The Brave of Heart Fund
About the Fund
Together, New York Life and Cigna, through our foundations, created the Brave of Heart Fund, dedicated to providing healthcare workers and their families with peace of mind. The Fund is designed to provide financial support in the form of charitable relief grants to support the families of healthcare workers who lose their lives to COVID-19.
In addition, Cigna behavioral health will provide emotional support and services.
If you have lost a family member who is a healthcare worker to COVID-19, please verify your eligibility to apply now.
Verify eligibilityStart the grant process by verifying your eligibility
to apply for a Brave of Heart Fund grant.
The Brave of Heart Fund
Our Impact
Learn how the Fund is supporting the families of our fallen healthcare heroes.
How we've helpedCoping with COVID-19
Cigna has made available a range of resources to support behavioral and emotional health and well-being. Available to anyone facing challenges related to COVID-19, these resources include advice for coping with stress, fear and anxiety, living with grief and loss, building resiliency, self-care and relaxation techniques, as well as finding childcare and financial best practices in uncertain times. Special topics and on-demand webinars are created especially for healthcare workers.
Find more at Cigna COVID-19 Resource Center
Mindfulness program
Front-line workers can suffer from high levels of stress and anxiety, especially during times of crisis. That’s why Cigna launched its Mindfulness for Healthcare Workers program.
It provides training in mindful stress management, acceptance and compassion for all healthcare workers and families.
Live guided-relaxation by telephone will be available.
Tuesdays, 4:00 PM Central Time.
Call-in number: (866) 205-5379
An automated voice will ask you for a passcode: enter 113 29 178 then press #.
Pre-recorded podcasts are available here.
Donate
$100 M+
With support from individuals and organizations, our goal is to provide more than $100M in financial assistance.
$50 M
Brave of Heart Fund, powered by E4E Relief, seeded by $25M contributions by the founding donors, the New York Life Foundation and Cigna Foundation.
Matching
The New York Life Foundation will match the first $25M in individual contributions to the Fund.
Should you be donating through your company's third-party workplace giving provider, please contribute to the Brave of Heart Fund by searching first for the host charitable partner, Foundation For The Carolinas (an independent 501(c)3 public charity) and note the gift for Brave of Heart Fund in the memo field or designation field.
Our Supporters
In addition to the New York Life Foundation and Cigna Foundation, contributions to the Brave of Heart Fund come from many other individuals, foundations, and corporate supporters. With their help, we'll ensure that the families of front-line workers are cared for in their time of need.
Grief Resources
For 175 years New York Life has helped families in times of grief, and now is no exception. That’s why we're providing a variety of resources to assist grieving families.
Research shows that families who lose a loved one wish they had more support available to them. As a corporate leader in providing childhood bereavement support, New York Life stands ready to help both financially and emotionally, having donated nearly $16 million to educational and bereavement programs in 2019.