Nike leaders, Nike donate $15 million to fight COVID-19

NIKE’S TEAM EFFORT: To help fight the coronavirus pandemic, Nike Inc. leaders and the company’s foundation are donating more than $15 million to support communities where Nike employees live and work.

The mega brand’s home state of Oregon saw its biggest one-day spike in cases Tuesday, according to state and county officials. Gov. Kate Brown has ordered that schools remain closed through April 28. As the state’s second largest employer behind Intel, Nike has about 12,000 workers in the state. A good amount of the $15 million of the Nike-led donations will benefit local communities.

Nike cofounder and chairman emeritus Phil Knight and his wife Penny, executive vice chairman Mark Parker and his wife Kathy, and president and chief executive officer John Donahue and his wife Eileen are donating a combined amount of $10 million.

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The distribution of their funds will include $1 million to the Oregon Food Bank, $2 million to the Oregon Community Recovery Fund that has been set up by the Oregon Community Foundation and $7 million to the Oregon Health & Science University to bolster statewide care coordination in Oregon, to increase patient access and ramp up operational readiness for expanded diagnostic testing for COVID-19.

The Nike Foundation will also donate $1 million to the global COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund that has been created by the United Nations Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation to finance efforts by the World Health Organization and partners to support countries preparing for and responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

The Nike Foundation is contributing $1 million to the Oregon Community Recovery Fund, $1.1 million to support community partners across Europe, Middle East and Africa through the King Baudouin Foundation, $250,000 to Community Foundation OC Greater Memphis’ COVID-19 Regional Response Fund and $500,000 to the Boston Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund.

These contributions are in addition to the $1.4 million Nike donated to the China Youth Development Foundation in January to aid frontline workers with medical supplies and equipment to treat patients. The company is also supporting a two-to-one match for any donations to support coronavirus responses locally, nationally and internationally.