the philanthropic sector’s response, and a snapshot of Libra grantee relief efforts.

We want to be as helpful as we can, so please let us know if you have additions to this list at info@thelibrafoundation.org.

Covid-19 Resources for Grantees

Financial information for nonprofits:

• Nonprofit Finance Fund has a thorough list of financial tools and resources for nonprofits.
• Updated Daily: Help for Nonprofits During the Coronavirus and Uncertain Economic Times (Chronicle of Philanthropy) is a useful daily compendium of news and tools.
• Candid’s resource hub is a pop-up website to help inform nonprofits about the latest funding opportunities.
• Must-know tips for small businesses and nonprofits considering stimulus loans from Common Future.
• Olamina Fund seeks to build tangible and sustainable community wealth by investing in access to asset-building, high-quality jobs, and self-determination for low-income communities. Here’s how they are showing up right now. 
• Payment Protection Program resources for artists, freelancers, and independent contractors compiled by Fractured Atlas.
• Economic, employment, housing, and other critical information on Environmental Health Coalition’s Blog for Environmental Justice, specifically for folks in San Diego and across California (can be found in multiple languages here). 
• TechSoup is offering technology resources to help nonprofits meet their missions, serve communities, and support staff. 

Philanthropic response & resources

• North Star Fund has an extensive list of funding opportunities, organizing tools, mutual aid efforts, and much more.
• Funders for LGBTQ Issues is compiling Rapid Response Funds for the Trans Community.
• Native Americans in Philanthropy launched the Native American Community Response Fund.
• Funders for Justice (a program of Neighborhood Funders Group) is gathering everything on everything.
• Philanthropy California is gathering relevant policy briefs and rapid response loans.
• The Council on Foundations hub includes response funds, news, and government agency efforts.
• National Center for Family Philanthropy in partnership with GivingCompass are compiling response funds here.
• Media Impact Funders is tracking media funding resources in this spreadsheet.
• Mosaic launched an RFP for environmental and climate justice organizations based in the U.S to provide tools, tech and resources during COVID-19. 
• How Groundswell Fund is adapting to the COVID-19 crisis and recommendations for social justice funders.
• “Philanthropy, this is our “Matrix” moment…what will you choose?” The latest by Dana Kawaoka-Chen, Executive Director at Justice Funders.
• CLIMA Fund hosted a webinar series over the summer that asked “what role does philanthropy play in supporting action towards justice, collective health, and sustainability?” You can learn more about the topics covered here.

Grantee Responses to COVID-19

Photo Credit: Eileen Jimenez via Amplifier

The Libra grantee community continues to disperse rapid response funds and engage mutual aid strategies, collaborating in coalitions and deep partnerships, and providing critical information so community voices are heard loud and clear. Learn more about these ongoing efforts below.

Relief Funds

Libra’s grantees are close to the ground, and therefore, they are in the best position to provide critical funds to their communities as they see fit. Here are some of their relief and rapid response efforts:

• The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ) is organizing a COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund to make sure working class families and immigrants in our communities get what they need to stay home and stay healthy. 
• Justice for Migrant Women joined together with Hispanics In Philanthropy to raise immediate funds to help keep farmworker families safe from #COVID19 as they perform “essential” work to feed us. 
• NDN Collective stands in solidarity and in deep relationship with Indigenous communities who are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic — health crisis and other disaster-related events by providing rapid response funding to established, Indigenous-led, community-based organizations and tribes.
• Based in the US South, Southern Vision Alliance (SVA) kickstarted The Frontlines Leaders Fund to move small grants to as many grassroots efforts as possible organizing in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
• Emergent Fund is organizing A People’s Bailout that is committed to acting swiftly and responsively with deep trust in Indigenous, Black, and people of color organizers and those closest to harm.
• As COVID-19 spreads through communities, GAIA knows that the dangers this virus poses will not be felt equally – that’s why they launched the Emergency Solidarity Fund.
• The 805 UndocuFund is a joint effort of immigrant-serving organizations in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties to provide disaster relief to local immigrant families hit the hardest by the virus. 
• The COVID-19 Economic Emergency Fund: From People to People, established by the Border Network for Human Rights, to support essential workers and their families left out of the federal financial assistance efforts because of their immigration status or other extenuating circumstances.
• Communities for a Better Environment launched a Community Fund prioritizing low income communities of color. This application is now closed, but you can check out their resource guide here.
• Thousand Currents are supporting indigenous communities around the world with the Above & Beyond Solidarity Fund.
• Seventh Generation Fund is moving resources via the Flicker Fund, which provides support to Indigenous communities of the front lines.
• In response to the public health crisis and an abrupt interruption to critical local fundraising caused by the novel coronavirus, the National Network of Abortion Funds launched the Abortion Funds Crisis Relief Campaign.
• The Frontline Response Fund will support the member groups of Front and Centered, as they continue to serve at the frontlines and in their communities.
• Black Voters Matter launched the COVID-19 Mutual Aid and Emergency Relief Self-Determination Fund, which will provide at least $150,000 to families of incarcerated, Black immigrant communities (documented and undocumented).
• Dignity & Power Now announced the Emergency Relief Fund to aid in connecting community members to essential supplies during these challenging times of COVID-19.

