Humanitarian organization Direct Relief has announced that it has formed the Fund for Health Equity.
In a press release announcement, it was revealed that the initial funding round raised a total of $75 million against a goal of $150 million.
“Direct Relief is profoundly grateful for the extraordinarily generous financial resources already provided to the Fund for Health Equity and for the guidance offered by distinguished members of the Advisory Council who have devoted their lives to promoting health equity,” said Direct Relief’s CEO Thomas Tighe, in the press release announcement. “This effort will in no way detract from the immediate, necessary work that remains to be done as the Covid pandemic rages, but it will help shape for the better what exists when we emerge from the pandemic by providing support to those who know best what can make a difference.”
A key aim of the Fund for Health Equity will be to provide financial support to community health centers and free & charitable clinics, as well as other community-based organizations and educational institutions that focus on non-clinical matters and circumstances that strongly affect a person’s health. This includes a person’s physical environment and social, political, cultural, and economic factors.
Anchoring support includes long-term partner AbbVie, which announced its donation as a part of a bigger social investment, and philanthropist, MacKenzie Scott. The NBA also committed to supporting the cause as part of NBA All-Star 2021, according to the press release.
