Recent News
An estimated 200,000 people were killed after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit southwest of the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Two 4.5 magnitude aftershocks struck the island at about 4 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. Friday. Thousands spent another night outside or in temporarily shelters and are still without electricity or reliable phone service. European Commission analysts estimate the quake injured 250,000 and made 1.5 million homeless.

The United Nations' UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has released $10 million for relief efforts, and has set up 15 food distribution centers around the island. The UN Security Council has also voted to add 2,000 troops to the 7,000 military peacekeepers already in the country as well as 1,500 more police to the 2,100-strong international force.

The New York Times reports that the U.N. World Food Program has delivered more than 4 million rations, equivalent to more than 13 million meals, to some 500,000 people. But it projects that 2 million Haitians need food aid.

Several charitable organizations are currently receiving donations and/or are mobilizing directly on the ground in Haiti to provide aid:

• Action Against Hunger
• American Red Cross
• American Jewish World Service
• AmeriCares
• CARE
• Catholic Relief Services
• Diaspora Community Services
• Direct Relief International
• Doctors Without Borders
• The Global Fund for Children
• Global Impact
• Habitat for Humanity International
• Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti
• International Medical Corps
• International Rescue Committee
• The Lambi Fund of Haiti (also has a Facebook page with reports from Haiti)
• Mercy Corps
• Oxfam
• Partners in Health
• Real Medicine Foundation
• Save Africa's Children
• Save the Children
• UNICEF
• United Way Worldwide Disaster Fund
• Yéle Haiti

Information and Resources

The Center for International Disaster Information provides a list of appropriate agencies with experience working in Haiti to which to contribute.

Donors Forum: Haiti Earthquake Resource Center  has gathered the resources below to to aid donors in making the most effective use of donations to the relief effort.

AlertNet, a service from Thomson Reuters Foundation for journalists covering disasters, offers comprehensive updates on the Haiti earthquake and other crises (including organizations providing relief) that are useful also to grantmakers and donors.

The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by the earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services, and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund, or by calling 800-257-7575.

BBB/Wise Giving Alliance advises donors on how to vet Haiti earthquake charity appeals.

Charity Navigator has compiled a list of charities that are responding to the crisis.

Council on Foundations is providing information on what its members and key NGOs are doing, as well as web sites that are coordinating the relief effort. 

FAQs About Charitable Organizations Providing Disaster Relief from the Internal Revenue Service.

Haiti Disaster Relief: How to Contribute, from The Lede Blog, NYTimes.com.

Northern California Grantmakers has compiled resources on best practices, where donors can give and actions grantmakers are taking currently.

Operation USA is appealing for donations of funds from the public, and corporate donations in bulk, of health care materials, water purification supplies, and food supplements which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles. Donate online at www.opusa.org, or by phone at 1-800-678-7255, or by check made out to Operation USA and sent to 3617 Hayden Ave., Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.

Tides has established funding relationships with groups working in Haiti, including Partners in Health and the Lambi Fund, as well as leading global relief organizations like the International Rescue Committee and Doctors Without Borders. Donate online to Tides' Relief and Reconstruction Fund.

Reimagining CSR is a corporate social responsibility blog with strategies on how companies can support relief efforts in Haiti.

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors recommends the following organizations doing effective short-term and long-term relief work in Haiti.

UNICEF has issued a statement that "Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them." UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF.

The United Nations' ReliefWeb provides up-to-date information as well as data and documents on the earthquake.

U.S. citizens wondering about family in Haiti can call the U.S. State Department's American Citizen Services line at 888-407-4747.

Giving Guides for Grantmakers

Power Amidst Chaos: Foundation Support for Advocacy Related to Disasters (pdf)
Foundations need to help build alliances between sectors before a disaster strikes. This report from Alliance for Justice suggests greater advocacy could have lessened Hurricane Katrina's damage.

Best Practices in Disaster Grantmaking: Lessons from the Gulf Coast (pdf)
Foundations must be willing to take risks and overcome their "inherent cautiousness" in funding unfamiliar organizations responding to a disaster, but they also must be patient and wait to commit some portion of grantmaking for when "gaps" become apparent after initial relief support, according to this report from the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers.

Grantcraft's Grants to Individuals: Investing in People and their Communities(pdf)
According to this Grantcraft publication, there's a counterintuitive need in an emergency -- when everybody's in need -- to take time, slow down a little bit, and establish specific eligibility criteria and working systems.

Disaster Grantmaking, A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations(pdf)
Advice from the Council on Foundations for grantmakers who want to aid disaster relief efforts.

Interaction: Guide to Appropriate Giving
Interaction, an alliance of international development and humanitarian organizations, explains what types of gifts will best help those in need.

Family Matters: In Times of War and Disaster(pdf)
Family Matters, the Council on Foundation's journal for family foundations, explores how foundations respond to war, terrorism and natural disasters, as well as IRS rules regarding assisting victims of disasters.

Giving Tips for Individual Donors

IRS: Disaster Relief - Providing Assistance Through Charitable Organizations (pdf)
Helpful tips about charities and tax deductions for people who want to make contributions to disaster relief efforts

SCG Members' Response

Amgen announced it will donate $2 million to aid disaster relief efforts in Haiti. The funds will be split equally between the American Red Cross, International Medical Corps, Direct Relief International and UNICEF. The Amgen Foundation will deploy its Disaster Relief Program web site for Amgen staff around the globe who wish to contribute their own funds to designated organizations aiding in the relief and rebuilding efforts.  The Amgen Foundation will match staff contributions dollar for dollar via this relief site.

Bank of America announced a $1 million commitment to aid the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, including a $500,000 grant to the American Red Cross for the Haitian Relief and Development Fund. Bank of America will match associate pledges through the bank's Matching Gifts program and will not limit its overall relief donation. Bank of America is also accepting donations for the American Red Cross Haitian Relief Efforts at all U.S. Banking Centers and waiving foreign transaction fees for customers making donations via debit or credit cards.

The California Community Foundation (CCF) announced that it is granting $2 million to support relief efforts in the wake of a devastating earthquake in Haiti that has displaced hundreds of thousands of victims. Contributions from donors, including a $250,000 matching gift from the foundation, has enabled CCF to grant a total of $1.9 million to relief efforts.
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation approved a $250,000 grant to Partners In Health for their relief and recovery efforts in Haiti. Because Partners In Health was a recipient of the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, with a long-term presence in Haiti and medical expertise, the Foundation has chosen to continue to support the organization's efforts.

Mattel, Inc. announced that the company is making a donation of $10,000 (USD) to Save the Children, a Mattel philanthropic Signature Partner. Recently, Mattel also made a $15,000 (USD) donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which was set up to enable the American Red Cross to immediately respond to disasters locally and globally. The Mattel Children's Foundation has opened its Employee Matching Gifts program to disaster relief donations on a worldwide basis.