Chattanooga Pulse: Chattanooga Chosen For Accelerator For America’s National Financial Assistance Initiative

Grant from the Open Society Foundations Will Fund Effort to Battle Economic Effects of Covid-19 

The City of Chattanooga was awarded a $50,000 grant from the non-profit Accelerator for America to help provide financial assistance to residents whose livelihoods have been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“COVID-19 has been making its way through our City since early March and recently we’ve seen a surge within the Latinx community. Thanks to expanded free testing across Hamilton County, the Latinx community has done a great job of getting tested,” said Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. “We know that when someone tests positive for COVID they and their families are impacted beyond just the disease itself, they have to miss work, which means they may miss out on a paycheck and that can be detrimental for some.”

Building on the successful Angeleno Card financial relief program for Los Angeles residents, the non-profit Accelerator for America announced today it will help ten additional U.S. communities establish similar programs, including Chattanooga. 

This initiative is supported by a $750,000 grant from the Open Society Foundations.

“La Paz Chattanooga is thrilled to be chosen for the Accelerator for America program,” said Vivian Lozano, Director of Social Impact. “At La Paz, our work focuses on advocating for Latinx families and finding them the resources they truly need to thrive. Through this program we can continue our Latinx Relief Fund efforts to continue supporting those in the community who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

During the pandemic, La Paz has been able to provide $90,000 of aid to 175 families with the help of local funders and partners. As an extension of their work, the Accelerator for America program will specifically focus on families and individuals that did not, and do not, receive any Federal or State relief and whose income was impacted by COVID-19. Anyone interested in supporting or applying for the program can reach out to La Paz at 423-624-8414 or visit lapazchattanooga.org/covid19

The additional communities include: Salt Lake City, UT; the State of Connecticut; the State of Rhode Island; Austin, TX; Dayton, OH; Oklahoma City, OK; Birmingham, AL; Atlanta, GA; and Louisville, KY. 

The Angeleno Card program was established in March by Accelerator for America in partnership with the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, and Mastercard City Possible to provide direct financial assistance via no-fee debit cards to Los Angeles residents whose livelihoods were hardest-hit by the pandemic, including low-wage hourly workers who had jobs in homes and restaurants, seasonal workers, day laborers, street vendors, and self-employed individuals. The program also serves residents regardless of immigration status — immigrant communities have been some of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, yet they have been too often excluded from federal assistance. 

Since its inception, the Angeleno Card program has distributed approximately $25 million in assistance to help roughly 70,000 Los Angeles residents. The program facilitates local fundraising and delivers the donations directly to families most in need, via a prepaid card, ensuring the rapid deployment of aid and secure access for the unbanked. The Angeleno Card program was highlighted during John Legend’s Father’s Day (June 21, 2020) special that was broadcast nationally on ABC, which also announced that the Accelerator was expanding the program into 10 additional communities nationwide. Watch Legend discuss the Angeleno Card here. For details about the Angeleno Card model, see here. 

Open Society's funding is part of its $130 million global initiative to combat the effects of COVID-19 in vulnerable communities around the world. 

“We are helping America’s cities fill critical gaps left by the federal response to the economic devastation caused by the pandemic,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti, who co-founded Accelerator for America. “Immigrants and domestic workers are essential to our economy and our communities, and we will not get through this pandemic by leaving people behind. I thank the Open Society Foundations for its support of Accelerator for America’s work to help cities directly assist their residents in need.”

“Immigrants and undocumented workers have been on the front lines keeping countless communities moving while shelter in place orders disrupted our daily lives,” said Patrick Gaspard, President, the Open Society Foundations. “The sacrifice of those we often overlook as service employees can no longer be ignored. It is a privilege to work with Accelerator for America to provide needed support and resources to communities across the country. Becoming a force multiplier, Accelerator for America is helping close a support gap for workers that would otherwise push many families to the brink. Their work and vision in this process is needed and will leave a lasting impact on so many.”

“Accelerator for America exists to create and share solutions with America’s cities, and we are proud to help as they step up in an unprecedented way to respond to the COVID-19 crisis,” said Rick Jacobs, co-founder and CEO of Accelerator for America. “We are extremely grateful to the Open Society Foundations, whose willingness to partner with us will improve lives across America.” 

“We are thrilled to expand the reach of our financial assistance program to get more people the help they need,” said Miguel Gamiño, Executive Vice President of Enterprise Partnerships and Head of Global Cities at Mastercard. “This builds on Mastercard’s work to mobilize our talent, insights, and technology to create solutions that serve communities that are often overlooked by traditional systems, including the unbanked and people of color.”

Read the full article here.