Hurricane Fiona Philanthropic Response

In the wake of Hurricane Fiona, the philanthropic sector mobilized quickly and responded to the immediate needs of the most affected communities. This was evidenced by the amount of support, funding and commitments received just two weeks after the hurricane:
 

These numbers are based on the limited data available at the moment. We hope to include updated numbers on next month’s edition of El Convener.

As a convener we support and mobilize funders to align and coordinate an effective response. Immediately we had calls with the sector to share information bring together strategies, and have clarity amongst the group of the efforts underway. We prepared a special conversation during our Annual Convening to discuss our present alignment and our future impact.
 

Filantropía Puerto Rico compiled relevant data that allowed us to more effectively target available resources and maximize their impact on Puerto Rico's prosperity. To this end, we created:

• Fiona Funds Landscape: a consolidated list of funds and organizations available to receive donations.
• Supporting Efforts: information on databases, supplies, volunteering and fundraising currently available in the social sector can be found.

However, we are committed to looking FORWARD and providing long-term support to those most affected. To this end, the FORWARD Puerto Rico Fund will focus on supporting those who are supporting established mutual aid efforts that address community needs, create solutions and are essential to the transformation of Puerto Rico. 

$338,529.81 will be distributed across nine Centros de Apoyo Mutuo (CAMs), through funds raised by the FORWARD Puerto Rico Fund: Fiona Relief. The CAMs sustain themselves by providing essential services to their communities in different municipalities. The focus will be on supporting those who are supporting. 

Learn more on the Forward Puerto Rico Fund here.

Hispanic Federation has made a 2 million dollar commitment to Fiona relief efforts, which include a $20,000 donation in solar panels to the Asociación de Pescadores de La Parguera, located in Lajas, Puerto Rico, one of the most affected municipalities after Hurricane Fiona.

Hispanic Federation has also donated solar panels to fishermen in Guayama, Guánica and Peñuelas as part of their commitment with a just and equitable recovery process for the island. Learn more here!

The Ford Foundation has doubled down on their commitment to Puerto Rico’s transformation by adding 1.5 million dollars to the recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Fiona. In partnership with local nonprofit and community organizations, the foundation is supporting philanthropic and advocacy efforts for those most affected.

This contribution brings Ford’s total commitment to long-term recovery in Puerto Rico to over $22 million since 2017. See more on Ford Foundation’s commitment the island here.

As part of their  Community Recovery Fund for Puerto Rico, FCPR has awarded $345,480 in grants to provide access to housing and manage energy and water benefits to communities. 20 nonprofit organizations working directly with affected communities benefited from the fund, mostly supporting local farmers and providing access to food supplies for families.

To see more on how FCPR is responding to the emergency, click here.

Titín Foundation activated its CUENTAx2 matching funds campaign through which 20 participating organizations will have the opportunity to raise funds through the ATH Móvil button on sinfinespr.org. On October 5th, Titín Foundation announced that a total of $88,962.48 had been raised so far, and that they would be announcing the final sum very soon.

Many of the participating organizations have refocused their campaign efforts to address the urgent Hurricane Fiona relief efforts. See them here.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Fundación Ángel Ramos (FAR) will hold the Tina Hills Award ceremony on Tuesday, November 15th, 2022. FAR is once again recognizing organizations that demonstrate excellence and extraordinary services to the community, and serve as an example of the commitment that characterizes the social sector in Puerto Rico.

Stay updated on news regarding this award here.

Acknowledging the vulnerability of Puerto Rico’s energy systems, Liberty Mobile recently donated 19 hotspots with 5G mobile internet to nonprofit organization Solar Responders, to give power resiliency to fire stations throughout the island with solar energy. The hotspots will help fire stations in different municipalities across the island.

Liberty Foundation also donated $15,000 to help with recovery efforts. Learn more here!

Fundación de Mujeres en Puerto Rico awarded $103,000 in grants to community organizations focused on agricultural reconstruction, especially for women farmers across the island.

Less than 2% of all philanthropic donations go to organizations focused on women and girls, click here to see what Fundación Mujeres en Puerto Rico is doing to increase that number.
 

In partnership with community-led organizations working on Fiona's response, María Fund aims to address the immediate humanitarian needs and long term power building work to advance an equitable recovery through the Fiona Community Response Fund.

By October 3rd, they had distributed $540,000, 110 Mutual Aid Brigades and impacted 40 municipalities. Learn more about the organizations this fund supports here.

Bravo Family Foundation reached out to their program’s community leaders in order to identify an action plan to provide $10 million dollars to communities affected by hurricane Fiona. 3,500 families throughout Puerto Rico are expected to benefit from the donation.

The impacted communities received generators, water and resources to fulfill their immediate needs. Read more on this effort by the Bravo Foundation here.

$300,000 were donated to Hispanic Federation, SBP, and World Central Kitchen to focus on necessities like meals and supplies as well as resources for rebuilding efforts. Wells Fargo provided this funding to support the resilience of Puerto Rico and to help meet the many needs unfolding in the aftermath of this natural disaster.

Get to know more about the ongoing support this company has given to Puerto Rico relief efforts here.

Oriental Bank donated more than $1.2 million to five nonprofits directly focused on initiatives to help families and communities affected by the hurricane. Their commitment encourages employees to participate in volunteer activities as part of the Manos Oriental program.

The bank also made a monetary contribution to help employees who live in affected communities cover the unforeseen expenses associated with the emergency. Learn more about their programs here.

27 different organizations offering direct aid in Puerto Rico’s most affected municipalities benefited from First Banks’s $300,000 donation after hurricane Fiona. They recognize that the social sector is providing immediate response working directly with the most affected areas.  

The funded organizations focus on a variety of different but pressing issues including health, agriculture, housing, food, animal protection and other services. Learn more here!

A $250,000 emergency grant has been awarded to Hispanic Federation to support on-the-ground efforts providing essential supplies and services to communities most affected by the storm. 

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS provided this grant for relief equipment and first aid supplies to respond to the most-urgent needs in the aftermath of the hurricane. Learn more about this program.

Of the up to $250,000 that Evertec will donate as part of the island recovery efforts, a portion of those funds will be focused on assistance for its impacted employees.

Also, Evertec and ATH Móvil ran an initiative to promote donations sent through the ATH Móvil app where they would match every dollar up to $100,000. These donations will go to organizations focused on family, housing, animal protection, and shelters, among others.

See more here.

In hopes to strengthen Puerto Rico’s care delivery capabilities, United Health Foundation donated $200,000 to help residents of Puerto Rico in their ongoing recovery and rebuild following Hurricane Fiona.

The funds will be distributed to Direct Relief, a longstanding partner of the foundation on disaster response. See more on these health-related efforts here.

The GE Foundation announced a donation of US$100,000 to New Orleans-based disaster recovery and resilience organization SBP, which will support housing restoration projects in Puerto Rico as the island recovers from significant damage caused by Hurricane Fiona.

The money will help provide mold suppression for flooded homes, supply water filtration systems, and generators. Learn more here!