CENTER FOR DISASTER PHILANTHROPY INC
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is the only full-time resource dedicated to helping donors make more strategic disaster-related giving decisions. With the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters comes the critical need for knowing when and how to respond effectively. CDP’s innovative strategies advance donors’ values, increase the impact of their contributions, meet the needs of vulnerable populations and ultimately strengthen communities. CDP is working to transform disaster giving by providing timely and thoughtful strategies to increase donors’ impact during domestic and global disasters.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
CDP Disaster Recovery Fund
In the wake of a disaster, emotions run high. Dramatic images circulate alongside startling statistics of lives lost and billions of dollars in damages.
We’re moved to do something—anything—to help. Immediate needs must be met. Lives must be saved and vital functions restored. But if disaster funding begins and ends there, the opportunity for strategic long-term recovery and true rebuilding of the community has passed.
Imagine, instead, the tactical allocation of funds across the entire disaster life cycle, from disaster preparedness through long-term recovery. With thoughtful analysis ahead of the disaster, each dollar given in response can be used to its full potential. That not only means less waste and duplication of efforts; it also means combined dollars can reach further toward solutions.
CDP Global Recovery Fund
Private philanthropy has a unique and critical role to play in the relentless spread of global humanitarian crises by providing urgently needed help and support to people globally, whether they are affected by disease, drought, civil war or natural disasters. These crises have become a defining epidemic of this decade. Your vital support will assist organizations on the ground in countries focused on recovery efforts.
The CDP Global Recovery Fund is exclusively for international disasters and allows donors to earmark contributions to meet specific philanthropic goals for any global crisis to support medium- to long-term recovery work. Or, there is the option to allow CDP to allocate your investment where it is needed the most.
The Global Recovery Fund provides an efficient, flexible solution to expedite a gift to support recovery efforts for sudden on-set disasters or protracted humanitarian emergencies.
CDP COVID-19 Response Fund
In March 2020, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) launched the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund to support containment, response and recovery activities for those most affected and for the responders.
The Fund is focusing on support for nonprofit organizations working directly to respond to the pandemic among vulnerable populations in order to help build their capacity to address the most pressing needs. These include social service organizations focused on supporting low-income households, small businesses, immigrants, refugees, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, older adults, people with disabilities, and other communities vulnerable to the physical health, mental health and economic impacts of the pandemic.
CDP is working closely with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to track both current and emergent needs. Focus areas include:
* Supporting healthcare and other frontline workers through provision and distribution of masks, gowns, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) for essential staff, as well as the deployment of emergency medical teams where needed.
* Supporting quarantined and especially vulnerable individuals by lessening financial hardships for people who are quarantined and those for whom social distancing is not an option. Support also includes building the capacity of local food banks to respond to the mounting number of people who are food insecure.
* Supporting small businesses through emergency grants and mentoring programs to help owners sustain their businesses and to support the economy of vulnerable communities.
* Supporting hygiene promotion activities (WASH) and community-based care in areas with poor access to medical care to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and other infections.
CDP is responding rapidly and effectively, using contributions to the Fund to address these core issues, while constantly assessing needs. This allows CDP to be adaptive in our support.
CDP California Wildfires Recovery Fund
Since 2017, California has experienced historic record-breaking wildfires and fire seasons, and each new year is poised to continue this tragic trend.
In 2017, the Tubbs Fire destroyed more than 5,600 structures and claimed 22 lives in Napa & Sonoma counties. In 2018, we witnessed the most destructive wildfire in the state’s history when the Camp Fire took 85 lives and destroyed more than 18,800 structures. And in 2019, more than 6,800 fire incidents in California burned hundreds of thousands of acres across the state, including the Kincade Fire that forced over 185,000 to flee from their homes in Sonoma County.
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) California Wildfires Recovery Fund supports communities across the state as they work to rebuild and recover from wildfires. Since its inception, CDP has awarded more than $3 million in grants to nonprofits and community groups in northern and southern California to help families and entire communities recover through targeted grantmaking that prioritizes medium- to long-term recovery especially among vulnerable populations.
CDP recognizes that the disaster cycle does not end after a fire and full recovery. The Fund also focuses on wildfire mitigation and risk reduction to invest in building stronger communities to keep up with the increasing trend and threat of wildfires in the state.
As the number and severity of the fires continue to increase, grantmakers and donors must intensify and expand their support to the state both before and after wildfires to better position communities to prepare, respond and recover.
To effectively address this growing threat in California, CDP experts on staff work directly with local nonprofits, stakeholders and community groups to identify specific needs and gaps related to California’s most impactful wildfires. CDP consults with many of its in-state partners, such as the Governor’s Office of Emergency Service (Cal OES) and other agencies, to assess the long-term needs of affected communities and build collaborative partnerships.
With an emphasis on recovery, this Fund:
* Targets and support vulnerable populations and communities disproportionally affected.
* Identifies and fill in gaps where public resources are unavailable or scarce.
* Gives locally and prioritize grants to small nonprofits and community groups.
* Builds and supports collaborative relationships among donors.
The programmatic expertise of CDP’s board, advisory council and staff – paired with an extensive network of disaster management experts – guide our grantmaking strategy. We emphasize making targeted, holistic investments with grants that will address the greatest emergent needs and gaps in the funding of mitigation and recovery efforts.
CDP Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund
The CDP Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund has a focus on medium- and long-term recovery from these storms. This includes rebuilding homes and livelihoods, meeting the needs of more vulnerable populations, supporting mental health services and addressing other urgent challenges identified by the affected communities that arise as recovery efforts progress.
Our expert staff, in consultation with local stakeholders and recovery experts, identifies specific unmet recovery needs and funding gaps in each community. The Fund will explore investing in all geographic areas affected by this season’s Atlantic hurricanes.
