JACKSONVILLE, Florida – May 19, 2020 – The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida is honored to announce it has received a $500,000 gift from The Humana Foundation that will be directed to Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund to aid pandemic response in our community. With these funds from The Humana Foundation, Northeast Florida will be better positioned to respond to those who need assistance to recover and rebuild from this crisis.

The Humana Foundation’s $500,000 gift is in addition to a $100,000 contribution from Humana to United Way of Northeast Florida for Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund in the earliest days of the pandemic as part of its Bold Goal partnership with the Jacksonville market.

“The impact of a grant of this size cannot be underestimated,” noted Nina Waters, president of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. “Every week, we and our partners in Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund struggle with the extraordinary needs presented by our nonprofit community as they try to respond to their clients who are hurting. The Humana Foundation’s generosity will help alleviate the strain on our neighbors and fellow citizens.”

Since mid-March, Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund has granted more than $2.4 million to 75 local nonprofits in the six-county area. Applications continue to come in, and new grants are awarded weekly.

The current COVID-19 health crisis requires both immediate and long-term, sustainable relief in varying degrees across the U.S. This pandemic escalated what were previously already growing health concerns, such as access to care, food insecurity and mental health.

“The Humana Foundation understands the far-reaching strain the pandemic has placed on many organizations working on the frontlines to provide healthcare, food and employment for those disproportionality affected by the COVID-19 health crisis, and our aim is to remove barriers and help them respond, recover and rebuild,” said Walter D. Woods, Chief Executive Officer of The Humana Foundation. “Our intention with this commitment is to not only help provide immediate crisis relief, but also serve as a catalyst in building sustainable achievement and long-term community resilience.”

The Humana Foundation’s gift to The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida is part of The Humana Foundation’s historic April 30 announcement to commit $50 million to coronavirus relief and recovery efforts to a select group of organizations supporting essential workers, food security, behavioral health and local communities.

About Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund
Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund is a collaboration of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the Jacksonville Jewish Federation and Foundation, United Way of St. Johns County and United Way of Northeast Florida. It was created following Hurricanes Matthew and Irma, and re-activated to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information or to make a donation, click here.

About The Humana Foundation
The Humana Foundation was established in 1981 as the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., one of the nation’s leading health and well-being companies. Located in Louisville, Ky., the Foundation seeks to cocreate communities where leadership, culture, and systems work to improve and sustain positive health outcomes. For more information, visit humanafoundation.org.

Humana and The Humana Foundation are dedicated to communities through our Bold Goal. The Bold Goal is committed to co-creating solutions with community partners to ensure that every business decision we make reflects our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our members, our employees, the communities we serve, and our planet.

About The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (www.jaxcf.org), Florida’s oldest and largest community foundation, works to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community. The Foundation helps donors invest their philanthropic gifts wisely, helps nonprofits serve the region effectively, and helps people come together to make the community a better place. Created in 1964, the Foundation has assets of $482 million and has made approximately $550 million in grants since inception.

###

Contact:
Susan Datz Edelman
VP, Strategic Communications
904-356-4483 | sedelman@nulljaxcf.org