Black Lives Matter, the ubiquitous American social justice movement that emerged eight years ago in response to police brutality, is donating more than $3 million to struggling families amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The organization’s Global Network Foundation launched the national financial relief effort earlier this month and has begun handing out $1,000 Survival Fund grants to as many as 3,000 households.
BLM is flexing its philanthropic muscle as Congress continues to work on a $1.9 trillion relief package that includes $1,400 direct stimulus payments to individuals who earn less than $75,000 in annual income. The House of Representatives was expected to approve the package this week and send it over to the Senate, which is narrowly controlled by Democrats.
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Earlier this week, the BLM foundation revealed that it raised $90 million in 2020, much of it following the May 25 arrest of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly eight minutes.
Some people have already started applying for the money, and at least 300 have been approved, including single parents, community organizers, former convicts, transgender citizens and the families of people who have died while in police custody or while incarcerated.
After approval, the money is either direct deposited in bank accounts or provided through a prepaid debit card — with no strings attached.
“This came from a collective conversation with BLM leadership that Black folks are being hurt the most financially during the pandemic,” BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors told The Associated Press. “I believe that when you have resources, to hoard them is a disservice to the people who deserve them,” she said.
The Survival Fund is part of the foundation’s 2021 focus on economic justice, particularly as it relates to the ongoing socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on Black communities.
The fund is being administered by UpTogether, a project of the Family Independence Initiative, which works to disrupt the cycle of poverty through direct investment to low-income families and budding entrepreneurs.
Information provided by The Associated Press was used to supplement this report.
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