Local leaders and top government officials in Los Angeles have been dedicating significant portions of coronavirus press briefings in recent weeks to spotlighting available services for those facing domestic violence amid home isolation orders. Now Rihanna and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey are teaming up to create an emergency fund to directly aid those in need as the number of incidents are on the rise in the area.
Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation and Dorsey, who also serves as CEO of Square, will fund a joint grant to the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, with each committing $2.1 million for a total of $4.2 million. The funding, announced today by a rep for Rihanna's foundation, will be directed toward 10 weeks of expenses for shelter, meals and counseling for individuals and children suffering from domestic violence at a time when shelters are full and incidents are reportedly on the rise.
Per the Los Angeles Housing Authority, some 90 people per week along with their children have been turned away from shelters in L.A. since "Safer at Home" guidelines were enacted in mid-March. At approximately $125 per day, the grant covers housing and food for 90 applicants per week, with an additional 90 every week thereafter for 10 weeks.
The news also follows other donations both have made during the coronavirus crisis. Earlier this week, Dorsey announced that he would donate $1 billion of his equity in Square to help fund COVID-19 relief efforts, or 28 percent of his wealth. Last week, Rihanna and Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Foundation announced $2 million in grants to COVID-19 response efforts to support undocumented workers, children of front-line health workers and first responders, and incarcerated, elderly and homeless populations in New York City and Los Angeles. Her CLF also doled out $5 million in grants to on-the-ground partners working on the front lines of the coronavirus response to protect and prepare vulnerable and marginalized communities in the United States, the Caribbean and Africa.
Per today's announcement, CLF and Dorsey have been involved on other philanthropic initiatives in the past. Dorsey attended Rihanna's 2018 4th annual Diamond Ball for CLF in New York City.
