Rihanna’s name keeps coming up because she is continuously giving. On March 22, her Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) donated $5 million to COVID-19 relief efforts. She made sure the money would help those most vulnerable in the US, the Caribbean, and Africa. On March 26, she donated Personal Protective Equipment to New York State, receiving a personal thank you on Twitter from the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo.
Last week, CLF joined forces with Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation to give $2 million in grants to fund COVID-19 response efforts. The grants support undocumented workers, the children of frontline health workers and first responders, the elderly, incarcerated, and homeless populations in Los Angeles and New York City.
Now, CLF has partnered with Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, to donate $2.1 million each to the Mayor’s Fund for the city of Los Angeles. The funding will assist victims of domestic violence, which have been affected by the COVID-19 “stay at home” order in the Los Angeles area.
The $4.2 million donation will provide ten weeks of support, including meals, shelter, and counseling for individuals and their children suffering from domestic violence. Rihanna and Dorsey’s aid comes at a time when shelters are full, and episodes of domestic violence are on the rise. The pair note in a statement that while they are starting in LA, they do know that “victims of domestic violence exist all over the world, so this is just the beginning.”
Rihanna knows first-hand about domestic-abuse. On February 8, 2009, her boyfriend at that time, Chris Brown, argued with her in a parked car, which escalated into physical violence, leaving Rihanna with facial injuries which required hospitalization.
Rihanna’s father, Ronald Fenty, is currently recovering from COVID-19. Ronald said that Rihanna was so worried about him that every day she checked in on him and even sent a ventilator to his house in Barbados.
