Every $2 contributed will receive $1 match by Dr. Seuss Fund

COVID-19 Community Response Fund grows to $5.9 million – Give at SDFoundation.org/COVID19

March 23, 2020 – San Diego, CA – The Dr. Seuss Fund at The San Diego Foundation will provide a match of $1 for every $2 contributed to the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund. The Dr. Seuss Fund wishes to inspire individuals, corporations, and others to give $1 million to earn its $500,000 match to support nonprofits helping San Diegans impacted by the coronavirus.

To date, The San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund has raised $5.9 million thanks to hundreds of individual and business contributions. Businesses, individuals and organizations can donate and find additional information about the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund at SDFoundation.org/COVID19.

“The Dr. Seuss Foundation is committed to giving back through its charitable fund, as well as helping raise additional funds, to bolster the regional response for our seniors, children and families affected by the coronavirus,” shared Claudia Prescott, President of the Dr. Seuss Foundation. “We hope by providing matching dollars, we will inspire other businesses and individuals to give to those in need by increasing the impact of donations to the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund.”

The Dr. Seuss Foundation, through its donor-advised fund at The San Diego Foundation, has granted more than $70 million to support the San Diego nonprofit community. Founded by the late Audrey Geisel and her husband Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, author and cartoonist for more than 60 famed children’s books, the Dr. Seuss Foundation has served as a steadfast charitable resource in San Diego for decades.

“For generations, the Dr. Seuss Fund at The San Diego Foundation and the generosity of the Geisel family has uplifted the local nonprofit community and our region,” shared Mark Stuart, President & CEO of The San Diego Foundation. “Through this matching initiative, it is once again leading the way by asking San Diegans who can help to join with them in supporting the critical needs of our community.”

Grant funding from the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund focuses on three critical areas: food security; rental and utility assistance; and income replacement or gap funding. The fund will also provide no-interest loans for nonprofit organizations to provide business and community service continuity.

As of March 23, The Foundation’s Board of Governors has approved a total of $750,000 in grants to local nonprofits on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, including rapid response grants of $250,000 to United Way of San Diego County to provide safety net funding for rent, mortgage and utilities payments for low-wage individuals and families; as well as $500,000 in immediate food assistance to the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank.

One hundred percent of donations to the San Diego COVID-19 Response Fund will be provided to nonprofits helping San Diegans impacted by the coronavirus. Funds will be released on a rolling basis as fundraising continues throughout the coronavirus outbreak and its recovery phases.

The San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund at The San Diego Foundation was created in partnership with San Diego County Supervisor and Co-Chair of the COVID-19 Subcommittee Nathan Fletcher, San Diego Gas & Electric, United Way of San Diego County, San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, NEWS 8 and Alliance Healthcare Foundation.

Learn more at SDFoundation.org/COVID19.

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About The San Diego Foundation

The San Diego Foundation maximizes the impact of your charitable giving. We mobilize philanthropic resources to advance quality of life, increase social impact and champion civic engagement. For more than 40 years, The Foundation and our donors have granted more than $1.2 billion to grow a vibrant San Diego region. Learn more on our website, and consider a donation to the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund.

Contact

Justin Nunez, The San Diego Foundation, 336-254-7056, justin@sdfoundation.org