Where can I find information on disaster grantmaking?
According to the Council on Foundations, private foundations, corporations, and public charities can have great flexibility in their response to a "qualified disaster", which is defined as: a disaster that results from
- a terrorist or military action
- a presidentially declared disaster
- a disaster resulting from an accident involving a common carrier
- a disaster caused by any other event determined by the secretary of the treasury to be of a catastrophic nature
Because no place is immune from natural disasters, click on this video to learn how to strategically position your nonprofit organization to fundraise ahead of and after an event to help communities rebuild, recover, and restore hope.
Organizations that want to make grants for disaster relief should consult legal counsel to review their particular approach. Some websites provide general information about disaster grantmaking.
To learn more about how nonprofits are responding to disasters worldwide, download Measuring the State of Disaster Philanthropy 2018, a report by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Foundation Center. Explore the data on disaster philanthropy here.
To learn more about how individuals respond to disasters, read U.S. Household Disaster Giving in 2017 and 2018. The report was prepared by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Candid and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Please visit Candid's Improve your foundation page for useful tools and resources exclusively for grantmakers.
Have a question about this topic? Ask us!
Candid's Online Librarian service will answer your questions within two business days.
Ask usExplore resources curated by our staff for this topic:
Staff-recommended websites
-
Common Impact
Disaster Response: From Relief to Resiliency
With natural and man-made disasters expected to continue rising, this report describes specific ways that companies can plan to help and measure effectiveness.
-
Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy
Giving in numbers: 2018 edition
This report looks at corporate giving trends, including the dramatic increase in funding for disaster relief.
-
Candid Learning for Funders
Opportunities From the Unpredictable
This podcast follows a team of international grant makers as they respond to a natural disaster, laying the groundwork for local cooperation. It looks at how grant makers can promote collaboration among local grantees.
-
Power Amidst Chaos: Foundation Support for Advocacy Related to Disasters [PDF]
This PDF is a guide for foundations to evaluate their grantmaking practices and community involvement, and to assess how they can help communities become better prepared before disasters strike, as well as better able to respond after they do.
-
IRS [PDF]
Disaster Relief: Providing Assistance Charitable Organizations
Pages 9-11 includes a definition and examples of "charitable class", the group of individuals that may properly receive assistance from a tax-exempt charitable organization. From Disaster Relief (Publication 3833). This IRS publication offers advice for individuals and organizations on how to give through existing U.S. charitable organizations, how to set up a new charitable organization, and the requirements for documentation of charitable gifts.