COVID-19 Response
Last Updated: 4.9.20
Dear Learning by Giving community,
At Learning by Giving, we have been closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 with deep concern for the individuals, families and communities affected in this difficult and unprecedented time. The days ahead will require unity, collaboration, and innovation -- all attributes the Learning by Giving community has shown these past few weeks.
The role of philanthropy and donors like you is more important than ever. As of Tuesday, April 7th, the philanthropic community had already mobilized more than $763 million in the United States and more than $4.3 billion worldwide.
Given that philanthropy will continue to play a pivotal role in providing resources to those impacted by the crisis, philanthropy education is more important than ever. Across the country, donations are being used to support affected individuals and families, nonprofits experiencing increased demand for their services, health care workers on the frontlines, and others striving locally, nationally, and internationally to address the coronavirus’ impact on our communities.
Given the current crisis, we are committed to working with our faculty to understand how we can best support their need to quickly transition to online learning, and engage all of our community through new and innovative ways --- all while staying focused on the things that make the LxG experience life-changing for so many. As the situation evolves, we continue to make adjustments to ensure the health and safety of our team, and the progress and success of our work.
To date, LxG has taken a number of steps including:
- Undergraduate Program: We are committed to providing experiential philanthropy education to young students across our college and university network. Our undergraduate faculty have transitioned their courses online with the support of our team and their respective academic institutions. Now more than ever, students see how philanthropy can be innovative, responsive, and a critical resource. At this moment, we will connect-the-dots between the work being done by our students and the role of philanthropy in response to a global health crisis. We are thankful to our students who continue to engage in effective grantmaking from their homes and our faculty for the innovative grantmaking techniques they’ve implemented.
- High School Program: We have worked with our high school partners to make the difficult decision to postpone the current cohort, who started in late February. Our high school students have transitioned to online learning for the remainder of the academic year. We will work with our partners to determine how to move forward as the situation evolves.
- Learn.Lead.Give. Scholarship: We are excited to move forward as planned with the Learn.Lead.Give. Scholarship. In May, we will select one student that has completed our high school program to receive a full-ride scholarship to one of our partner institutions. The scholarship aims to fully support the college education of one scholar with a demonstrated passion for civic engagement, community leadership, and social change.
- Emerging Leaders: LxG remains committed to providing donors, students, and life-long learners access to invaluable resources and tools to guide their philanthropic journey during this time of need. For this reason, we are providing complete free access to our LearnGive online platform for the months of April, May and June. LearnGive is our central educational hub for emerging leaders to build their values, skills, and knowledge as innovative and effective philanthropists. You can download the LearnGive app for free on your mobile device.
- LxG Staff: We are following the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) around social distancing as the best way to decrease transmission and support our healthcare systems at this time. As a result, we have transitioned to a remote working environment for all staff and volunteers, and postponed all upcoming in-person meetings, gatherings, and events.
To our Learning by Giving community, this is a time to come together, to lean on one another for support, as we navigate these challenging times together. As circumstances evolve, and as it warrants, we will provide you with additional updates.
The Learning by Giving Team
