Stand Together’s response to COVID-19 and ways you can engage

The COVID-19 pandemic is touching every aspect of our lives, changing how we live, work, learn, and engage with our community. Stand Together is doing all we can to make a difference right now by partnering with incredible individuals and organizations to:

• Help neighbors in need. Provide a way for millions of Americans to help those whose lives have been thrown into disarray by the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, demonstrating the power of bottom-up solutions.

• Get America safely back to work. Enable business to play a key role in defining a path to restart the economy while protecting employees, consumers, and public health.

• Drive public policy solutions that help every person rise. Achieve reforms at the state and federal level that (1) drive rapid economic recovery without bankrupting the country or giving in to special interest cronyism, (2) improve the health care system to enable innovation and better health care for all Americans so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the COVID-19 crisis.

• Empower students to thrive outside the walls of a classroom. Drive innovation and help more students access individualized education, ensuring they don’t just keep up, but thrive – now and in the future.

A crisis of this magnitude requires a comprehensive approach with people from all walks of life contributing in whatever way they can. There is much more we can and will do as this crisis continues to develop. 

In the past several weeks, we have heard from hundreds of groups that we support as well as partners from around the country. If you have questions about how you can help others in this time of crisis, needs that Stand Together can help address, or ideas for what more can be done, please email us at MakeADifference@standtogether.org. 

If ever there was a time to Stand Together as a country, this is it. Together, we can help bring out the best in our country – and one another – at a time when that can make the biggest difference. 

Working with others, our #GiveTogetherNow efforts have helped to raise $42.9 million for families most affected by the pandemic, while #HelptheHelpers has raised $5.8 million for nonprofits. Find out more below, and check back often for updates on the efforts and initiatives that the Stand Together community and our partners are doing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Help neighbors in need

• Overcoming a crisis together, with #GiveTogetherNow — The #GiveTogetherNow campaign has mobilized hundreds of nonprofits and thousands of individual donors to get $500 cash payments where they were needed most: in the hands of nearly 200,000 families affected by the crisis. Published 8/19/20

• Building community in a time of social distancing — Mobile Loaves & Fishes has served the chronically homeless of Austin, Texas, for 22 years. Today, the organization continues its fight against the homelessness crisis in the midst of a different crisis — one caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Published 6/30/20

• Helping a resilient coal community survive the pandemic — Nonprofit Coalfield Development offers a suite of programs, including personal and academic development and employment-based social enterprises to help West Virginia residents. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, its critical work in Wayne, West Virginia, became more important than ever to an already determined community. Published 6/25/20

• Leveraging entrepreneurship to survive the COVID-19 pandemic — As joblessness rates soar, many people are expected to turn to entrepreneurship to patch income losses and provide a long-term financial engine for themselves and their families. Chris Breitenberg, director of national program partnerships at Rising Tide Capital, shared the nonprofit’s plans for how it will increase access to its small business training programming in the wake of COVID-19 while continuing to grow entrepreneurship in low-income communities. Published 5/20/20

• Charles Koch op-ed on finding our unique role during the pandemic — Charles Koch writes in a Fortune opinion piece that while the coronavirus pandemic has “upended lives, shuttered businesses, and profoundly altered our expectations for the future,” Americans have always faced challenges. We have overcome them when each of us finds our unique role to play — and when we empower others to find theirs. Published 5/18/20

• Philanthropic leaders unite to aid families hit hardest by the pandemic — #GiveTogetherNow is quickly becoming one of the top COVID-19 relief efforts in the country, having raised over $43M in four weeks. Now, major business and philanthropic partnerships are bringing new resources and networks to the campaign. Published 5/12/20

• Stand Together community and GoFundMe discuss COVID-19 relief efforts — Stand Together Foundation executive director Evan Feinberg, along with Thistle Farms CEO Hal Cato and Friends of the Children CEO Terri Sorensen, were recently featured on GoFundMe’s podcast, True Stories of Good People to discuss their massive efforts to help those affected by the COVID-19 crisis and how others can assist their communities. Published 5/12/20

• Using creativity to connect & heal — PeaceLove, a Stand Together community partner, has taken their services online by hosting virtual expressive arts workshops for people all across the country, and the goal is always the same: to help people get and stay mentally well.  Published 5/7/20

• Giving kindness on Giving Tuesday — On this Giving Tuesday, people around the world are uniting in beautiful ways to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stand Together expanded the #GiveTogetherNow campaign in an effort to recognize the creative ways people are supporting each other and to provide more ways for people to get involved. Read more about some of the acts of kindness that have inspired us! Published 5/5/20

• Nonprofits tackle hunger in their communities — Stand Together nonprofit partners are stepping in to help by re-envisioning how to feed their communities. Two culinary-driven, innovative nonprofits are using their skills and expertise to make the biggest impact while fostering community, which is more important now than ever with people staying home. Published 4/28/20

• Online workouts connect the recovery community — Social distancing creates an acute problem for those in recovery, as relationships and connection are key to long-term sobriety. The Phoenix, a sober active community that fosters connection through physical fitness, moved quickly in adapting to crisis so that their community could stay connected. Published 4/24/20

• Feeling the power of community through virtual fitness — Being active and maintaining community are especially vital to a few of the nonprofits in the Stand Together community that use the power of activity and connection to impact on the lives of those in addiction recovery, the formerly homeless, individuals exiting incarceration, and more. Published 4/24/20

