David Zapolsky (left) Amazon general counsel, and Brad Smith (right) Microsoft president and chief legal officerMicrosoft, Amazon Top Lawyers Participate in COVID-19 Response Fund
The COVID-19 Response Fund, which launched Monday morning, will provide flexible resources to organizations in the Puget Sound area in Washington state that are helping to battle the novel coronavirus in underserved communities.
March 09, 2020 at 03:51 PM
2 minute read
The top lawyers of Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have lent their names along with company capital to partner with other businesses and nonprofit organizations to help battle COVID-19 in their corporate home state of Washington.
The COVID-19 Response Fund, which launched Monday morning, will provide flexible resources to organizations in the Puget Sound area that are helping to battle the novel coronavirus in underserved communities. The fund will offer one-time operating grants to organizations that work with people without health insurance, people without access to sick days, gig workers and people with limited English language proficiency.
David Zapolsky, Amazon's senior vice president, general counsel and secretary, said in a statement announcing the fund that the response fund is an "excellent example" of private companies, nonprofit organizations and governments coming together for a good cause.
"There are urgent needs across the Puget Sound region, and it's particularly important that the most vulnerable in society are supported during this difficult time for our community," Zapolsky said.
"As our community focuses on public health needs during the COVID-19 outbreak, it's important that we also rally together to address the unmet economic needs developing around us," Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and chief legal officer, said in the press release announcing the fund.
Smith could not be immediately reached for comment Monday. A spokesperson for Amazon directed Corporate Counsel to Zapolosky's statements in the announcement.
A spokesperson for the Seattle Foundation said both Microsoft and Amazon pledged $1 million to the fund. The Starbucks Foundation pledged $250,000 and Connie and Steven Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, pledged $3 million Monday. There were a series of smaller contributions from individuals, King County, Washington; Alaska Airlines; The United Way of King County; and the Seattle Foundation bringing the total amount of $5.5 million.
The first COVID-19 death was reported in Washington, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Monday afternoon, there are 136 reported cases of the virus in Washington and 423 cases in the U.S.
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