TikTok Supports Families Impacted by School Closures with $3 Million Donation

As schools across the country close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are facing the challenge of how to feed their children. The closure of schools not only affects learning but also deprives millions of students, teachers, and families of access to school resources. This situation has deeply affected the TikTok community, as many of our team members are parents and we have countless students, parents, families, and teachers in our community.

In response to this crisis, TikTok is committed to supporting the broader TikTok family during these difficult times. We understand the importance of communities coming together to help those in need, both locally and globally. To address the issue of food insecurity, we are donating $3 million in partnership with After-School All-Stars (ASAS). ASAS, founded by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, provides free after-school programs in schools and currently supports 100,000 families year-round across 13 different states.

Our donation will specifically help provide food for families who have been impacted by the loss of access to free or reduced-cost school meals. Through food credits and gift cards for local grocery partners, we aim to provide critical support for families in 60 cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Newark, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C. These resources will particularly benefit communities that have been hit the hardest by the residual impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

While we understand that our donation alone cannot fully mitigate the impact of the current situation, we hope it can relieve one worry for parents who are now balancing social distancing mandates, work, and caring for children who can no longer attend school each day. In addition to our financial contribution, TikTok will also match up to $1 million in employee donations to ASAS, further enhancing the organization's ability to provide food for those in need.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the founder of After-School All-Stars, expressed his gratitude for TikTok's donation, as it will enable the organization to pivot its efforts and deliver groceries and gift cards to the families they support. Despite the pause in their regular after-school programs, ASAS remains committed to serving the 100,000 families they work with year-round and providing a safe place for children to learn and grow.

TikTok will continue to use its platform to facilitate other partnerships that benefit families across the country and around the world. We are aware of the important role TikTok plays in the lives of our users and will do everything in our power to ensure that our platform and resources help people through this difficult period.

For more information about TikTok's efforts to support our community during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit our Safety Center on our website.