Valhalla Foundation Grants $15.6 Million to Organizations in Response to COVID-19

In March 2020, as COVID-19 began spreading rapidly, it became clear that the impacts of the pandemic would be severe and particularly devastating on the disadvantaged populations we seek to serve through our work at Valhalla Foundation. We knew we needed to think outside our existing funding strategies given the important role that philanthropy could play in providing immediate and flexible funding.

In response, we committed $15.6M to 14 organizations over the first few months of the pandemic.

• At the local level, we sought to provide direct relief to individuals in the Bay Area, San Diego, and Tucson with grants to Second Harvest Food Bank, Feeding San Diego, The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, LifeMoves, Destination Home, and Puente de la Costa Sur. We also gave to two coordinated funds in the Bay Area providing relief to individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses: Tipping Point Community and San Mateo Strong Fund.
• At the state level and national level, we sought to address gaps in access to educational and medical resources that have been exacerbated by the pandemic with grants to California Bridging the Digital Divide Fund, Waterford Upstart’s Summer Learning Program, University of Oregon’s RAPID Survey, and Harlem Children’s Zone.
• Globally, we sought to strengthen the medical response to COVID-19 with grants to Project ECHO and Fast Grants.