The Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s special coronavirus emergency relief initiative has raised over $700,000 for various charities.
Donations went to supporting four organizations actively involved in coronavirus relief efforts, namely HealthPartners, United Way/Centraide Canada, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Community Foundations of Canada.
Through the initiative, which ran from May 12 to June 7, the PSP Investments asked staff, directors and consultants to donate to any of the four charities, pledging to match contributions up to $2,000 per donation. Of the more than $700,000 raised, $300,000 came from PSP Investments’ senior management and board of directors, with the firm’s president and chief executive officer Neil Cunningham donating 50 per cent of his base salary to this and other pandemic-related efforts.
“Whether it be to accelerate the development of vaccines, tests and treatments or to help face this unprecedented challenge, I believe we need to come together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Cunningham, in a press release. “I want to thank all my colleagues who donated for coming together to create impact in our most vulnerable communities. During this crisis, community organizations need our help more than ever.”