Help us send direct financial support for RYSE youth members and their families.
The RYSE Youth COVID-19 Care Fund will center and prioritize RYSE youth members ages 13 - 21 and their families who are in acute situations and who may face barriers in accessing resources from other COVID-19 response funds.
RYSE has received support from local foundation partners to cover the administrative costs of our direct support program; all funds raised will go directly to families and youth. We launched our fundraiser for Giving Tuesday but are continuing to accept contributions. Your donation will help support needs for:
Food and basic supplies (including WiFi)
Housing (including Rent, Utilities, and Mortgages)
Health services (primary health, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, maternal and infant health)
Childcare
Decarceration and reentry supports
Supports for Transitional Age Youth (TAY) and youth in foster care
Supports for families and youth experiencing situations of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, or exploitation
RYSE is responding to this crisis in Richmond and West Contra Costa by staying in close connection with our youth members. Our programming and supports may currently be virtual and physically distant but our commitment to ensuring young people's safety, promoting their wellbeing, and enlivening their dreams remains rooted in love, solidarity, and healing. Read more about our virtual programs and view our comprehensive list of COVID-19 community resources here.
RYSE creates this fund based on the following tenets:
These resources already belong to our communities.
This is a return of resources, not a payout. A small, small, small disbursement of what is owed, long overdue, and not by any means enough.
We also know that our public systems and infrastructure are not set up to launch a comprehensive disbursement process that can get to all families and individuals right away. This is why we continue to work to transform our systems.
We recognize the painful, unjust reality that we won't capture all who can benefit, but proceed with this fund as a starting point.
We commit to creating and holding a wide, deep, and loving net while we build a more beloved and just ecosystem.
We coordinate, adapt, and build with each other.
Please note that this fund supports RYSE youth members and their families, and is distinct from the Richmond Rapid Response Fund which can be supported here.