Pandemic Action Network is a left-of-center international advocacy group that promotes COVID-19 vaccines and mask use. ¹ The network is “powered by” Panorama Global, a left-of-center pass-through funder that bundles grants to a range of nonprofits involved in LGBT-interest causes, left-leaning Latino voter engagement, education, and human welfare issues like mental health. ²

History and Activities

Pandemic Action Network began as an informal group of partners who convened regularly to develop a pandemic response strategy. In April 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ³ this informal group launched the Pandemic Action Network, led by the CEO of Panorama Global, Gabrielle Fitzgerald. ⁴

Pandemic Action Network was created to end the COVID-19 pandemic and to prepare the world for future pandemics through advocacy, the creation of expert policy, and resource sharing to support collective action. ⁵ During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pandemic Action Network worked to unify organizations and advocates to support mask wearing, social distancing, handwashing, and vaccine acceptance. ⁶

Initiatives of Pandemic Action Network include promoting the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines as safe and effective ⁷ and advocating for consistent mask-wearing, which the organization claims was the “most effective intervention at hand” at the beginning of the pandemic. ⁸ As of December 2023, the Pandemic Action Network’s website asserted that the group “continues to promote consistent mask-wearing behavior and policies to stop the spread of the COVID-19 and protect the most vulnerable.” ⁹

In 2021, the Pandemic Action Network promoted worldwide Mask Week, a campaign in 171 countries. ¹⁰ A prior “Mask Week” in 2020 was conducted in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Center for Disease Control, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC Foundation, Facebook, Google, Global Citizen, and 40 other partner organizations. ¹¹

As of 2023, Pandemic Action Network claims to have 350 member organizations. ¹²

Partners

Pandemic Action Network is a collective of partners in global health policy, advocacy, communications, and beyond. Partners include 3M, a global mask and medical supply manufacturer; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private philanthropic foundation in the world focusing on education, health, poverty, and climate change; Dalberg Advisors, a policy advisory firm that consults with governments and community organizations on logistical resource and governance issues; Federation of American Scientists, a nonprofit research and advocacy group focused technological and global security; iHeart Media; Johnson and Johnson, a major pharmaceutical company; Save the Children, a humanitarian organization that provides health and education programs to support at-risk children and their families; United Nations Foundation, a private charitable nonprofit organization that supports the initiatives and advocacy of the United Nations; and many more. ¹³

People

Pandemic Action Network is managed by an international team of staff located in Los Angeles, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Dublin, London, Lisbon, Freetown, Brussels, Berlin, Istanbul, and Singapore. ¹⁴

The co-founders of the organizations are Gabrielle Fitzgerald from Seattle, David Kyne from Dublin, Carolyn Reynolds from Washington, D.C., and Elois Todd from Brussels. Todd also works as the executive director. ¹⁵

Todd previously worked as a political advisor for the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament; global policy director for the ONE Campaign, an international advocacy group fighting poverty and preventable diseases in Africa; and CEO of Best for Britain, an organization advocating for as close of a relationship as possible with the European Union after Brexit. ¹⁶

1. “Initiatives.” Pandemic Action Network. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.pandemicactionnetwork.org/initiatives.
2. “Pandemic Action Network.” Pandemic Action Network. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.pandemicactionnetwork.org/.
3. “World Mask Week aims to inspire global movement to wear face coverings in public to help stem exponential spread of COVID-1.” Cision. August 6, 2020. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-mask-week-aims-to-inspire-global-movement-to-wear-face-coverings-in-public-to-help-stem-exponential-spread-of-covid-19-301107357.html.
4. “Pandemic Action Network.” Panorama Global. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.panoramaglobal.org/pandemic-action-network.
5. “Pandemic Action Network.” Panorama Global. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.panoramaglobal.org/pandemic-action-network.
6. “World Mask Week aims to inspire global movement to wear face coverings in public to help stem exponential spread of COVID-1.” Cision. August 6, 2020. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-mask-week-aims-to-inspire-global-movement-to-wear-face-coverings-in-public-to-help-stem-exponential-spread-of-covid-19-301107357.html.
7. “Vaccine education.” Pandemic Action Network. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.pandemicactionnetwork.org/vaccine-education.
8. “Initiatives.” Pandemic Action Network. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.pandemicactionnetwork.org/initiatives.
9. “Mask Behavior: Pandemic Action Network.” Pandemic Action Network. Accessed December 5, 2023. https://www.pandemicactionnetwork.org/mask-behavior.
10. “Pandemic Action Network.” Panorama Global. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.panoramaglobal.org/pandemic-action-network.
11. “World Mask Week aims to inspire global movement to wear face coverings in public to help stem exponential spread of COVID-1.” Cision. August 6, 2020. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-mask-week-aims-to-inspire-global-movement-to-wear-face-coverings-in-public-to-help-stem-exponential-spread-of-covid-19-301107357.html.
12. ^[1] “Pandemic Action Network.” Pandemic Action Network. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.pandemicactionnetwork.org//.
13. “Our Network.” Pandemic Action Network. Access October 19, 2023. https://www.pandemicactionnetwork.org/our-network/.
14. “Our Network.” Pandemic Action Network. Access October 19, 2023. https://www.pandemicactionnetwork.org/our-network/.
15.  “Our Network.” Pandemic Action Network. Access October 19, 2023. https://www.pandemicactionnetwork.org/our-network/.
16. “Eloise Todd.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eloise-todd-a68b54157/.