About the ASU/Luce COVID-19 Rapid Relief Project

ASU/Luce COVID-19 Rapid Relief project

The Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict has partnered with  the Henry Luce Foundation to advance the ASU/Luce COVID-19 Rapid Relief project. Under the direction of John Carlson and Tracy Fessenden, the project is awarding grants to nonprofit organizations that provide direct COVID-19 relief to vulnerable individuals, families, and communities in Arizona.

Grant funding is designed to complement and expand the capacity of regional nonprofit organizations that are focused on providing direct support to marginalized communities, including:

The project also chronicles “Southwest Stories” to raise public awareness about the challenges faced by marginalized groups and the relief organizations that serve them. These stories will report on the impact the pandemic has had on Native Americans, migrants, agricultural workers, and others whose stories aren’t often told in the press. The collection was created in partnership between Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Journal of the Plague Year (hosted by the School of Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies) to house the work of the students and journalists who lost employment due to the pandemic.  The stories and items included in this collection represent the specific communities aided through the Luce Foundation Grant and the ACRS, as well as others with ties to the Southwest United States and its various communities. 

Read about the ASU/Luce Covid-19 Rapid Relief Fund here

The Henry Luce Foundation

The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding.

The Foundation advances its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy.

In response to the CoVid-19 pandemic, the Foundation’s Board has authorized the President to approve the reallocation of grant monies in cases in which grant recipients experience serious adverse effects as a result of the pandemic. In addition, the Board has authorized the awarding of up to $5 million in new urgent-needs grants in support of long-time partners, or communities and sectors, that are suffering from the pandemic or efforts to control it. Such grants—up to $250,000 each—will be awarded on an as-needed basis, outside of the regular grants calendar.

In April, the Foundation awarded 23 emergency grants totaling $3.1 million. Read the announcement.

In May, the Foundation awarded $1.8 million in additional emergency grants. Read the announcement.

The Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict

The Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict at Arizona State University advances multidisciplinary research and education on the religious dynamics of conflict and peace.

By fostering exchange and collaboration, the Center creates networks—local, national, and global—that expand knowledge, deepen understanding, and promote wiser, more effective responses to some of the world's most pressing challenges.

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is one of the nation’s top journalism schools and is home to Arizona PBS, the largest media outlet operated by a journalism school in the world. Students receive hands-on experiences in Cronkite News, a multiplatform daily news operation with bureaus in Phoenix, Washington and Los Angeles. With professional programs in digital media, public affairs reporting, broadcast news, digital innovation, public relations, sports reporting, Spanish-language news and more, Cronkite offers a real-world education for the digital media world of today and tomorrow.

The School of Transborder Studies

The School of Transborder Studies, the only one of its kind in the United States, promotes academic excellence and social change by developing cutting-edge interdisciplinary knowledge regarding the populations of the U.S.-Mexico transborder space and beyond. We effect social change by developing and nurturing integrated scholarship and teaching, leading to more successful and sustainable transborder communities. At the center of expertise and action, we make borders human.

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