FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2020

 

For more information, contact:
Michael Tipton, (225) 297-2849
Ben Mahoney, (225) 298-7377

 

Blue Cross Foundation Commits $2.1 Million to COVID-19 Response
Grants to support nonprofits meeting community needs

 (Baton Rouge, LA) — The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation has announced its commitment of at least $2.1 million to meet the needs of communities across Louisiana as they respond to COVID-19.

 

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. This can include immediate needs like food, clothing, shelter, paying utility bills and more. 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.

“Our goal is to give Louisiana’s nonprofit community, which is on the front lines of responding to this crisis, the tools and flexibility they need to keep working to support children and families,” says Michael Tipton, president of the Foundation, who noted that the Foundation is accepting applications immediately.

The full request for proposals, as well as the application for the grant program, are online at http://bcbslafoundation.org/disastergrants

 

Employee Support
The Blue Cross Foundation has also made a commitment of $100,000 to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana’s Employees 1st Fund, which provides small grants to Blue Cross employees whose immediate families experience unexpected financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

About the Blue Cross Foundation
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation works each day to improve the health and lives of Louisianians by empowering everyday people to do extraordinary good. By building and funding coalitions of friends, families and neighbors, the Foundation hopes to build a healthier Louisiana, particularly for its children. The Foundation is funded solely by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, but is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity. Together, Blue Cross and the Blue Cross Foundation invest $3.5 million each year into Louisiana’s communities and nonprofits.

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