A Note from Blue Chip Foundation’s Co-Founder, Jennifer Gross

A Note from Blue Chip Foundation’s Co-Founder, Jennifer Gross

May 2020

Jennifer Gross wearing a black top founder of Blue Chip Foundation


I sincerely hope this note finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. I want to thank you for taking the time, in the midst of so many global events and disruptions, to visit this site and to take a look at what the Blue Chip Foundation has been working on.

The last few months have shown us, above all, just how fragile the systems we rely on as communities can be. But it has also shown us the deep resiliency that people from every part of every community bring to moments of crisis. I know I am not alone in being both humbled and inspired by the millions of people making a difficult moment easier for their loved ones, their neighbors, their fellow citizens. 



The scale of the world’s needs at this moment - and the degree to which they are evolving and growing week by week - has upended the philanthropic world’s established strategies and ideas about how to optimize its resources and contribute meaningfully. There is no longer any such thing as ‘business as usual’, and it would be irresponsible not to reevaluate our giving strategies and assumptions. My husband and I are no exception. To date, we have focused a significant amount of the Blue Chip Foundation’s work outside the US, yet we find ourselves increasingly drawn to doing more to help battle the destructive impacts of the coronavirus at home in the U.S. 


Yes, the world will look different in the post-COVID era as we take stock of the country’s shared hardship and losses. How will we move forward? Now is the moment to be thinking about that and to make plans for how to rise up and rebuild our communities and systems in a way that is more just and more sustainable than before. Blue Chip will take part in that process, and we hope to engage with the broader giving community to learn from their ideas and share our own in a way that champions transparency, collaboration, and big sky ambitions as we do. 


Before we can rebuild, we first have to beat the ongoing COVID crisis. To that end, I’d like to share with you some of the work that we have done via the William, Jeff and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation, in partnership with the Blue Chip Foundation, which I lead with my husband Peter, to help support the extraordinary efforts of those on the frontline.

For Vulnerable Populations

(the Homeless, the Elderly, Domestic Workers, and other Low-income Groups)

United Way

We are supporters and longtime admirers of the critical work done through United Way and their affiliate initiatives. United Way of Greater Los Angeles provides immeasurable support and resources to lift students, families and aged populations out of poverty. At this time of crisis, they are working around the clock to make sure that resources reach those people most in need of them. I am thrilled to be able to donate in support of their Pandemic Relief Fund for national work, and for work in the Greater Los Angeles area.

World Central Kitchen

Equally essential work is being done through Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen, who are safely distributing individually packaged, fresh meals in communities across America – for children and families to pick up and take home, as well as delivery to seniors who cannot venture outside. Most recently, they are coordinating national efforts to send food to hospitals around the country.

National Domestic Workers Alliance

We have also donated in support of the extraordinary work of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and, in particular, their Coronavirus Care Fund with its goal of raising four million dollars in support of over 10,000 domestic workers nationally. The fund goes to directly financially assist nannies, house cleaners, home care workers and their families in their time of greatest need. 

For Frontline Health Workers

My mom was a 45-year veteran of ICU nursing, and my and Peter’s hearts go out to those on the front lines - and their loved ones who care about them. We have donated 40 contact-free respiratory monitors with real-time data monitoring systems to Mission Hospital in my hometown, Mission Viejo. This technology, developed by the start-up company Miku in response to the COVID-19 crisis, protects health workers

For Gig Economy Artists

My husband, Peter, is a music producer and we are committed to supporting the health and contributions of musicians and visual artists around the world. We donated to MusicCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund which is raising millions of dollars for workers in the music industry coping with the devastating loss of income and employment.

Just as this is a time of significant upheaval, Peter and I have also been fortunate to use it as a time for needful reflection about how Blue Chip will support its mission of advancing the SDGs going forward with a strong emphasis on rebuilding our communities and social systems resiliently and fairly. We are among those fortunate enough to self-distance, away from the front lines. Yet our thoughts are with them constantly, celebrating the hope and help they offer their communities.


Should you have the time, we encourage you to click on the links of these incredible organizations to find out more about their tremendous work and spread the word of their value to others.


Thank you, and please be safe.


-Jennifer Gross

Take the Pledge:

I pledge to do my part to implement the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in my own city. I will promote awareness, provide resources where I can, and work toward our shared goal: a sustainable world.
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