Early Recovery Fund, Ebola Webinar Top List of CDP’s November Priorities

It’s hard to believe we have nearly reached the end of 2014, and the holidays are nearly upon us!
Later this month, we will be formally announcing the launch of The Early Recovery Fund, a project designed to allocate grants to vulnerable populations and communities devastated by low-attention disasters in a 10-state area of the Midwest. The goal of the fund is to provide early response to disasters that do not receive national attention, but still cause significant impact. Over the next year, CDP looks to put down significant roots in this area, and grow this important program as we establish new partners. We have brought on a new program officer for the fund – Nancy Beers – and I look forward to you getting to know more about her and the important work she’ll be doing in the Midwest.
CDP will host, “One Year from Patient Zero,” a webinar on the current status of the Ebola virus outbreak, at 3 p.m. ET on Dec. 3. The discussion on this webinar will look at what has gone right and what could be done better as the world continues to respond to this pandemic disease. We’ll also discuss the needs that still need to be addressed, and what the status of containment is at the nine-month mark. Our confirmed panelists come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and International Medical Corps, as well as a distinguished funder. We’re hopeful you will register and join us for this discussion.
Also, on November 16, I look forward to speaking as a panelist on “Achieving Disaster Resilience in U.S. Communities,” a special session hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), with support from the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation. Preparedness initiatives are an important focus for CDP, and I look forward to speaking with other thought leaders on this subject..
Do you have a question about our November focus points? Email me at bob.ottenhoff@disasterphilanthropy.org. I’d love to hear from you!

Robert G. Ottenhoff