Organizations providing support amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
By Konstantinos Papamiltiadis
We’ve always appreciated the open conversations we’re able to have with so many of the partners, developers and entrepreneurs who build on our platform and take part in our programs every day.
Over recent months though, we’ve felt an even deeper gratitude for the honest stories and experiences our community has been willing to share regarding the challenges they’re dealing with as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19).
As families face new pressures, careers take unexpected turns, and businesses are forced to pivot, lately it can feel like each day brings a new wave of change.
Amidst this uncertainty, we wanted to take a moment to shine a light on some of the organizations, resources and initiatives that people in our community have said they’re finding valuable right now, in case they help open up some opportunities for you too.
Corona What Now
Corona What Now is a collection of free resources that have the potential to help you, your family, and your small business recover from the impact of COVID-19.
With a global directory across countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, New Zealand, Oceania, Russia, Turkey, the UK and USA - it’s a valuable starting point for tapping into a range of support in your region.
Help with COVID
Help with COVID is a US-based initiative supported by social impact platform Deed and its nonprofit arm, the HelpWith Foundation, aimed at providing resources and opportunities, while also recruiting volunteer support. Over the past four months, they have mobilized over 15,000 volunteers across 750 projects.
Help with COVID provides a valuable and growing set of resources, including recorded panel discussions with high-profile presenters across a range of subjects, such as:
- How individuals can optimize their CVs
- How businesses can understand their audiences and build a sales strategy
- How startups can apply ‘lean thinking’ during a crisis
Additionally, their team has aggregated a range of links to funding, accelerator, voluntary and entrepreneurial resources connected to the COVID-19 response.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
US Digital Response
If you’re looking for ways to contribute your own time and expertise as a volunteer for a range of efforts aimed at tackling COVID-19 in the USA, we suggest checking out US Digital Response (USDR).
The USDR team is focused on providing a rapid, effective response to issues related to COVID-19, through a volunteer-run, non-partisan service offering free access to skilled expertise for local governments that need support. In just over three months, they've taken on 100+ projects with partners in 24 states, including in COVID data insights, testing access, food security, benefits and the social safety net.
When you register as a volunteer, you’ll be joining a growing team of more than 5,000 qualified professionals - experienced in user research and design, back-end engineering, product management, data science, and more.
Other Facebook initiatives
If you have any ideas or suggestions regarding other initiatives that might benefit our broader community, please do share them in the comments over on our Facebook Page. In addition to the above opportunities, we also welcome you to take a look at some of our recently shared resources for startups.
From all of the team here at Facebook for Developers, we look forward to sharing more resources and initiatives over the coming weeks and months, and hope that you all stay safe.
