Rihanna & Jack Dorsey Give $4.2 Million To Help Domestic Violence Victims

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Even though she’s already contributed a lot more than most other celebrities, Rihanna is continuing her efforts to help in any way she can during the current global pandemic. Now, she’s teaming up with Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey in an effort to help domestic violence victims affected by the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

Rih’s Clara Lionel Foundation announced a joint grant to the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles on Thursday. CLF and Jack Dorsey have each committed to donating $2.1 million–which will cover expenses for domestic violence victims and their families. According to a press release, the $4.2 million grant is going to provide housing and food for approximately 90 victims every seven days, with an additional 90 victims every week thereafter for 10 weeks. In addition, applicants and their families will also receive access to counseling.

“The Los Angeles Housing Authority has determined that approximately 90 people per week (in addition to their children, in many cases) have been turned away from domestic violence shelters in Los Angeles since the Safer at Home Order was issued,” the announcement reads. “It is estimated that more than 10 million people experience domestic violence in the U.S. each year, and the number of homicides related to domestic violence has been on the rise since 2010. In L.A. County, as overall homicides have declined, the number of women slain has steadily risen.”

The news of Rihanna and Dorsey’s contributions comes only a couple days after Jack announced that he will be donating $1 billion of his equity in Square to help fund COVID-19 relief efforts, girls health and education, and Universal Basic Income pilot programs. Among her other contributions, last week, CLF and Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation announced $2 million in grants to COVID-19 response efforts in New York City and Los Angeles.

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