A Message from Courtney Jordan Foundation’s ED

Courtney Jordan Foundation’s Executive Director, Noah Burch, PhD

One year ago, the world changed. To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway, it happened slowly, and then all at once.

Weeks of uncertainty became a season of suffering, and then the deadliest year in the history of the humankind. Around the world, COVID-19 has taken more than 2.7 million lives and counting. It has upended the hopes and dreams of untold millions more.

I have long resisted the simple binary—rejecting, as best I can, the false choices and zero-sum calculations; the unnuanced punditry on an increasingly complex world. And yet, as we mark the one-year anniversary of life with coronavirus, the beginning of a new era is in sight.

The last year constitutes a watershed. On one side, history’s tributaries run in one direction; on the other, toward something new.

Around the world, countless people are struggling to make it through the day. That has always been true, and it remains true now; this virus is categorically not affecting all people equally. The most vulnerable are those living in poverty and those forced to leave their homes because of conflict, disaster or the lack of decent work locally. The pandemic will most probably act as a catalyst to make things even worse in areas that are already suffering from famine, drought, unemployment and conflict — leading to more people being displaced from their homes.

At the same time, the pandemic is showing us that pathways to a better future do exist — a future in which we can work together to build a different kind of society and find ways of protecting our planet instead of harming it.

In this moment of our human timeline so much uncertainty exist.

However, what remains constant in this time of uncertainty is The Courtney Jordan Foundation’s unwavering commitment, support, and concern for all of the organizations and people the Foundation supports through its grantmaking and impact investments.

In the face of an extraordinary social and economic crisis, our partner cities, countries, and global communities require a transformation. Be assured that The Courtney Jordan Foundation is firmly committed to helping our grantee partners find ways to carry out their missions at this challenging time. We will weather this storm. More than ever, our efforts are needed to help build a more just, equitable, and resilient world, through entrepreneurship.

– Noah Burch, Executive Director