WAYNE, Pa., Oct. 17, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Capital for Good announced that it has received a $250,000 grant from Pierre & Pam Omidyar for the Ebola Crisis Fund. Established in mid-August, the Ebola Crisis Fund has raised over $700,000 as an immediate response to help prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus and rebuild community infrastructure and trust weakened by the outbreak.
Established by Capital for Good and managed by Geneva Global, the Ebola Crisis Fund has been supported by a variety of donors, including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, New Field Foundation, and the Legatum Foundation, which provided the initial seeding for the Fund.
Through the work of the Omidyar Group's Humanity United, the Omidyars have supported local efforts to increase peace and stability in Liberia for a number of years. Humanity United has increased its support in recent months to organizations working on the ground on Ebola-related public health outreach. Since 2009, Omidyar Network has also invested in organizations working in the region, for efforts such as financial inclusion and government transparency. By supporting the Ebola Crisis Fund, the Omidyars are expanding their support to address the devastating effects the health crisis is having on individuals, families, and communities. The financial support is made possible through the Omidyars' fund with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
"While a lot of funding is going to large, international aid agencies that have the scale and technical knowledge to fight Ebola, there is an underserved need to also support local, grassroots organizations on the ground," said Doug Balfour, CEO of Geneva Global. "These are organizations that have the trust of their communities, which is critical when so much fear and misinformation is fueling the crisis. From working in a variety of international disaster situations, we know that not only is it important to focus on the immediate problem, but also to plan for how we help communities rebuild once the crisis has passed. The Ebola Crisis Fund has developed a strategy that provides a broad, holistic approach to curbing the epidemic and repairing communities."
Initial grants have been made to a variety of organizations in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. For more details or to donate, please visit www.ebolacrisisfund.org.
About Capital for Good
Capital for Good is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to connecting donors and grantmakers with the most effective international and domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Our mission is to alleviate poverty and suffering, while advancing the health, education, and well-being of poor, vulnerable and marginalized people in the United States and around the world. For more information about Capital for Good please visit www.capitalforgood.org.
About Geneva Global
Geneva Global is an innovative social enterprise that works with clients to maximize the performance of their global philanthropic and social impact initiatives. On behalf of its clients, Geneva Global's work has directly benefited more than 60 million people through 1,700 projects in over 100 countries. Geneva Global provides strategic advice, independent research, active program and grant management as well as impact measurement. Its international network of on-the-ground experts provides community-based approaches catalyzing positive social change. For more information about Geneva Global please visit www.genevaglobal.com.
Media inquiries:
Ava Lala, Marketing Director
Geneva Global
+1 (610) 254 0000
alala@genevaglobal.com
Ebola Crisis Fund inquiries:
Shira Gitomer, Program Director
Geneva Global
+1 (610) 254 0000
sgitomer@genevaglobal.com