Through CDP’s unparalleled expertise in disaster management and grantmaking, the Fund will be invested in projects and initiatives that:
* Support vulnerable populations whose lives and livelihoods have been devastated.
* Emphasize funding that is medium- and long-term in nature, based upon prevailing needs that have emerged post-disaster.
* Fill in gaps where public resources are unavailable or scarce.
* Foster collaborative relationships among grantees and other organizations.
CDP Turkey & Syria Earthquake Recovery Fund
On Feb. 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in southern Turkey near the northern border of Syria. Approximately nine hours later, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake shook the area around 59 miles (95 kilometers) to the southwest. Dozens of large aftershocks have also occurred in both countries.
The earthquake was the most devastating to hit earthquake-prone Turkey in more than 20 years and was as strong as the 1939 quake, the most powerful recorded there. Additionally, Syria’s current complex humanitarian emergency is among the world’s largest humanitarian crises, and the earthquake will only exacerbate its challenges and vulnerabilities.
CDP’s Turkey & Syria Earthquake Recovery Fund provides targeted grantmaking that prioritizes needs identified in collaboration with local partners.
Currently, we know that shelter, protection, cash assistance and health care will be sorely needed in the weeks and months ahead.
CDP Tornado Recovery Fund
Known as “nature’s most violent storms,” the U.S. is home to more tornadoes than any other country in the world.
During the first weeks of 2023, tornadoes in Alabama and Georgia brought destruction across several counties, which left communities vulnerable and in need of support.
With the increase in tornadoes throughout the year – even in the winter – there is no longer a “tornado season,” and the historical Tornado Alley stretching across the United States is growing larger.
CDP has been active in tornado recovery since our founding. The CDP Tornado Recovery Fund allows donors to target their contributions to meet specific medium- and long-term philanthropic goals for communities affected by tornadoes.
CDP Global Hunger Crisis Fund
A global food insecurity crisis is threatening the lives of millions worldwide, most acutely in the Horn of Africa. CDP’s Global Hunger Crisis Fund supports vulnerable, marginalized and at-risk groups to prevent and address hunger and malnutrition, build resilience to current and future climate-related drought and food insecurity, and focus on longer-term solutions to help them recover.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic reduced household incomes and disrupted markets and supply chains globally, chronic and acute hunger was rising due to various factors, including conflict, socio-economic conditions, natural hazards, climate change and pests. The impact of the war in Ukraine has had a negative compounding effect on global food security, with food prices likely to remain high for the foreseeable future. This is expected to push millions of additional people into acute food insecurity and potential famine.
CDP Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Recovery Fund
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia’s military began a broad military assault on Ukraine, involving air and missile strikes in main cities, and invasion of ground troops. This latest attack is a significant escalation in a multi-year crisis stemming from 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and supported armed separatists in Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia.
Residents, including journalists and minority groups who fear persecution under a potential Russian occupation, are fleeing the country or leaving areas that are being bombed or at risk of further conflict. The border with Poland already has lines of potential refugees’ miles long.
Where we work
External reviews

Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsTotal dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Victims of disaster, Emergency responders, Indigenous peoples
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Emergency responders, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims of disaster, Indigenous peoples
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Average grant amount
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Victims of disaster, Economically disadvantaged people, Emergency responders, Indigenous peoples
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of employment placements defined as part-time (less than 35 hours per week)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Number of donations made by board members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Numbers are estimates
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our Vision: A world where the impact of disasters is minimized by thoughtful, equitable and responsible recovery for all.
Build Awareness: Support, not only for immediate relief, but for medium- to long-term recovery. This goal is to help donors be more informed and more strategic in giving to disasters. Recovery doesn't take months, it takes years.
Impart Knowledge: CDP provides educational resources and shares its expertise to make disaster giving more effective, efficient and strategic.
Facilitate Access: Donors can readily access resilience, preparation and recovery providers through CDP.
Enhance Policymaking: CDP supports advocacy for public funding streams to encompass more investment in disaster resilience, preparation and recovery.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Share expertise: CDP works to be at the forefront of disaster recovery practice.
Be donor-centric: Ensure funders and donors are educated in their disaster giving
Do efficient grantmaking: CDP is an efficient and effective channel for funds for organizations working on recovery post-disaster.
Commit to holistic recoveries: A equity lens is applied to all aspects of CDP disaster recovery efforts.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Since its founding, CDP has had a sole focus on disasters which means it is uniquely qualified to direct philanthropic responses to sudden, weather-related events, unprecedented occurrences such as the pandemic and protracted complex humanitarian emergencies.
Its team has extensive experience in disaster relief and recovery, nonprofit management and effective grantmaking. CDP has a remote working structure that gives the organization presence in key areas, prone to natural disasters including Florida, Texas, and the Midwest.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Strategic Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors in November 2019, however CDP has:
Increased its public profile and shared its expertise with a significant number of philanthropic organizations, media outlets and corporate partners in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vetted lists of nonprofit partners responding to the pandemic were shared broadly to increase access to providers.
Completed a survey of 254 grantee partners with much to reflect on, celebrate, and learn.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
CENTER FOR DISASTER PHILANTHROPY INC
Board of directorsas of 09/06/2023
Kenneth Jones II
The MacArthur Foundation
Kenneth M Jones II
The MacArthur Foundation
Anita Whitehead
KPMG
Sabrena Silver
White & Case LLP
Christine Riley-Miller
BeiGene
Tiffany Benjamin
Humana Foundation
Travis Campbell
AMD
Heather Geronemus
UKG
Paul Cheung
The Center for Public Integrity
Tamara Winfrey-Harris
Central Indiana Community Foundation
Kristen Woolf
EMpower
Jeff Terry
GAF
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/26/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.