OVERVIEW: The Center for Disaster Philanthropy addresses disaster relief and issues caused by disasters, such as refugee and humanitarian crises, in the U.S. and around the world.
IP TAKE: The Center for Disaster Philanthropy was formerly a project of the New Venture Fund, and got it’s start with Arabella Advisors, a philanthropy advising company. Growing from an initial $1 million from a group of core donors, IP’s Philip Rojc notes that CDP has grown into a strong advocate for funding throughout the life cycle of disasters—rather than just in their immediate aftermath. Despite its progressive roots with Arabella Advisors, this is a mainstream funder that serves those most in need. In the span of just a few years, CDP has become a leading source of research, publishing data on the state of disaster philanthropy, in collaboration with the Foundation Center, and conducting analyses of best practices for response and recovery. In contrast to other funders in this space, CDP is hands-on in order to deploy funding in the most effective way when disasters strike.
The CDP gives dozens of big grants each year to a mix of previous grantees and new ones, so there is room for new grantees. This is a transparent funder that conducts proactive grantmaking, deciding where its funding could make the most impact through an intersectional racial equity lens. In just a few short years, the CDP has received Candid’s Platinum Transparency seal, offering grantee perception reports, and Charity Navigator’s four-star rating. While it does not accept unsolicited applications, grantseekers may contact this funder if they conduct work at the community level that can scale emergency efforts in real-time, as well as have a deep tract record of doing so, your organization stands an excellent chance of attracting funding here; however, you must first contact the CDP’s Domestic Funds Team, at the contact information provided below under Important Grant Details.
PROFILE: Established in 2012, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is the only full-time national resource dedicated to helping donors make more thoughtful disaster-related giving decisions and maximize the impact of their gifts. CDP was conceived following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization is guided by a board of directors and advisory council to meet the needs of vulnerable populations and strengthen communities. CDP aims to “leverage the power of philanthropy to mobilize a full range of resources that strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur.” In 2016, CDP launched the Disaster Philanthropy Playbook, which is a compilation of strategies and lessons learned to improve donor effectiveness when calamities occur. According to an IP article, the CDP optimizes disaster giving by strategizing to “hold on to donations in the immediate aftermath of a disaster until it can coordinate with government agencies and national and local nonprofits to find out where funding gaps are and where money will be most effective.” That said, the CDP acts as philanthropy consultant, thought-leader, grantmaker and pass-through, accepting donations.
Grantmaking areas of interest largely center on humanitarian aid, disaster response and recovery, and refugee crises. Within these focus areas, housing, mental health, human services, education, resiliency, and other related areas, receive funding.
Grants for Disaster Philanthropy, Humanitarian Aid and Refugees
All of the CDP’s funds focus on some aspect of disaster aid, recovery and preparedness, whether through rapid response support or research meant to inform thinking on particular disasters. CDP tracks all active disasters, present and past. It also tracks critical disasters looming around the corner. In contrast from other disaster funders, the CDP also invests in long-term recovery when many other organizations have already pulled back after a few weeks and moved on to the next dire situation. The CDP clearly defines its disaster grantmaking process and how to become eligible for a grant.
- Recovery grants work to maximize the CDP’s impact while supporting equitable disaster recovery. Knowing that long-term recovery may take a community years to achieve, the CDP also works on improving community resiliency. Grantseekers must be located in the community it seeks to serve and provide equitable disaster aid and recovery.
- According to the CDP:
“recovery funds maximize the impact of donations by supporting strategic, long-term recovery to help build stronger communities. We emphasize investing well rather than investing quickly to address the greatest needs and gaps in funding that emerge months after the disaster.”
- In this light, CDP creates funds focused on equitable long-term recovery that invests in affordable housing, food, mental health, small businesses, mitigation and preparedness, and social services. Funding occurs at the national and international levels with an emphasis on locally-led support that conducts work through a racial equity lens. Note that these funds evolve quickly to meet the demands of various disasters:
- CDP California Wildfires Recovery Fund
- Truist Foundation Western North Carolina Recovery and Resiliency Fund
- CDP Global Recovery Fund in Africa
- CDP Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund
- CDP’s Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Fund
- CDP Disaster Recovery Fund
- CDP’s Tornado Recovery Fund
- CDP’s Israel and Gaza Relief and Recovery Fund
- CDP’s Global Hunger Crisis Fund
- CDP Midwest Early Recovery Fund
- CDP Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Recovery Fund
- CDP’s Turkey & Syria Earthquake Recovery Fund
- CDP’s Hawaii Wildfires Recovery Fund
- CDP’s COVID-19 Response Fund
Important Grant Details:
CDP grants range from a couple of hundred dollars to over $1 million. In a recent year, the organization awarded $29 million in grants, which has gradually increased since the CDP was founded. The CDP has a clearly defined grantmaking process that grantseekers must read closely.
- CDP does not accept unsolicited requests for funding. Its directors conduct a needs assessment based on a number of factors to determine which nonprofit organizations will be invited to apply for funding.
- Recent grantees include Corus Solutions, the Boston Foundation, and DonorsChoose, among many others.
- This funder also conducts grantmaking via partnerships with organizations that are deeply aligned with its work.
- Despite it’s proactice grantmaking approach, the CDP is transparent and approachable with a Domestic Funds Team that grantseekers may contact at domestic.grants@disasterphilanthropy.org or (202) 595-1026.
- To be considered for a grant, grantseekers must be able to provide due diligence documentation; be based in the area you seek to serve; and be a “501(c)(3) organization or fiscal sponsor and fiscal agent on behalf of non-501(c)(3) organizations.”
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