Actions, campaigns, & demands

Organizations must be funded to demand and closely monitor government and corporate accountability. These grassroots groups and campaigns are stewarding democracy and reigniting social justice in communities for years to come. 

• As a part of #CareNotCages, URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, BYP100, and partners orchestrated a week of action to raise awareness about the need for access to reproductive care for young womxn who are incarcerated.
• Many Libra grantees including CURB, Initiate Justice, Ella Baker Center, Critical Resistance and more endorsed the demands made by the Justice Collaborative Letter to Governor Newsom, which calls on the Governor to release those in custody in order to save lives that could be lost to COVID-19.
• PICO California supports The California Partnership for the Future of Learning’s needs assessment because low-income students of color need essential hubs for connection, community resources, and learning.
• This pandemic is revealing the deeper inequities for Black and brown people that have always been present in our economy and democracy – that’s why Demos is demanding these actions to truly center racial equity.
• Climate Justice Alliance is calling for an immediate end to xenophobia and negligence, and a just recovery process that centers those most vulnerable.  
• In light of COVID-19, No New Jail Coalition (consisting of TGI Justice, Critical Resistance, CURB, and more) successfully lobbied to close 805 Bryant, a jail in the Bay Area. Read about it here and how to get involved.
• SONG Power is a new sister organization advancing the power-building, organizing, and advocacy of Southerners on New Ground. Learn more about this work and their campaigns at their monthly membership meetings for organizers based in the South.
• With the support of 350.org, over 300 organizations across the globe are demanding that governments apply five core principles to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more about their plan for a Just Recovery.
• MediaJustice, Color of Change, Ella Baker Center, and many more released a statement demanding the projection of whistleblowers and other workers who have spoken out against corporate giants during the pandemic.
• Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) is amplifying the experiences of incarcerated individuals in Louisiana. Read their statement and demands here.
• A New Way of Life has opened its ninth safe home in South Los Angeles for women released from local jails and state prisons, as those facilities attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
• From Grassroots International – “To stop this pandemic, we need to radically transform our world. To prevent more pandemics in the future, food sovereignty needs to be a central demand today.” Learn more about the intersection of food sovereignty and the pandemic.
• According to Initiate Justice, as of June 9, 2020, there were 2,401 incarcerated people who have tested positive for COVID-19, inside California state prisons. Learn more about how they are providing critical care to this population here.
• Women’s Link and Planned Parenthood Federation released Guidelines on protecting the rights of women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic (also available in Spanish).
• Read ICAR’s joint statement calling on the business community to ensure corporate accountability in COVID-19 response.
• The Indian Law Resource Center denounce the violation of the human rights of indigenous peoples in isolation and recent contact within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Texas Organizing Project announces community demands for Dallas residents during the pandemic. 
• Read UltraViolet’s list of demands under their We Demand More campaign for women workers and caretakers who are on the frontlines right now.
• Read Community Change’s proposal on how to protect women, Black and Brown and immigrant communities during the pandemic.
• In concert, MediaJustice demands that Trump Administration release its secret plan with tech companies to expand surveillance under COVID-19.
• Detroit Justice Center calls for jail and prison releases, a moratorium on housing evictions, and a halt on low-level arrests. Check out their resource list and read about their ongoing work here.
• Read the New Florida Majority Education Fund’s statement to the Florida Legislature to investigate Governor DeSantis’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• ACRE’s letter to corporate landlords demanding they cancel rent, mortgages and utilities during the COVID crisis. 
• The Maria Fund is responding boldly to COVID-19 in Puerto Rico (Spanish).
• “Surviving Covid-19: Why We Need to Listen to African Women’s Organizations” from the African Women’s Development Fund
• “COVID-19 Has Intensified the Need for Trauma-Informed Care” from Prism.

Resource Hub

This is a list of toolkits, resource guides, and other useful information for organizers and communities to stay engaged, healthy, and safe during the pandemic.

