The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States, has announced an initial response of $500,000 in emergency grant funding to four organizations supporting the Hurricane Harvey relief effort in Texas.
"Our goal is to support those organizations already on the ground and immediately capable of reaching thousands of people profoundly impacted by this horrific storm, and to enable these organizations to effectively address the immediate, basic needs of the tremendous number of victims in the Houston area," said Rachel Garbow Monroe, the Foundation's President and CEO. "The Weinberg Foundation has a long, proud history of responding to emergency needs in the United States and throughout the world, and our support of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts is aligned with the Foundation's core mission and grant making goals."
After speaking with a number of organizations providing disaster relief in Texas following the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey, the Weinberg Foundation has decided that the following organizations will receive a total of $500,000 in emergency grant funding at this time:
- Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Houston ($200,000): To support its role as a designated Emergency Crisis Response Center for victims of the flood. JFS served as a hub for disaster case management during past hurricanes Ike and Rita, as well as three significant floods since 2015. The organization dedicates significant time and resources to provide case management and trauma support to those impacted by such events.
- Mission Continues ($100,000): To support its teams of veterans who are on the ground bringing emergency provisions to those in areas that have become isolated due to the flooding and preparing to execute longer-term recovery efforts. Mission Continues empowers veterans who are adjusting to life at home to find purpose through community impact. It deploys veterans on new missions in their communities so that their actions will inspire future generations to serve.
- Team Rubicon ($100,000): To support its coordinated efforts in Texas. Team Rubicon provides emergency response services to disaster-stricken communities by deploying veterans to affected areas. Veterans are afforded a sense of purpose through continued service while also addressing community stabilization, hazard mitigation, debris management, volunteer management, and emergency home repair.
- Houston Food Bank ($100,000): To support its emergency response to the urgent need for food and safe drinking water for thousands of residents who have become homeless and displaced as a result of the flooding. The Houston Food Bank is the largest in the U.S. and was recently awarded National Food Bank of the Year. As a result of Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Food Bank is providing thousands of meals and emergency provisions throughout the entire region.
The Weinberg Foundation's support of victims of other natural disasters and emergencies includes relief grants in the wake of hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Sandy in 2012, as well as emergency funding for humanitarian efforts following the Indonesian tsunami in 2006, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013. The Foundation has also supported Baltimoreand Israel in times of crisis, including emergency grants following the unrest in Baltimore City in 2015, during the 2012 missile attacks in Israel, and to those affected by the Gaza conflict in 2014.
About The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg FoundationThe Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private charitable foundations in the United States, provides approximately $100 million in annual grants to nonprofits that provide direct services to low-income and vulnerable individuals and families, primarily in the US and Israel.Grants are focused on meeting basic needs and enhancing an individual's ability to meet those needs with emphasis on older adults, the Jewish community, and our priority communities of Maryland, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Chicago, and Hawaii. The trustees, some of whom also serve as executive officers of the Foundation, are Alvin Awaya, Donn Weinberg, Fay Hartog-Levin, and Chair Robert T. Kelly, Jr. Rachel Garbow Monroe serves as the Weinberg Foundation's President and Chief Executive Officer. For more information, please visit www.hjweinbergfoundation.org.
