
Respond
In April, we launched a time-limited, special initiative to respond to the growing non-coronavirus needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to quickly deploy funding for solutions that can provide immediate help for vulnerable populations suffering from lack of access to education, housing, food, economic opportunity, and mental health support. The pandemic has inflicted direct, devastating damage in terms of lives lost. Along the way, it also pushed our social fabric up to the light and exposed its holes, showing with unrelenting impartiality where and how our systems are broken. That harsh light created precious visibility for problems that had long festered, invisible to those not vulnerable to them.
Thus, we sought to find, fund, and support the people and ideas that tackled the most acute and time-critical social problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the moment. We wanted to help jumpstart projects that could realistically deploy within 30 days filtered through the lens of urgency: Can this make a large impact at scale? Can it be deployed quickly? And can DRK be catalytic in making that happen
We explored over 1,000 initiatives and funded eight projects, both inside our portfolio and externally.
Digital Bridge K-12
An initiative launched by EducationSuperHighway and 1Million Project, Digital Bridge K-12 is working to provide broadband access, via wifi super spots on buses that had been sitting idle, for tens of thousands of SF Bay Area low-income students who have no access to high speed internet.

Food Forward
In order to effectively distribute fruits and vegetables to more communities during the pandemic, Food Forward has expanded their Produce Pit Stop to distribute 800,000 additional pounds per month of fresh produce to 40,000 more families.

Kinvolved
When the virus hit, Kinvolved instantly pivoted to become the principal digital communications platform between schools and students and their families at home, distributing learning materials and allowing critical engagement for all students.

Heroes Health
Heroes Health manages the mental wellness of healthcare workers by tracking their symptoms, connecting them to mental healthcare resources, and using site-level and collective data to change practice.

Oakland REACH
This parent-led group empowers families to navigate the existing Oakland education system. When schools shut down due to COVID-19, The Oakland REACH launched a citywide virtual hub to combat learning loss for the 300+ families they serve.

Noora Health
In the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, Noora Health is working to help flatten the curve in India and Bangladesh by using its experience in driving behavior change for at-risk communities through directed communications and training.

Kytabu
Kytabu is a school management software system designed for schools in East Africa that has quickly turned a back-office solution into a student and parent facing portal, rapidly creating content that aligns with a K-12 curriculum.

OpenEmbassy
The A-teams of OpenEmbassy is addressing individual newcomer needs (people who applied for asylum under the Refugee Treaty of Geneva) in The Netherlands—exacerbated by the pandemic—and using the data collected to support policy change.

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For 20 years, DRK has been finding, funding & supporting extraordinary orgs working to solve society’s biggest prob… https://t.co/qgAuvfJRoV
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Millions of Americans are left out of our emergency help system, like those who are deaf. @911access, a tech npo th… https://t.co/95CUxOGk3C
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Happening now: the launch of DRK's new Perspectives series feat. a discussion on the college-to-career pipeline w/… https://t.co/SvdESWchIa
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Congratulations to all of the 2023 @ElevatePrize winners, including DRK Entrepreneurs Atif Javed (@Tarjimly), Bianc… https://t.co/hpeuB0epAg
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Launching today! DRK's new Perspectives series feat. a conversation on the college-to-career pipeline w/ Dr. Ruth J… https://t.co/NflEepqxzh
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DRK is excited to introduce a new Perspectives series feat. conversations with some of the most powerful voices mak… https://t.co/zc60FpLZnj
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Thousands of people get stuck in the criminal justice system due to bad data. Clementine Jacoby, CEO @recidiviz sha… https://t.co/kP1Mbwi8DD
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"No one should have to put off their education because of medical bills." Jared Walker's organization @Dollarfor_ h… https://t.co/MA6Brdj48D
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.@VisionSpring's vision screening methodology has been adopted by the @WHO to increase access to eyeglasses for wor… https://t.co/61FruV41BH
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A beautiful spotlight on grantee @GrassrootSoccer by @BillGates. "Because it’s so popular, soccer offers a hook to… https://t.co/UjfHcJJSbU
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Thrilled to share the hire of former Lt. Gov. & Attorney General of Delaware @Matt_Denn as a Managing Director; and… https://t.co/QP5zuYF5FF
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"Seeing this work in action, life by life, over the past 20 years" gives DRK Foundation Managing Partner & COO Step… https://t.co/UU3pHCiol7
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Most US hospitals are nonprofits & are required to offer Charity Care. If you make under a certain amount of money… https://t.co/mKCYPjrFXR
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“Impacting lives is what makes me feel alive,” says @DrDanielsJr of @FathersUplift. It’s the personal stories that… https://t.co/0NCjcLosym
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Congrats to @FoodCorps President @therobsharvey, one of @TheRoot's 100 most influential Black Americans. Thrilled t… https://t.co/M9pMRYjjCp
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“The organizations we see making the greatest difference in the lives of others are those that have identified exis… https://t.co/2stqwbQbSd
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"We are headed towards a kinder, more just future.” @GalvinAlmanza's organization @PFJ_USA is transforming public d… https://t.co/CMCOkJWQTG
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"Our entrepreneurs in Africa are solving some of the most intractable problems. They keep me believing." DRK Managi… https://t.co/DvLhTkvuVH
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"This work is having impacts beyond what we initially imagined." Check out why Hillary Blout's @forthepplorg is 1 o… https://t.co/8LKhm8KKKc
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DRK grantee @KheytiFarmers named 1 of 5 recipients of @EarthshotPrize for their innovative work to protect & restor… https://t.co/TUA5IXNjJN