Fifth Third Commits $25,000 to Address Effects of COVID-19 in Northeast Florida
Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund receives funds to support immediate needs
JACKSONVILLE – The Fifth Third Foundation today announced a $25,000 philanthropic commitment to help address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northeast Florida. The funds from the Fifth Third Foundation are pledged to The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida and directed to Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund to help meet the immediate needs of individuals in the community.
“We are making this $25,000 philanthropic commitment to support those in our community who need it the most,” said Brian Evans, Jacksonville city president of Fifth Third Bank. “This pandemic is impacting all segments of the population, especially the most vulnerable who may be disproportionately affected by current events.”
Evans commends The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, Jewish Federation and Foundation of Northeast Florida, United Way of Northeast Florida and United Way of St. Johns County for reactivating Florida’s First Coast Relief Fund and for delivering exceptional work to benefit the local community. With the Fifth Third Foundation donation, the Relief Fund will be able to provide additional food assistance, short-term housing assistance, financial assistance, child care support and technology support to families throughout Northeast Florida.
“For so many families who are now facing unemployment, reduced hours at work, lost wages and tips, mounting bills to pay and scarcity of everyday resources, the Relief Fund is serving as a critical safety net,” said Nina Waters, president of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. “Fifth Third Foundation’s donation will help families who were already at the tipping point before the pandemic and are now living in survival mode. The assistance they receive through the Relief Fund helps them stay housed and buy food.”
The Northeast Florida donation to the Relief Fund is part of a larger pledge of funding across the state from the $8.75 million commitment that is being funded by the Fifth Third Foundation and the Fifth Third Chicagoland Foundation. The commitment was announced March 20. Among the areas to be funded:
Relief Funds:
- $3.25 million for COVID-19 response needs in the regions served by Fifth Third Bank.
Recovery & Resiliency Funds:
- $5.5 million in Strengthening our Communities Fund grants to support the long-term sustainability of our economy. This includes funding to support small businesses, affordable housing and homeownership, and economic development.
This $8.75 million commitment of philanthropic funds are in addition to actions already taken by Fifth Third Bank to immediately assist customers in the wake of the pandemic. For information, visit www.53.com/covid19.
About the Fifth Third Foundation
Established in 1948, the Fifth Third Foundation was one of the first charitable foundations created by a financial institution. The Fifth Third Foundation supports worthy causes in the areas of health and human services, education, community development and the arts in the states where Fifth Third Bank operates.
