Read the letter from Oak’s president

Dear Partners,

Our number one priority is the health and safety of Oak staff and our partners. We continue to monitor developments related to the spread of the coronavirus, including how other organisations are handling this unprecedented situation. We are writing today to explain Oak’s current procedures, and to provide you with information on how we will ensure our work continues during this global pandemic.   

(1) Oak staff will cancel or postpone all work-related travel and attendance at face-to-face meetings/events until 4 April. If you have a face-to-face meeting planned with an Oak staff member, they will reach out to you to discuss postponing or cancelling their attendance.

(2) Oak staff will mostly work remotely from 13 – 29 March. We recently went through a process to increase the technology capabilities of staff to work remotely. Therefore, we want to assure you that we are prepared and will do everything possible to continue our grant-making work remotely, including processing payments and participating in meetings via videoconferencing or calls. We ask for your patience if some processes take longer than usual.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and adjust our actions as needed and grounded in the advice of the World Health Organization, and public health authorities in the US, UK and Switzerland.

Oak staff are here to support you.
We know that you and your organisations are also taking this situation just as seriously and considering every precaution to keep safe and healthy. Please know that we fully support any decisions you and your organisations need to make at this time. We understand if you need to cancel or postpone meetings and events, and we can work with you to reschedule any face-to-face meetings. We are available to speak via videoconferencing or phone.

If there are ways Oak can be of additional assistance, we are here for you and available to discuss your situation. Please reach out to your Oak team contact if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions. We wish you and your families good health during this time. 

Best wishes,

Doug Griffiths
Oak Foundation’s President