Rihanna, Big Sean and Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey Provide $3.2 Million in COVID-19 Relief for Detroit and Flint

Celebrities and creators have put it in their own hands to step up during the Coronavirus pandemic to support families. This time around, Big Sean, Rihanna, along with the CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey and the Stadler Family Foundation have decided to team up to donate $3.2 million to Detroit and Flint, Michigan.

Big Sean’s Sean Anderson Organization, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, Dorsey’s #startsmall, and The Stadler Family Foundation have come together to provided necessities for several groups, such as immigrants, refugees, domestic violence survivors, homeless people, and foster children from different nonprofit organizations. The proceeds given will go toward food, water, rental assistance, and bail relief, according to the Instagram announcement from the Clara Lionel Foundation.

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We're joining @Jack's #StartSmall and The David Rockefeller Fund, @Lyft, @seanandersonorg & the Stadler Family Foundation to donate an additional $3.2 million in COVID-19 response grants in Detroit and Flint, Michigan and across the U.S. Funds will provide food, water access, rental assistance, bail relief and support for domestic violence survivors, homeless people, foster children, immigrants and refugees. Learn about our COVID-19 response and join us at the link in our bio. #pullup

A post shared by Clara Lionel Foundation (@claralionelfdn) on May 7, 2020 at 12:27pm PDT

It seems as it the organizations felt that these two locations were in crucial need since the Black communities have received the highest cases of COVID in both, according to the press release. In Detroit, by the ending of April, there had been nearly 77 percent who had died from it and made up 64 percent of those infected. The press release shared that Flint has been drastically affected by the pandemic that caused 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths of Black residents, which is 14 percent of the state’s population. It also expressed that Detroit’s economy had been struggling pre-Coronavirus making 33 percent below the poverty line, and only increasing since many have become unemployed.

It is hopeful that the residents in Detriot and Flint receive their necessities with the help from the Sean Anderson Organization, Clara Lionel Foundation, Dorsey’s #startsmall, and The Stadler Family Foundation.

“I personally want to thank Rihanna, her Clara Lionel Foundation, and Jack Dorsey’s Start Small Fund for stepping up to help groups in Detroit and Flint on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Governor Whitmer said in the press release. “This generous gift will give these essential nonprofits much-needed resources to help address the needs of those impacted most by COVID-19.”