Mayors Business Council Support for Cities

Many companies that are members of our Mayors Business Council are actively taking steps to support our cities during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s a listing of actions they are taking during this time.

Notice: The United States Conference of Mayors Business Resource Page lists businesses which are offering products, services, and information related to the Coronavirus. The Conference has not vetted the offerings which have been submitted by the Mayors Business Council, via referrals, or by companies that contacted the Conference directly. The Conference assumes no liability or responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the offerings, information, products or services.

• Airbnb launched a program to provide free or subsidized housing for 100,000 healthcare workers and first responders on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• We are working with businesses, nonprofits, government and emergency management agencies and hosts can opt into the program and have the option of opening their homes for free through our Open Homes platform.

• We launched the $20 million AWS Diagnostic Initiative to accelerate COVID-19 research.
• Amazon CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to Feeding America.
• We hired 100,000 full- and part-time employees, and we are now hiring an additional 75,000. We’re looking for talent in every community where we operate.
• We’re supporting virtual classrooms with no-cost resources from AWS and Amazon Future Engineer (AFE).
• We’re donating 8,200 laptops to Seattle Public Schools students who do not have access to a device at home.
• Through our AFE program, we’re donating 4,000 laptops to high school students across the U.S. and making new online computer science resources, including exam prep, free.

• ACC’s Chlorine Chemistry Division developed free downloadable surface disinfection pictogram posters that show how to disinfect surfaces from COVID-19 virus.
• Posters were made in partnership with public health departments, the Water Quality and Health Council, and the National Environmental Health Association.
• Instructions to clean and disinfect surfaces are based off of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance

• “AHLA’s Hospitality for Hope Initiative” was created to boost collaboration between the hotel industry and local, state and federal governments to help employees, communities across the country, and the industry during this unprecedented health crisis. AHLA is working with HHS to create a national database where government officials can search willing properties based on geographic location.
• Policy options were created for short-term industry relief and longer-term recovery incentives among five key areas: Tax Flexibility, Direct Financial Relief, Job Protection & Labor, Legal, and Recovery Incentives. We encourage you to reference these options as ways to get our industry – and the millions of jobs we support – back on its feet again.

North America’s freight railroads remain focused on safeguarding the health and safety of the rail workforce while working to maintain the flow of goods necessary to preserve public health and sustain families — such as delivering chlorine-based disinfectants for water, enabling e-commerce, transporting food and moving energy products to support electricity demands. We are asking state and local elected officials to heed the guidance issued by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and continue to enable the free flow of goods to help at this time of crisis.

AT&T has a special website which highlights some of the things we are doing to assist during this difficult and uncertain period.

We’re embracing new ways to work and innovate, focusing on safety and health, business continuity, and adapting how we support our clients and the industries we serve. IgniteX COVID-19 Response Accelerator to support new innovative solutions Rapid Modular Health System (RaHMS) for rapid screening, testing, PPE disinfection and triage

• CityHealth is working to advance earned sick leave policies in cities, and urges mayors to contact us for technical assistance as they seek to pass or improve their laws.
• Without the guaranteed paid time off, many workers are likely to forgo seeking medical care for themselves and loved ones and continue reporting to work, despite the warnings. That puts all of us at greater risk.

• Xfinity WiFi Free For Everyone: Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots, and then launch a browser.
• Pausing Our Data Plan and No Disconnects or Late Fees: With so many people working and educating from home, we want our customers to access the internet without thinking about data plans. While the vast majority of our customers do not come close to using 1TB of data in a month, we are pausing our data plans for 60 days giving all customers Unlimited data for no additional charge. We will not disconnect a customer’s internet service or assess late fees if they contact us and let us know that they can’t pay their bills during this period. Our care teams will be available to offer flexible payment options and can help find other solutions.
• Internet Essentials Free to New Customers: It’s even easier for low-income families who live in a Comcast service area to sign-up for Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program. New customers will receive 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service, which is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month. Additionally, for all new and existing Internet Essentials customers, the speed of the program’s Internet service was increased to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. That increase will go into effect for no additional fee and it will become the new base speed for the program going forward.

Our platform provides insight into Social and Economic impacts and recovery.

• To ensure that drivers who are sick can focus on recovering, we are providing financial assistance to eligible Dashers and Caviar couriers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or quarantined and changing the default delivery method to a no-contact option.
• We’ve announced a package of commission relief and marketing support for new and existing DoorDash partner restaurants to help them generate up to $200 million in additional sales this year.
• For non-profit organizations and local agencies looking to transport food and other necessities from distribution hubs to residents, we are subsidizing our delivery services (priced only to recuperate our costs, such as paying couriers).

In addition to placing a moratorium on disconnecting electricity for customers to ease the financial burden caused by this health crisis, EEI’s member companies also are making meaningful and impactful commitments to their communities. We are #PoweringThruTogether. Additionally, the electric power industry is helping to protect customers throughout the country from being targeted by impostor utility scams. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of opportunities during times of disruption.

