Sean Penn’s charity receives grant to house Hatians

Haiti was devastated by the January 2010 earthquake and today, the charity run by actor Sean Penn received a $2.25 million grant from the World Bank that will help house over 500 Haitians.

According to the Associated Press, Penn’s group, called J/P HRO, will specifically use the money for rent subsidies, repairs to homes still standing, building brand new homes and providing solar-powered water kiosks.

This is actually just a small portion of the $95 million recovery effort launched by the Haiti Reconstruction Fund with the World Bank.

In a statement, Penn said, “Together, we will persist until the hundreds of thousands still displaced are safely home.” Penn has been dedicated to the effort since the earthquake, even testifying in Washington, DC about it.

CNN reports that comedian Ben Stiller is also joining the effort by hosting a charity art auction called Artists For Haiti. The auction, which is expected to bring in as much as $10.5 million, will be held on Sept. 22 in New York. Jeff Koons, Jasper Johns and Cindy Sherman are just a few of the artists who have contributed.