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Margaret 
Good morning.
Please see below. I think we have to move now to be of any use. I recommend 150k to iie and 150k to SAR based on ongoing conversations. The problem is that they are both working around the clock on this with no time to process a grant I think but knowing the money is coming will make a huge difference to their ability to get people placed if they can get them out of Afghanistan. 
What I suggest is that Sean or I let them know we are making the commitment. If they say they need the funds asap we will do our best to move them (need to discuss w staci). If they say they need to know it is coming but don’t need the funds in hand for a week or a few then we can move through a more regular process. Either way, we would need to make the commitment now to be of use.
I can confirm with Debra her view and can email George.  See below from John. 
I know this is outside of regular protocol but I feel strongly we should do it.
Mariko Silver 
President & CEO
The Henry Luce Foundation
 
Dear John and Debra,
 
I am sure you are both watching closely what is happening in Afghanistan. In addition to my interest in your views on the situation and its complexities, I am writing to now to ask what you think about Luce advancing an urgent grant to Scholars at Risk and/or Scholar Rescue Fund to help support the evacuation and placement of scholars, writers, and others in the academic sphere (broadly understood). I understand that the situation is fluid and even scholars who have a place to go are struggling to get out of the country, but if we can help it seems to me quite aligned with the foundation’s longstanding commitment to the importance of free thought and scholarly communities, as well as with our emergent focus on public trust (in this case I am thinking about it in the US context, but also internationally and about the trust other put in the US throughout the world).
Ordinarily I would hold such a grant for board discussion, but the situation is clearly urgent and waiting until November may well be too late.
I have talked with some of the other funders in this space and they are focused on more general evacuation (charting planes and working on every front), but the focus on scholars and those involved in thought work seems to be the right intervention point for Luce, if we are to choose one. Religious freedom would be another, but that is harder to support directly, from what I can glean.
You are surely quite busy, so I don’t intend to take up a lot of your time, but would welcome a “gut check” response if you are willing.
Warmest wishes and many thanks,
Mariko