2025 Annual Impact Report
In 2025, disasters and crises tested communities amid a funding environment that presented unparalleled challenges for the disaster and humanitarian assistance sector. We mobilized our expertise, advisory services, coalitions and grantmaking to meet urgent needs and help philanthropy respond effectively in a changing environment.
Helping philanthropy respond effectively in a changing environment
2025 reminded us that disasters do not occur in isolation. They unfold within larger systems that shape how communities prepare, respond and recover. In 2025, both the scale of disasters and the uncertainty surrounding the institutions that support recovery left a deep mark on communities around the world.
Los Angeles faced devastating wildfires that destroyed homes and neighborhoods. Families in Texas experienced catastrophic flooding and profound loss. Typhoon Kalmaegi brought widespread destruction in the central Philippines just weeks after a major earthquake hit the same region. And in Sudan and Ukraine, conflict continued to drive immense humanitarian need and displacement. These are just a few of the devastating crises that occurred last year, and our hearts are with everyone who experienced disasters.
We also saw significant shifts in the global humanitarian landscape. The closure of USAID, alongside foreign aid cuts from several other countries, altered long-standing approaches to humanitarian assistance and recovery. In the United States, ongoing debate about the future role of FEMA called into question what the federal response to disasters will look like in the years ahead.
These developments affect all of us working across civil society, government and private sector. They also reinforce an important reality: Recovery depends on sustained partnership, local leadership and long-term commitment.
Throughout the year, we saw communities continue to lead with resilience and clarity about what recovery requires. In Sudan, community members collaborated to create the Local Response Pooled Fund (LRPF) to support their peers to address humanitarian needs.
We also saw donors, nonprofit organizations and philanthropic partners step forward in meaningful ways to help meet urgent and evolving needs.
At the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, 2025 sharpened our sense of responsibility and purpose. We remain committed to supporting equitable recovery and helping philanthropy respond thoughtfully and effectively in a changing environment.
One especially meaningful moment was the extraordinary $60 million unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving. We are grateful for this investment and for the trust it signals in our mission.
This support reflects the collective work of many partners, donors and community leaders. We are grateful to all who continue to support recovery efforts long after public attention has moved on. That sustained commitment remains essential to helping communities recover, rebuild and prepare for the future.
With gratitude and determination,
2025 Key Moments
The 2025 funding environment presented unparalleled challenges for the disaster and humanitarian assistance sector. Throughout it all, CDP remained anchored in our core values and mission to mobilize philanthropy to more effectively reach disaster-affected communities. In 2025, we awarded $32.99 million in grants, funding 158 initiatives across 33 countries and the U.S., as well as two Tribal Nations.
Max Bell Alper, Executive Director, North Bay Jobs with Justice
“We appreciate CDP’s willingness to take risks and support projects in early stages so that we can develop programs and leverage additional philanthropic funds and public dollars.”
We also partnered with 14 organizations across the philanthropic ecosystem through our advisory services, bringing decades of disaster expertise to their giving decisions. We brought funders together to learn, collaborate and take coordinated action in support of communities affected by disasters and humanitarian crises.
Through our research and evaluation work, we released three reports that provided insights to help funders make informed decisions for more effective and strategic disaster philanthropy.
We are committed to advancing more strategic, equitable and impactful disaster philanthropy, but we couldn’t do it without our donors.
In October 2025, we received a transformational $60 million gift from MacKenzie Scott through Yield Giving. More than a milestone moment for the organization, the gift represents a powerful affirmation of our mission and the collective impact made possible through the partnership of donors, grantee partners and communities around the world. We are deeply grateful for MacKenzie Scott and Yield Giving’s generous support.
This gift underscores the critical importance of unrestricted funding in enabling organizations to lead effectively in rapidly changing environments.
Thank you to Assured Guaranty, Bohemian Foundation, California Community Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, eBay Foundation, Google.org, NIKE Foundation, Ruan Family Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, The Winkel Family Charitable Fund, and all the generous donors who provided unrestricted support to CDP. We value your trust in our expertise, knowing that philanthropic investments will go where and when they are needed most.
We are grateful to all our supporters and partners who share in our vision for a world where all communities are better able to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur.