Global foundations and charities awarded nearly $468 million in response to humanitarian crises and disasters in 2018, a report from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Candid finds.
Based on data from thirteen sources, the report, Measuring the State of Disaster Philanthropy (20 pages, PDF), found that corporate, individual, private, and public giving for major disasters and humanitarian crises globally totaled $76 billion in 2018, including relief and recovery funding in response to hurricanes Michael and Florence, California’s historic Camp Fire, and other natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, famine, and typhoons, as well as humanitarian emergencies in Yemen and Syria and the Rohingya refugee crisis. The seventh annual edition of the report found that giving in response to natural disasters accounted for 52 percent of the total, and that in terms of disaster assistance strategies, 50 percent of the funds awarded went to response and relief efforts, 12 percent supported reconstruction and recovery efforts, 4 percent was directed to preparedness initiatives, and 2 percent supported resilience efforts. Overall, disaster grantmaking by a thousand of the largest foundations in the United States in 2018 fell $50 million on a year-over-year basis.
The report also found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency distributed $11.2 billion for U.S. disasters in 2018, $4.4 billion less than in 2017, while corporate giving programs committed approximately $206 million in cash and in-kind gifts.
“The State of Disaster Philanthropy report is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the incredible impact of philanthropic giving in disasters,” said CDP president and CEO Patricia McIlreavy. “The data in the report also demonstrates clearly that a substantial gap remains between the generosity for immediate response activities and the longer-term funding required to support communities on their path to recovery and to aid them in the mitigation of further disasters.”
“Philanthropy can play a crucial role in supporting long-term recovery for communities that are still trying to rebuild from emergencies that took place in 2018,” said Grace Sato, Candid’s director of research. “As the world continues to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope that this report can offer donors information that can inform their future disaster giving efforts.”
Source PND
