In response to the horrific shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation has announced a total of $250,000 in emergency grants to organizations that are assisting victims and community members impacted by this tragedy. At that parade, a 21-year-old gunman fired shots from a rooftop killing seven people and wounding dozens more. We mourn the lives lost and stand with the community of Highland Park in the wake of yet another senseless tragedy.
The Weinberg Foundation’s emergency funding package consists of the following grants:
- $100,000 to The Lake County Community Foundation (Lake County Community Crisis Relief Fund)– This fund will support the needs of the Highland Park community with a specific focus on mental health services, trauma counseling, violence prevention, and education. The fund was established to support COVID-19 relief efforts and has raised and granted $1.4 million since 2020. The fund has been repurposed, and 100 percent of donations will support crisis relief efforts in the wake of the mass shooting at the Highland Park Independence Day parade.
- $100,000 to JCFS Chicago – This grant will support grief counseling, mental health services, and other support to those impacted by the shooting, especially children who marched at the parade and witnessed the traumatic event. JCFS has set up a warmline that is providing assistance to anyone affected by the shooting, including guidance on how to talk to children who attended the parade. Additional clinicians are being deployed to camps, synagogues, and other community partners, and this grant will support those efforts.
- $50,000 to Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund – This grant will support efforts to understand the impact, scale, and implications of gun violence, as well as strategies that can prevent it. It will also support awareness building and education about gun violence in coalition with Moms Demand Action and other partner organizations. Everytown works with a diverse community of survivors to share their stories and put a human face on the gun violence crisis.
The Weinberg Foundation’s response to other recent emergencies and disasters includes $250,000 in response to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas; $250,000 in response to the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York; $1 million in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; $18 million in COVID emergency funding to existing grantees; $250,000 in response to the 2021 US multi-state tornado outbreak; $100,000 to support those affected by the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers condo building in Florida; $200,000 in response to the 2020 wildfires in Northern California; $1.2 million in response to the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooting; and $500,000 each in the wake of 2017 hurricanes Irma (in Florida) and Harvey (in Texas). The Foundation also supported Israel in times of crisis, including $500,000 in emergency relief during the 2012 missile attacks in Israel and $700,000 for services supporting those affected by the Gaza conflict in 2014.
