Zuora.org was launched with a vision to ensure the Subscription Economy benefits everyone. We believe that to do this, we need to leverage everything we have to ensure we’re working to build more inclusive local economies. For us, an inclusive economy is one where all members, especially those that have been historically under-represented, are able to fully participate and access opportunities that allow them to grow their economic foothold and positively impact their personal well-being. 

Earlier this year we launched our first ever public Community Impact Grant cycle, and encouraged non-profits that are addressing their communities highest needs and barriers to economic participation by underrepresented individuals to apply for a grant of up to $50,000.  

The response was huge. Over 90 applications came in from around the globe. Organizations with a variety of charters and missions shared their stories and outlined their plans on how funding would be allocated to help those they support. It was clear from the applications that COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on underserved communities. Zuora’s Impact Fund Advising Committee, made up of 10 ZEOs (Zuora employees) from all across Zuora, created our funding objective and began the process of identifying organizations serving the greatest need. 

The Impact Fund Advising Committee selected recipients with two criteria in mind. As we looked at applications, we identified organizations that were providing immediate and emergency relief to those most negatively impacted by COVID-19. This relief includes disbursement of food, rent relief, affordable housing placement, and individual and small family micro grants. And secondly, organizations shifting their delivery models to accommodate the new COVID-19 world we live in. These shifts enable organizations to more effectively and safely reach their constituents virtually or through social-distanced delivery methods.

One of our recipients, Hospitality Helps, a San Francisco catering company teamed up with Meals on Wheels, transformed their 9,000sq-ft catering kitchen and rehired vital furloughed kitchen staff to deliver safe, healthy, nutritious family-style meals to those in need. Since March, they have delivered close to 100,000 meals to San Francisco’s District 10 (Hunter’s Point/Bay View), a community disproportionately affected by COVID-19, living in the “food desert” of San Francisco and cut off from school based nutrition.

We’re inspired by Hospitality Helps and proud to name them one of our Community Impact Grant awardees. 

Here’s a full list of our 2020 recipients: 

• Aruwe: Serving Tamilnadu, India, Aruwe provides emergency relief such as food and household items to those most negatively affected by COVID-19. Working closely with local families they provide knowledge on how to stop the spread of the virus and provide programs to help these families regain their livelihood. 

• Farming Hope: Farming Hope is a San Francisco based farm-to-table nonprofit social enterprise empowering and promoting self-sufficiency for people who have experienced homelessness or incarceration through job training and employment in the culinary industry.

• Hack the Hood: Hack the Hood launched with a mission to build a tech sector that works for everyone. They do this by providing technology education and workforce opportunities to early career youth of color, ages 16-25. To deepen their technical skills and career development, youth serve as digital marketing and technology consultants to local small businesses. They build websites and leverage analytics to help entrepreneurs drive revenue. As one of the first organizations in this field, Hack the Hood has a commitment to implementing a project-based, rigorous curriculum that is relevant to the communities they serve.

• Hospitality Helps: Hospitality Helps/Taste Catering (in partnership with Young Community Developers, Inc.) is producing and delivering delicious, fresh and ready-to-eat family meals to SF’s District 10 (Hunter’s Point/Bay View), a community disproportionately affected by COVID-19, living in the “food desert” of San Francisco and cut off from school based nutrition.

• Monthly Miracles: Monthly Miracles saves the Tri-Valley residents from homelessness every month by mobilizing the community through $1/month donations.

• NPO e-Education: Serving Bangladesh, e-Education provides emergency educational support to underserved high school students by matching them with local university student tutors who are out of work due to COVID-19.

• Oasis for Girls: Oasis for Girls partners with young girls of color, aged 14-18, from under-resourced communities in San Francisco to cultivate the skills, knowledge, and confidence to discover their dreams and build strong futures.

• Open Heart Kitchen of Livermore: Open Heart Kitchen serves prepared, nutritious meals free of charge to the hungry people of the Tri-Valley, California. They are the only hot meal program of its kind in the Tri-Valley area and given new COVID-19 demand, have increased meal delivery to people experiencing homelessness or escaping domestic violence.

• SFMade: SFMade’s mission is to build and support a vibrant manufacturing sector in San Francisco and the Bay Area, that sustains companies producing locally-made products, encourages entrepreneurship and innovation, and creates employment opportunities for a diverse local workforce including for women and people of color. 

• Tri-Valley Haven for Women: Tri-Valley Haven creates homes safe from abuse, contributes to a more peaceful society one person, one family, one community at a time. Together, they build a world without violence.

A big thank you to the diligent work of our Impact Fund Advising Committee – Diana Antonykurus, Ajanta Bhattacharjee, Rachel English, David FitzGerald, Petra Higgins, Dana Layfield, Catherine Lee, Rossi Luo, Erika Malzberg and Asa Strout. Their focus, determination and passion enabled us to have collaborative and engaging sessions which resulted in a wonderful group of first grant recipients. 

We are also excited to announce the Zuora Impact Fund has received another $1,000,000 of funding to fuel our philanthropic work. For more information on Zuora’s philanthropic work, visit Zuora.org.