Individuals, foundations and corporate philanthropists from across the country have come forward to offer donations and messages of support to the victims, survivors and families of the Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando, Florida. The June 12 shooting claimed the lives of 49 people (not including the gunman) and left dozens more injured, predominantly LGBTQ and Latino.

The OneOrlando fund, established by the City of Orlando, now exceeds $8 million, including major contributions from at least six Philanthropy Northwest corporate members:

• Alaska Airlines offered free air travel for family members of Orlando shooting victims and survivors, along with a $25,000 gift to the OneOrlando Fund.
• Bank of America is giving $300,000 through the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to the fund.
• JPMorgan Chase committed $300,000 to the fund. One of the company's 3,000 Orlando area employees died in the shooting.
• KeyBank Foundation will donate $50,000 to the fund.
• To support the Orlando community during this difficult time, the Starbucks Foundation has contributed $50,000 to the fund. One of the victims and one of critically injured survivors worked at Starbucks associates in Target stores.
• Wells Fargo has pledged $300,000 to the fund.

All six companies are offering matching funds and instructions to encourage employees and partners to contribute, too.

Two other funds have been established to respond to the Orlando shooting:

• Better Together Fund:  established by the Central Florida Foundation in Orlando to support nonprofits that are supporting the survivors and families; the LGBTQ, Hispanic, faith and other affected communities; underlying causes and unanticipated needs related to this tragic event.
• Pulse Victims Fund: Equality Florida is collecting contributions via a GoFundMe page to support every single victim of the Orlando shooting. This includes victims’ families, survivors and those in the club who may not have suffered physical injury but in need of support.  Equality Florida is working with the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) to distribute the contributions via NCVC’s National Compassion Fund.

A June 12 message from Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz:

Dear partners,

The horrific events that unfolded in Orlando have left so many of us saddened, outraged and confused.  I've struggled to find the words to express my own emotions, and I know you will join me in extending condolences to the people of Orlando and to the entire LGBTQ community who have been directly or indirectly affected by this unimaginable tragedy.

There is still much that we don't know about these events. As I write this, we have every indication that our partners are all safe and accounted for, but we have been saddened to learn that some have friends who were killed or injured in the shooting. We are providing support assistance to local partners, and will have extra managers at our nearby store to help cover shifts and other needs as necessary.  

We join the country in trying to make sense of such senseless violence. It is in times like this, however, that I am reminded of the power of our supportive and inclusive culture, one in which we band together to rise above hatred, indifference, and cowardice, and find solace and compassion among one another, within our community. We must choose unity over divisiveness. And love over hatred.

Our thoughts and our prayers are with all those affected by this tragedy. As always, I am proud to be your partner.

Howard

If your foundation or corporate giving program has contributed to these or other funds related to the Orlando shooting, let us know by emailing your announcement to news@philanthropynw.org.