BATON ROUGE — The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation said that since March it has granted more than $3.1 million to 70 nonprofits across the state working to meet the needs of communities in response to COVID-19.
Efforts supported through foundation grant funding include:
- $1 million for providing food to kids, financially insecure families and seniors
- $160,000 to support healthcare needs, including securing critical supplies for providers, connecting individuals to care and mental health resources
- $780,000 to provide support for direct economic support funds, housing assistance and keeping families financially stable
- $630,000 for regional groups organizing disaster response in communities across Louisiana, and support of nonprofits through community relief funds operated by local community foundations
“Initially, we were focused on tangible, immediate, life-sustaining needs like access to housing and food,” said Michael Tipton, president of the foundation. “More recently, we’ve started investing in mental health services, response services for victims of abuse and neglect, and a few other areas that let us address needs becoming critical during this ongoing crisis.”
The foundation plans to continue making grants to nonprofits as funds allow and as the need persists. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation board has made a total of $5 million available to date for COVID-19 disaster grant funding.
