Nearly four months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, incredible numbers of people are still without power, major segments of the population have no access to clean running water, roads are destroyed, and impacted people continue to die. The most vulnerable communities, as always, have been ravaged the worst.  

 Yet in the midst of this darkness, there has been light.  Thanks to major online giving, significant foundation donors, support from celebrities, and dozens of locally organized fundraising events throughout the country,  the Maria Fund -- a hurricane relief and rebuilding fund for Puerto Rico housed at CPD -- has raised nearly $4.8 million since Hurricane Maria made landfall of September 20, 2017. Already supporting an impressive 33 grassroots, community-based initiatives focused on vital relief and rebuilding work throughout Puerto Rico, the fund has supported vital community organizing, provided food, cleared roads, connected residents to essential services, and more.

The Maria Fund is deeply committed to supporting community organizing work that will build an equitable Puerto Rico over the long-term. As in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, in the months and years after climate disasters like Maria, vulnerable communities are largely left out of rebuilding initiatives. Too often, the destruction is used by developers and corporations as an opportunity to turn a profit, privatize public services, and displace communities. Support for community organizing in this context is critical to support a Puerto Rican future of equity and sustainability rather than displacement and deepened inequality.

 Guided by a committee made up entirely of Puerto Rican leaders, focused on transforming the root causes of the crisis, and committed to the development of a new sustainable and equitable Puerto Rico, the Maria Fund will continue to drive vital support to frontline social change initiatives and transformative change projects in Puerto Rico over the coming months. Please donate today!