Our Covid-19
emergency
response
Our Covid-19 response recognised our responsibility to move quickly to address the growing crisis and deliver critical support rapidly and at scale to our most impacted partners around the world.
Working in close dialogue with partners, our response focussed not just on the immediate emergency but also on the structural issues of injustice brought into sharp focus by the pandemic.
Our immediate reaction was to increase our existing emergency fund to EUR 3.3 million to support partners when their own safety and security was at risk.
This ensured our partners could cover the basic operating expenses they incurred during the onset of the pandemic so none had to cease operation. The fund also enabled them to give crucial assistance to those in need, and more than 65% of partners used Laudes Foundation funds to provide necessities to the people and communities they serve.
Partners, prevented from doing their work on the ground, and in many cases from continuing their daily work at all, also needed more flexibility in how we work together. Our team consulted with each partner to evaluate and adapt deadlines and reporting obligations as needed.
The 'Ask the Expert’ platform, launched in May 2020, also allowed us to go beyond offering only financial support. It connected our partners around the world with 30 specialist consultants who supported in important areas such as strategy redesign, leadership, management, IT and communications.
Our approach is in line with the Council on Foundation’s Philanthropy Commitment, which Laudes Foundation has signed, together with 803 other foundations, to hold ourselves accountable to be a good funder, increasing our flexibility and offering general operating support in response to this global emergency.