• #GiveTogetherNow campaign gains momentum — The #GiveTogetherNow campaign raised over $38.7 million for families affected by the pandemic within the first four weeks of launch and has since raised $42.9 million, empowering more than 85,000 families and individuals with $500 in monetary support so they can meet their unique and immediate needs. Published 4/23/20

• Supporting social enterprises that are generating pathways to financial independence — Here is a collection of unique, creative, and meaningful gifts from some of the most effective social enterprises Stand Together partners with that are using their business models to create opportunity, strengthen communities, and inspire change. Published 4/16/20

• Unique ways to help while staying at home — We may be staying in our homes and remaining six feet apart when outside, but we can still connect with each other in meaningful ways. Here are 7 ways to help your community from your home. Published 4/16/20

• Supporting nonprofits that are providing vital services to communities impacted during the pandemic — Stand Together Foundation launched #HelptheHelpers—a fundraising campaign to directly support nonprofit leaders on the frontlines who are providing vital services to communities impacted during COVID-19. The campaign raised $2.5 million in just 72 hours. You still have time to give. Published 4/10/20

• New Instagram live show hosted by former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones — Stand Together LIVE is a new Instagram series of conversations, performances, and masterclasses featuring some of the world’s top performers who are sharing their life stories and experiences in support of #GiveTogetherNow. Published 4/10/20

• Getting money to families who need it most — Stand Together is partnering with the Family Independence Initiative (FII) to launch #GiveTogetherNow, a rapid-response effort to get money directly to the families who most affected by COVID-19. And we want you to be a part of it. Published 3/26/20

• Fresh ideas to combat COVID-19 could earn funding — As we face a worldwide pandemic of the novel coronavirus, never has creative thinking and innovation meant more. Now the very kind of inspired action that is needed to stem the spread of this disease will be not just encouraged but rewarded. Published 3/17/20

Get America safely back to work

• Angel Soft® and Georgia-Pacific join #GiveTogetherNow effort — The makers of Angel Soft® joined the growing community of businesses and foundations supporting #GiveTogetherNow by announcing a $1 million donation to directly help families across the country impacted by COVID-19. They are now challenging others to join in – pledging an additional $1 million to match consumer donations to the cause. Published 5/12/20

• A collaborative resource to help businesses and policymakers keep people safe  — Stand Together is gathering best practices and guidelines from health officials, business leaders across industries, employees, and employers about what they are doing to protect public health while enabling people to work whenever possible. Published 4/19/20

• Charles Koch, Brian Hooks outline ‘distinctly American approach’ to overcoming pandemic — In a USA Today opinion piece published March 28, Stand Together founder Charles Koch and CEO Brian Hooks remind us that openness and innovation have always been the American way. And they empower us to overcome the current challenge. Published 3/28/20

• Call to action: How business can best help people during the coronavirus pandemic— The choice between “business as usual” or “close all business” is a false choice. The question is: What is the most effective way to ensure all people in the country have the best chance to live—both during and after this crisis has passed, no matter how long it is with us? Published 3/27/20

Drive public policy solutions that help every person rise

• Nationwide campaign launches for increased access to healthcare — In response to this growing need, Americans for Prosperity launched a nationwide campaign advocating for reforms designed to give Americans greater access to health care, fight the coronavirus outbreak, and prepare for the next health emergency.  Published 5/19/20

• Re-imagining healthcare innovation — Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, declares the need to re-imagine our healthcare system and open it up to innovation in order to save more lives and better prepare for future crises. Published 5/11/20

• Teletownhall discussing potential state bailout legislation — Senators David Perdue and Ron Johnson joined Americans for Prosperity teletownhall last week to discuss why Congress’ proposed state bailouts would hurt the country’s fiscal health, encourage greater levels of irresponsible spending among the states, and leave millions of Americans in need of help worse off. Published 5/11/20

• Removing restrictions on telemedicine — As this technology becomes an indispensable tool in the fight against COVID-19, elected officials are working fast to remove restrictions — restrictions once believed to promote safety but in fact hinder access to this life-saving service. Published 4/24/20

• Amplifying voices on the ground calling for swift, targeted relief for COVID-19 — Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is actively advocating to the President and Congress on behalf of millions of individuals on the ground, ensuring their voices are heard and that aid is deployed in the most effective, timely, and targeted way. Published 3/20/20
  
• Telemedicine promises to identify COVID-19 patients earlier, with no risk to medical personnel — As health care providers struggle to meet the growing challenge of seeing patients quickly, an emerging technology offers an innovative new way to screen people for COVID-19. Originally developed to offer health care to people in remote places, telemedicine could become a major asset in battling the coronavirus epidemic. Published 3/17/20

Empower parents, teachers, and students to thrive outside the walls of a classroom

• Free textbooks and online higher ed learning resources during the COVID-19 pandemic — OpenStax has already helped 9 million students afford a college education by offering free textbooks online. Now, to help with challenges from the corononavirus epidemic, it is curating resources and making more materials free to guide teachers and students through the transition from classroom to online. Published 3/20/20

• New resource for education without a classroom — yes. every kid. has launched a new website and a new social community on Facebook #LearnEverywhere, to help families exchange ideas and suggestions for education without a classroom. The site offers lesson plans, virtual experiences, videos, and other resources for parents and educators. Published 3/19/20

Learn more about Stand Together’s issue areas.