BATON ROUGE – In the last two weeks, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation has made $986,000 in grant awards to 21 nonprofits working to meet the needs of communities across the state as they respond to COVID-19, including approximately:
- $400,000 for providing food to kids, financially insecure families and seniors
- $150,000 to support healthcare needs, including securing critical supplies for providers, connecting individuals to care and more
- $300,000 to provide direct economic support, housing assistance and keeping families financially stable
- $100,000 for regional groups organizing disaster response in communities across Louisiana
“We are proud to support important community organizations who are ensuring that the basic and long-term needs of people across our state continue being met,” said Foundation President Michael Tipton.
“We are working with nonprofits and community leaders daily, and are encouraged by the resilience and commitment shown by Louisianians jumping in to help. We are ready to continue working with them to meet the needs caused by this crisis,” he added.
About Community Crisis and Disaster Response Grants
The Foundation has set up a grant fund of $2 million for nonprofits meeting the needs of Louisianians who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The first $1 million has been awarded, but nonprofits are invited and encouraged to apply for the remaining grant fund. Qualifying work can include immediate needs like food, clothing, shelter, and meeting household expenses. Grants can also be used to meet more long-term needs such as ongoing patient education and care navigation, economic recovery efforts and more.
Community Crisis and Disaster Response are up to $50,000 and grants are made as general operating support – which means nonprofits can be flexible in their approach to solving problems for their communities.
The Foundation continues to process grant applications daily. The full request for proposals, as well as the application for the grant program are online here.