In response to Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall on Friday August 25th 2017, Bright Funds has established the Hurricane Harvey Disaster Response and Recovery Fund. This fund is comprised of pre-vetted nonprofits providing disaster response in the region. Through a single tax deductible donation to the Fund, you can support multiple organizations’ initiatives to provide short-term and long-term response and recovery. Our Fund approach is informed by expert and local recommendations from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. We have initially selected organizations that are on the ground assisting with immediate relief needs, including rescue efforts and medical assistance. The composition of nonprofits in this fund is subject to change as we learn more about the needs on the ground.

Homelessness is a rapidly growing global crisis. Climate change, systemic racism and economic inequality are just a few factors exacerbating this displacement around the world. While this issue is daunting, great work is being done to house those affected and end the damage of this humanitarian crisis. This fund is supporting six organizations whose aim is to provide supportive and permanent housing for those affected by this pervasive issue. All contributions of $1 or more will be matched by the Cisco Foundation as part of your annual $25,000 employee match.

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In Egypt, more than 20 million people live in substandard housing conditions where many families live in old, mud-brick houses with dirt floors, no doors or windows, and inadequate roofs made from thatch, branches or even sugar cane. These conditions provide little protection from snakes, insects, intruders, rain, or extreme variations in temperatures. Access to toilets and clean, piped water is limited, causing severe health problems to occur. Moreover, large families are often crowded into one- or two-room structures. Some even share their homes with their livestock or poultry. Due to these housing conditions, we (Cisco Early In Career (ECN) Egypt) decided to volunteer with Habitat For Humanity Egypt in one of their work camps to renovate houses in Minya Governorate. The work camp involve activities that depends on the need of each house include plastering, bricklaying, filtering & carrying sand, and wood roofing which requires no special skills. We will volunteer in the week starting 15 December 2019 to improve housing conditions for people in need.