• Americans are looking to local leaders in these times of great volatility, and leading in a crisis requires understanding exactly what people are thinking and how they are behaving right now.
• Elucd’s COVID-19 product enables realtime tracking of how a city’s residents are or aren’t social distancing or self-quarantining, a barometer on their level of fear, panic and knowledge of how to prepare themselves and their family, and how long they are prepared to change their behaviors for.
• We are tracking this 24/7 nationally, and working with a number of mayors’ offices including NYC, Seattle and Chicago to provide this critical data.

• We have put in place protocols to keep our consumers, drivers, and warehouse workers safe. This includes, among other items, contactless delivery.
• We have committed $1M in orders to hospital employees working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis through a Health Care SupportInitiative.

The Grubhub Community Relief Fund provides financial relief for our drivers and restaurants -100% of Donate the Change contributions will go to orgs that support drivers & restaurants impacted by COVID-19.

We’re working with government officials to ensure kitchens stay open for pickup & delivery. We’re providing state & local officials with resources to help restaurants onboard with Grubhub.

We launched contact-free delivery as default to avoid a direct handoff for the safety of our diner and driver, and shared resources to ensure restaurants & drivers follow CDC guidelines for safe food delivery. We’re providing 2 weeks of support pay to cover medical expenses and loss of income for delivery partners whose health is impacted by COVID-19

• We are creating customized and multilingual content, including messages around sanitary practices, blood donations, mental health resources, and other PSAs, and using IKE to broadcast this critical information in the public right-of-way.
• In order to support local and independent businesses, as well as non-profits, we are providing them with free ads on IKE to drive awareness of the alternative ways in which they are trying to remain open for business during the pandemic.
• Working with artists and institutions, we are displaying creative messages of hope, support, and encouragement on our digital screens to keep communities connected while we’re #TogetherApart.

We are taking action to focus on the leading role buildings, communities and organizations can play to support our health and well-being now and in the future. We will stand up a Task Force on COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Infections: Prevention and Preparedness, Resilience and Recovery to deploy a multi-faceted strategy to channel the collective expertise and insight of the global WELL community, including the development of guidelines that integrate actionable insights and proven strategies.

Free rides supporting communities of color – Black, Latinx, and AAPI communities, bringing equitable transportation options to communities when they need them most. Driver CARES Act information on financial assistance. This blog details federal programs supporting small business, self-employed, sole proprietors, or independent contractors. Driver safety fact sheet with CDC guidance – wearing face coverings in public and additional ways for meaningful work during COVID-19.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released a guidance detailing ways that mayors can continue to protect their cities from gun violence, reduce the risks of unintentional shootings, domestic violence, community violence, and gun suicides as gun sales spike and Americans self-quarantine at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nationwide Foundation:

• Is making $5 million in contributions to local and national charities to support medical and economic response efforts.
• Donated medical supplies including masks and surgical gloves to Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Ohio Health in Columbus as well as Mercy One and UnityPoint hospitals in Des Moines.
• Initiates the HUB: One stop shop for all Plan Sponsors and Participants to receive investment strategies and current information on COVID-19 preparedness.

• Through the Partner America Program, American Management Services, and the United States Conference of Mayors have launched the Business Owner Crisis Hotline, a free management resource for all U.S. business owners
• We are providing management advice to all business owners in this time of recession, taking phone calls and responding to messages 24/7.
• For more information, contact Louis Mosca at 855-876-5561

1. PepsiCo to Hire 6000 New Workers
2. PepsiCo to Provide Enhanced Benefits to Employees
3. PepsiCo Partners with USDA for Feeding Program

• We are providing community recycling programs with important resources via our dedicated webpage at recyclingpartnership.org/covid-19 and via our social media channels and City and County Recycling Coordinators Facebook Group.
• Partnership staff are providing guidance to local programs in light of COVID-19. Communities can reach out at recyclingpartnership.org/contact.
• The Partnership is hosting a series of webinars with comprehensive information about the state of the recycling industry during COVID-19. Upcoming webinars and recordings can be found on our dedicated webpage.
• Social media resources and talking points are on our dedicated webpage for communities to engage with their residents on updates to recycling programs.

• For Employees: We have closed our offices, transitioned all employees to work from home and instituted a travel ban to reduce the spread of the virus.
• For Customer: We continue to operate the service unabated, providing proactive and on-demand support for our customers
• For US Cities: We’re providing national gunfire incident volume trends for police agencies to benchmark against during the COVID-19 crisis.

Across the United States, Siemens is helping fight the pandemic by keeping factories up and running and helping maintain essential operations at hospitals, power plants, government facilities, military sites, and data centers. The company is also a part of collaborative, on-the-ground effort to support the expansion of existing and new hospital spaces, ensuring these facilities have reliable power, fire and life safety systems, and the tools they need to treat patients – from portable X-ray and ultrasound systems, to cloud-based platforms and remote monitoring to optimize converted spaces. Additionally, Siemens Healthineers has developed a new test kit for COVID-19 that can help researchers diagnose infection in less than three hours.

