PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: BLACKROCK

BlackRock Giving Days event provides $190,000 to fund Compass programs this year and that’s not all BlackRock and their employees are doing to support homeless and at-risk families . . .

Last September, BlackRock held its annual fundraising event to support the San Francisco Bay Area. The event was held virtually due to the COVID-19 crisis and raised more than $750,000 to benefit four local nonprofits.

The BlackRock Giving Days’ donation of $190,000 will help fund Compass programs that provide shelter, housing, childcare, mental healthcare, educational assistance and employment services to San Francisco’s homeless and at-risk families. The generous funding will also support our COVID-19 crisis response that provides families impacted by the crisis with emergency support, such as groceries, diapers and other essential services.

For 10 years, BlackRock has been a strong supporter of Compass and the families we serve. What started as employee donations and volunteering, eventually became a longstanding partnership through their annual BlackRock Gives program, where employees nominate local nonprofits they support for program grants. This resulted in annual grants for the past six years to fund Compass Children’s Center, which provides full-day early education and childcare for children ages 0-5 . Each year, BlackRock employees also volunteer at Compass Children’s Center’s graduation ceremony to celebrate the achievements of our young students and their families.

BlackRock employees have also been longtime participants in our annual Adopt-a-Family project where we match Compass families with donors who fulfill their holiday wish list. This past holiday season, employees at BlackRock organized and adopted six families - that’s 36 parents and children! - and employees donated an additional $14,000 to support Compass programs.

The COVID-19 crisis has had a huge impact on Compass families and on average, families lost 40% of their income due to lack of employment. At the beginning of shelter-in-place, Compass immediately adapted our services and began supporting families with groceries and other essential items. Families who were beginning to realize housing stability suddenly had the rug pulled out from under them. Beyond supporting our programs and crisis response with generous funding, BlackRock stepped in to also provide gift cards for food, pizzas for families residing at Compass Family Shelter and in our temporary hotel program, and donated cases of hand sanitizer to protect our families and program staff.

Compass is grateful to partner with BlackRock and their employees who share our vision of a just society in which all children and their families are able to flourish in a safe and stable home.

Thank you!