FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2020 CONTACT: Kari Hudnell, 609-668-0560, kari@abpartners.co

EDWARD W. HAZEN FOUNDATION FAST TRACKS $2.8 MILLION IN GRANTS TO SUPPORT GRANTEES RESPONDING TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR

NEW YORK – Today, the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, a private foundation supporting communities of color fighting for educational equity and racial justice, announced grants of more than $2.8 million to 24 organizations. The foundation is announcing and distributing grants that would have been made in the summer in order to provide organizations with resources as they ramp up programming to respond to the pandemic. This early announcement of funding comes at a pivotal moment for many of the organizations who are quickly adapting their programs to respond to on-the-ground conditions, particularly in communities of color hit hardest by the pandemic across the country, and where the Hazen Foundation prioritizes grantmaking.

“Our grantees and their communities are our priority, especially in this moment of crisis,” said Lori Bezahler, President of the Hazen Foundation. “This crisis has made clear the deep inequities throughout our country. We see many organizations scrambling to respond to immediate, critical needs that are the result of unjust policies and systems. Youth Justice Coalition, for example, has been instrumental in getting 1,700 people released from incarceration in LA County, championing alternatives to detention and demanding changes in conditions to protect the health of those still inside. With so much at stake right now, we saw no reason to delay much needed funding.”

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PRESS RELEASE