The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Donates $3.6M Challenge Grant

More than 13,000 cases of Ebola have been reported in West Africa since March 2014. Approximately 5,000 infected individuals have died, leaving others living in fear. Paul Allen, philanthropist, co-founder of Microsoft, and owner of the Seattle Seahawks, jumped into action and generously donated a $3.6 million challenge grant to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s efforts to stop the spread of Ebola. This grant matched all gifts made to the initiative, encouraging everyone to help and thereby doubling the impact. As a result, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF completed the $3.6 million goal, which the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation matched to raise over $7 million for the Ebola outbreak.

Overall, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation has committed $100 million to tackle the Ebola outbreak with contributions to Doctors Without Borders, Medical Teams International, the Center for Disease Control Foundation, and Global Giving. “The Ebola outbreak requires dedicated and creative solutions to prevent its further spread across Africa and the world,” said Mr. Allen. “We can tackle Ebola, but it will require an accelerated and coordinated global effort. Time is of the essence in this battle.”

Roughly 8.5 million children live in Ebola-infected areas. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is dedicated to helping these children survive this global health crisis. UNICEF, with the support of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, is in the process of assembling, shipping, and delivering 50,000 Emergency Caretaker Kits to West Africa. These kits are designed to protect healthy people if their family members start showing Ebola-like symptoms. Each kit includes protective gowns, gloves, and cleaning supplies, as well as guidelines on how to properly use the gear, dispose of waste, and reduce the risk of infection. The first delivery, which included 9,000 kits, arrived in Liberia on September 24^th.  Additionally, the funding is equipping 2,371 community health volunteers with resources to educate their community on how to protect themselves from the spread of Ebola.

“We are so grateful for the generous support from The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, UPS and partners such as USAID,” said Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. “There are 4.5 million children under the age of five living in areas affected by Ebola and UNICEF is working around the clock to protect communities and families against the deadly virus. The funding support from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and the logistics support from UPS will help UNICEF continue to rush critically-needed, lifesaving supplies to the region."

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation is partnering with the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) players to spread the word about the Tackle Ebola campaign. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Pete Carroll appeared in a video together asking fans to “learn, donate, and participate” in #TackleEbola during the Seahawks– Broncos game on September 21^st. Additionally, MLS stars who have ties to the infected areas: Obafemi Martins and Djimi Traoré from the Seattle Sounders FC and Darlington Nagbe from the Portland Timbers, have created PSAs to further spread awareness of the disease.

The Center for Disease Control predicts a total of 1.4 million people will be infected with the Ebola virus by January 2015, so let’s #StopEbola.  For more information on making a gift to support Ebola relief, please visit: https://www.unicefusa.org/donate/help-stop-ebola-west-africa/18771