Bayer to donate $2.5 million to Direct Relief and the American Red Cross to help support COVID-19 initiatives across the United States

Donation to fund additional testing centers, medical staff support and blood drives in underserved and disadvantaged communities

WHIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In an effort to continue to support communities in need during these unprecedented times, Bayer announced today that it will donate $2 million to Direct Relief and $500,000 to the American Red Cross for COVID-19 initiatives. The donation will be directed to the hardest hit communities within the greater Boston, New York, New Jersey and New Orleans regions.

“In these difficult times, we are grateful to partner with Direct Relief and the American Red Cross, organizations that help thousands of Americans in need every day,” said Phil Blake, President of Bayer U.S. “As a company that is committed to helping those in need, we want to ensure these organizations have the financial resources to assist the communities who need it most during this pandemic.”

Coronavirus has touched nearly every community across the United States, especially those who are underserved and the most vulnerable. Many of them have struggled to get the access and care they need. To help these communities, Direct Relief established the COVID-19 Fund for Community Health, which provides funding to community health centers, free and charitable clinics and pharmacies. It also provides funding to community health providers in cities that have seen high COVID-19 fatality rates among African Americans, such as New York and New Orleans. Bayer’s $2 million donation will go toward the COVID-19 Fund for Community Health, where Direct Relief will allocate the funds to provide more testing to clinics and medical support to those that need it most.

“Direct Relief is so deeply grateful for the leadership and commitment reflected by Bayer's actions, which are both keenly needed and will be put to immediate use,” said Thomas Tighe, CEO and President of Direct Relief. “This is a perfect example of what’s needed as we all face this historic threat to the health of people everywhere.”

In addition to the donation to Direct Relief, Bayer will donate $500,000 to the American Red Cross. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many blood drives have been cancelled, which in return, has resulted in more than 700,000 fewer blood donations across the United States.

“The Red Cross is proud to count Bayer as a partner in making sure we can continue to deliver our lifesaving mission nationwide due to this public health emergency,” said Don Herring, chief development officer at the American Red Cross. “Bayer’s donation helps ensure that the Red Cross can help patients in need of blood; and ensure that, due to the coronavirus outbreak, we are able to provide critical relief services to people affected by disasters big and small.”

According to the Red Cross, around 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply comes from blood donors, while more than 80 percent of that comes from drives set-up by corporations, universities and schools. With current social restrictions and guidelines in place, the cost for these drives, along with blood storage has increased. Bayer’s donation will go towards costs incurred to help set-up additional blood drives and collections. This will provide them with the supplies they need to receive more donations and make sure Americans across the United States have access to blood, during critical times.

About Direct Relief

A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the world to communities in need—without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. For more information, please visit https://www.DirectRelief.org.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2019, the Group employed around 104,000 people and had sales of 43.5 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.9 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

Bayer® and the Bayer Cross® are registered trademarks of Bayer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.