Steve Ballmer to donate $1 million to help with impact of Coronavirus

On Thursday night, it was announced that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer will donate $1 million to community groups in Los Angeles with the hope to ease the ripple effect of the coronavirus.

The money will come from the philanthropic group founded by Ballmer and his wife, Connie, “Ballmer Group”. On the front page of their website, the group says “We support efforts to improve economic mobility for children and families in the United States who are disproportionately likely to remain in poverty.”

Additionally, Los Angeles County’s Office of Education and the Los Angeles Unified School District both announced Thursday that they had received $250,000 donations from the Ballmer Group.

“LACOE has been dedicated to assisting our districts through this crisis, working with philanthropic organizations to help schools get the support they need to meet this unprecedented challenge,” Superintendent Debra Duardo said in a written statement. “I am grateful to the Ballmer Group for their generous donation and for their ongoing commitment to improving the lives of our most vulnerable children and families.”

The donation to Los Angeles Unified Schools is part of a larger fundraising effort by the district that it said will be used to provide meals and urgent supplies to students and families.

“Schools are the center of the communities we serve, and provide an important part of the social safety net for many families and their children,” Superintendent Beutner said. “On an ordinary day, we serve more than one million meals to children. These are not ordinary days and we must continue to support those most in need.”

The Ballmer Group is also donating $100,000 to Brilliant Corners to help the immediate needs of the homeless in Los Angeles in the wake of the coronavirus. In addition, the group will also donate $150,000 to the California Community Foundation to support low-income and low-wage workers. The Ballmer Group said it is still deciding how to direct another $250,000.

Last week, Ballmer made a $3-million pledge to a fund created by the Seattle Foundation to help those affected by the coronavirus.