As part of its ongoing commitment to Resolution Fellows, Resolution Project announced that the Fellow Emergency Fund it had established during COVID, to support Fellows facing crises, is now a permanent part of its Fellowship. The Fellow Emergency Fund allows Resolution Fellows to receive monetary support from Resolution during exceptionally challenging personal circumstances.
“Resolution focuses so much of its program on providing young leaders with a holistic set of services and support, but the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a real need for individualized financial support to rapidly respond to emergencies,” said Rachel Brophy, Director of Programs at Resolution Project. “The Fellow Emergency Fund is an effort to demonstrate to our Fellows that we are there for them in times of crisis.”
“Social entrepreneurship isn’t always a safe and financially secure path and young people are particularly vulnerable financially. The Fellow Emergency Fund is a concrete commitment to providing a safety net to support young leaders as they reach for their dreams.” said Fiona Mills, Program Manager at Resolution Project.
Since the Resolution Fellowship is lifelong, the Fellow Emergency Fund is available to any Fellow from any class facing a challenge preventing them from meeting their basic needs. In its initial form, the Fund focused on pandemic-related challenges, but has now expanded to include anything from natural disasters and political instability to personal circumstances.
In 2020, Resolution piloted the fund, dispersing more than $63,000 in emergency funding to Fellows during the pandemic. It has helped Fellows maintain critical prescriptions, seek out mental health support, avoid eviction, continue their education, and much more. While the Fellow Emergency Fund cannot solve the long-term effects of an emergency, it is designed to be a lifeline and a bridge to a more sustainable solution.
Through this fund, Resolution plans to help Fellows preserve their wellbeing, navigate unexpected crises, and continue to achieve their goals as leaders in their communities.
“I’ve never seen a group of people as resilient as Resolution Fellows, and one of the greatest aspects of that is that their social entrepreneurship and leadership make their communities more resilient, said George Tsiatis, Co-Founder & CEO at Resolution Project. “But, we can’t mistake resilience for invulnerability. If we want the long-term benefits of their leadership in our society and in their communities, we need to be there for them when they need us. We have more work to do, but this is a good start.”