Kabbage Inc. launched helpsmallbusiness.com to support small businesses financially impacted by COVID-19. The initiative is a call-to-action across the U.S., enabling anyone to purchase an online gift certificate from participating small businesses to provide them with crucial financial support. Certificates can be redeemed in full after they’re issued or in the future when the crisis has subsided.

These unprecedented times require a real-time understanding of the impacts changing financial conditions may have on your community and the ability to quickly evaluate options so you can take decisive actions. Stantec’s Financial Analysis & Management System (FAMS) puts your community’s financial data at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. FAMS is a dynamic forecasting system powered by 300 years of experience on thousands of financial planning and forecasting studies. It is designed to support the specific and unique needs of government entities. FAMS gives real-time answers to tough questions, letting you make decisions based on your most current data and conditions.

Starbucks announced an offer of free coffee to frontline first responders until May 3. In addition, the Starbucks Foundation will donate $250,000 to Operation Gratitude, an organization working to deliver 50,000 care packages to healthcare workers, and $250,000 to Direct Relief, an organization supporting the delivery of personal protective equipment and essential medical items.

Target’s team is playing a vital role in helping families cope with the coronavirus pandemic. To support them, we are investing more than $300 million in added wages, a new paid leave program, bonus payouts and relief fund contributions. We introduced new measures to keep our stores clean and promote social distancing for everyone’s safety. We dedicated a special hour on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for our vulnerable guests. Our stores and distribution centers are open to help American families.

Tyler Technologies is committed to ensuring its clients, partners, and staff are equipped to overcome and adapt to the many short-term and long-term challenges we face with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Tyler has compiled a list of helpful resources and services for Tyler clients and the greater community to take immediate action to navigate the impact of this pandemic. We’re in this together.

This resource list includes a free dashboard to help cities leverage data, and helps make sense of that data, to negate the spread of COVID-19, a webinar on staying cyber aware while working from home, and technology tools to support continuity of civic engagement, business operations, public safety, transportation programs, and many more.

3,000 employees supporting public sector; Verizon Response Team providing emergency connectivity, assets and equipment; Signed onto Keep American’s Connected Pledge; $18M donation for students, healthcare first responders, and small businesses (No Kid Hungry, American Red Cross, Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) COVID-19 Response Fund, Direct Relief, COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund of the World Health Organization’s global response, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

Walgreens is working closely with the Administration, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health officials, and state and local government and health officials to respond accordingly to COVID-19, and uphold our commitment to champion the health and wellbeing of every community in America. Knowing that our stores touch the lives of approximately 230,000 employees and more than 8 million customers in stores and online every day, it is important to let our customers, team members and partners know how Walgreens is responding in real time. Ensuring the health, safety and well-being of the communities we serve across the U.S. has always been a top priority, and is especially critical at this time.

In response to COVID-19, Walmart has:

• Stepped up cleaning & sanitizing, stocking shelves and keeping prices fair;
• Providing $365 million in cash bonuses, and accelerating next qtr bonus;
• Hiring 150,000 associates through end of May;
• Implemented leave policy providing flexibility and 2 weeks’ pay if quarantined/infected, with replacement pay avail for up to 26 weeks;
• Committed $25 million to orgs responding to COVID-19;
• Hosting drive-thru testing sites with govt/health officials.

• Suspended residential property foreclosure sales, evictions, & auto repossessions for US customers
• Increased charitable donations to $175 million to help address food, shelter, small business and housing stability, as well as providing help to public health organizations
• Set aside $10 million to assist our employees experiencing hardship
• Employees who earn less than $100,000 will receive $200 per pay period for five pay periods, if their roles require they come into the office

• As early pioneers in the online education space, Study.com is eager to provide K-12 schools across the nation with resources around transitioning to a remote learning environment. As part of that effort, we are offering districts and school administrators 100,000 licenses to Study.com for their schools and teachers to utilize as part of their online learning program.
• Study.com’s adaptable online learning platform offers 4,500 courses and 79,000 video-based lessons that can be accessed through mobile devices, computers or with downloadable, printable curriculum.
• Students can learn on their phones since not every student has access to computers at home and the micro-learning lessons provide a flexible, accessible schedule for all types of learners.

Local governments are seeking updated, relevant data on what residents think and need during this crisis, in order to inform their actions and decision making. At Zencity, we gather data from online public channels where residents are organically sharing their feedback about city related services. This data provides our 130+ cities and counties with the information they need to sharpen their messaging, improve their services, and navigate the critical policy decisions needed to mitigate this crisis. Our team is working 24/7 to support the personalized needs of our partners and provide them with updated, actionable information. This can be seen in our new features, client COVID-19 toolkit, ongoing reports, workshops, and best practice guides.