Brave Of Heart Fund – New York Life Insurance Company, Cigna & E4E Relief
The New York Life Foundation and Cigna Foundation with charitable partner E4E Relief created the Brave of Heart Fund to support the families of frontline healthcare workers and volunteers who lost their lives fighting COVID-19, many of whom were primary breadwinners.
True to the strengths of each founding organization, the charitable fund was created by a life insurance leader, health services leader and a disaster and hardship public charity, E4E Relief.
The fund embodies the forward-thinking of executives to fill a much-needed gap in response to the COVID-19 battle of caring for the frontline healthcare workers.
The foundations of New York Life and Cigna each provided $25 million to launch the fund, and New York Life offered to match an additional $25 million.
E4E Relief manages the fund and operates the grantmaking process. Grantees and their families receive grief support and bereavement resources from Cigna and New York Life. Each organization launched social media, press and network campaigns to create awareness and raise support for the fund.
This tri-partner alliance’s efforts were boosted by contributions from Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, IBM, Accenture, and Cognizant along with over 2,000 other gifts from corporate and family foundations as well as individuals.
The cash grants provide basic and continuing financial support for funeral costs, medical care, counseling, food, educational expenses of children and other dependents, mortgage or rent payments and other immediate living expenses. Grantees have reported extreme financial and emotional relief on receiving these grants as well as expressed a sense of hope for the future. Grants were awarded across 44 states and were made possible by donors who contributed over $65 million to the Brave of Heart Fund.
