Blackstone Charitable Foundation Pledges to Match Donations

In response to the extraordinary impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on young people facing homelessness, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation has pledged to match donations to Covenant House to support our mission to shelter, care for, and provide relief to youth who have nowhere else to turn in this pandemic. 

The foundation has pledged to match donations up to a total of $100,000. The one-to-one match is available through Covenant House digital campaigns and platforms. 

“Our foundation felt the urgency of this moment and wanted to support vulnerable populations that are often forgotten at a time of general crisis like the one we’re experiencing,” said Amy Stursberg, executive director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. 

“Covenant House has been a trusted partner of ours for several years,” she added. “We know they serve some exceptional young people with their high-quality programs. The COVID-19 crisis is straining Covenant House’s resources, and we are happy to help.”

Covenant House President Kevin Ryan said, “Blackstone Charitable Foundation was among the first of our partners to reach out and ask how they could help us respond to the special needs of our youth during COVID-19. This match will help us buy food and medical supplies and support our emergency staffing needs. These are our critical needs right now.”

Ryan noted how the young people in Covenant House shelters in 31 cities and six countries are worried about the pandemic and anxious about their futures. Goals they’d been working toward and that seemed within their reach suddenly appear distant as COVID-19 forces the closure of offices and businesses, and youth are faced with unemployment.

Besides the matching gift, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation also shared Covenant House’s Amazon wish lists with its employees, building on their shared commitment to the more than 2,000 young people who sleep in a Covenant House bed each night. The foundation set aside a further $10,000 to support their employees’ continued engagement.

 “Because of Blackstone Foundation’s friendship and generosity, Covenant House can provide care 24/7 to young people who turn to us in this time of crisis and in their time of crisis,” Ryan said.