• • Domestic workers keep homes clean and safe, care for children, and provide support for elders and people with disabilities. The National Domestic Workers Alliance has everything you need to know to support these frontline workers, who are disproportionately low-income women of color.
  • On March 30, Critical Resistance virtually convened hundreds of organizers to learn about grassroots campaigns fighting to get people out of prison. To learn more about these efforts around the country, check out this guide.
  • As part of Equality Labs’ work to combat disinformation during COVID-19 and equip communities with the tools they need, it has created a medically vetted series of Coronavirus information cards, in an expansive array of languages.
  • For our San Francisco neighbors, PODER and its community of allied orgs, is keeping track of resources for SF’s low-income Latino immigrants and other communities of color.
  • ‘We Keep Us Safe’: Black Trans Women on the Frontlines of the Pandemic, this article on Prism includes current actions and resources supporting a Trans Agenda for Liberation in pandemic response efforts.
  • What is Mutual Aid? A Primer by the Climate Justice Alliance
  • Check out this beautiful portal featuring a number of artists in the Center for Cultural Power’s network demonstrating the speed and insight of diverse artists’ responses to a shared cultural moment.
  • Astraea Foundation’s new Collective Care blog sheds light on the ways LBTQI communities are being impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and shares insights around the criticality of healing justice.
  • Led by what WITNESS is hearing and learning from the communities of activism, human rights and civic journalism, they set up this page to support those using video to protect human rights during this pandemic.
  • Movement Generation is hosting a four part web series titled Course Correction on how we can advance a just transition in the age of COVID-19 and is offering other thoughtful content here. Also catch MG on the latest episode of Dignity & Power’s podcast.
  • Drug Policy Alliance is compiling resources specifically related to criminal justice both in California and on the national level. 
  • Important information from APANO, especially for folks in Oregon.
  • Resources for Native communities updated by the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. 
  • In an effort to step up advocacy for the communities and individuals most vulnerable, Opportunity Agenda has put together this toolkit of various messaging memos on how to talk about COVID-19, its disproportionate effect on communities of color, and the shared struggle ahead to contain it.
  • California Environmental Justice Alliance sourced guides and information from its members here.
  • The Ahimsa Collective is collaborating with Bay Area folks through the Mutual Aid and Restorative Justice (MARJ). Tell them what you need and what you can offer.  
  • Center for Story-Based Strategy is offering online courses on social change strategies to meet this moment.
  • Community Coalition of South LA has been offering mutual aid to over 1000 community members during the crisis. Here they offer a platform for communities of color to document and share their experiences during the COVID-19 crisis. 
  • ACCE offers state-wide resources on the coronavirus. 
  • Vision y Compromiso has a collection of safety and public health tips and a comprehensive resource guide for immigrants in California. 
  • Common Justice provides survivor centered tips for taking care of ourselves and others during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • COVID-19 Resources and Mutual Aid Request Forms – gratefully sourced from our CEJA members, partners and allies.
  • Resources from the Coalition of Communities of Color.
  • Efforts organized and supported by Trans Justice Funding Project’s 2019 grantees in response to COVID-19.
  • Tips from Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth on how to shelter in place with your teen.
  • Californians! Stay informed of the facts with Community for a Better Environment’s updates and resource list here. 
  • Emergency resources and mutual aid links from the California Coalition for Women Prisoners.
  • This comprehensive list was created by the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance in response to the coronavirus.

Journalism & Reporting

This time calls for accurate and rigorous journalism that keeps people aware and safe. These organizations are performing thorough investigations that represent the myriad of ways communities are being affected by the virus. 

• Reveal, from the Center of Investigative Reporting, reports on inequality during the Pandemic. Read and listen to their stories here. 
• Updates on the coronavirus from the independent daily news program, Democracy Now!
• Updates on the coronavirus from Mother Jones, the reader-supported investigative news organization.
• Updates on the coronavirus from the Futuro Group, an independent nonprofit organization committed to producing ethical journalism from a POC perspective and representing the new American mainstream. .
• Physicians for Social Responsibility (Los Angeles) Board Member, Dr. Hara walks us through a typical day at a COVID-19 testing site in Southern California.

COVID-19 & Black Lives Matter

Articles, news, and resources related to the intersection of the coronavirus and defunding the police.

• “It’s very hard, legally, to challenge emergency orders based on public-health laws,” said Angelo Guisado, staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York Magazine on curfews spreading coronavirus, and the impact on Black and Brown people. 
• “Let’s Imagine a Post-Pandemic Era With Less Policing and No New Jails” by Amanda Alexander, Executive Director of Detroit Justice Center.
• Verde is drawing connections between public transit, policing, and the pandemic.