Rihanna donates $15M to climate change organizations via her foundation
The Grammy winner's Clara Lionel Foundation will provide grants to several organizations to aid in climate justice for underserved communities.
Rihanna continues to get behind worthy causes. The nine-time Grammy-winning singer announced that her Clara Lionel Foundation is donating $15 million to several organizations working to combat the effects of climate change, according to a press release.
The foundation is partnering with former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s #StartSmall initiative to commit a $15 million donation to aid in the climate justice movement happening in both the U.S. and the Caribbean. Together, they are hoping to help create policy change and equitable systems by offering grants to an organization that are led by or focuses on Black, Indigenous, women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ figures and communities.
Among the 18 organizations that will be receiving grants are the Black Feminist Fund, Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund, Indigenous Environmental Network, Movement 4 Black Lives, and The Solutions Project.
“At the Clara Lionel Foundation, much of the work is rooted in the understanding that climate disasters, which are growing in frequency and intensity, do not impact all communities equally, with communities of color and island nations facing the brunt of climate change,” Rihanna said in a statement. “This is why CLF prioritizes both climate resilience and climate justice work across the U.S. and Caribbean.”
Justine Lucas, executive director of the Clara Lionel Foundation, echoed Rihanna’s sentiment, saying that other organizations and foundations need to follow suit on this important issue.
“CLF believes strongly that funders must build partnerships with organizations and acknowledge their deep understanding of what is necessary to achieve climate justice in their own communities,” Lucas said in a statement.
Back in March 2020, Clara Lionel Foundation donated $5 million in response to COVID-19, as theGrio previously reported. The donation went towards aid in underserved communities affected by the pandemic in the United States, the Caribbean and Africa.
Funding was split between several organizations, including Direct Relief, Partners In Health, Feeding America, the International Rescue Committee, and the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
Also in March 2020, Rihanna and the Clara Lionel Foundation donated masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to the state of New York. The following month Rihanna and Dorsey teamed up to donate money to help domestic violence survivors in Los Angeles. Together, they pledged $4.2 million to the mayor’s fund to provide shelter, food, and counseling for those suffering from domestic violence during the pandemic.
The Clara Lionel Foundation was founded by Rihanna in 2012. Named after her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite, the foundation was created as a philanthropic nonprofit that would connect organizations “to address the unique needs of the communities in which we work, while also working strategically to address issues and challenges at a global level,” as the official website says.
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