Announcing nearly $2.2 million in grants to support earthquake recovery in Turkey and Syria

“The earthquake is considered old news, but it’s created new and bigger problems.” – Özlem Çolak, Co-Leader of the Youth and Arts Initiative in Antakya, Turkey.

Today marks three years since a magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook southern Turkey and northern Syria, claiming more than 59,000 lives and further exacerbating the humanitarian crises in both countries. This earthquake was the most devastating to hit Turkey since 1999 and one of the most powerful ever recorded in the country.  

The quick succession of a second magnitude 7.5 earthquake, approximately nine hours later, created a long and challenging path to recovery for the region, as thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed and nearly 18 million people were left in immediate need of humanitarian assistance.  

Three years later, widespread needs remain, and survivors are still grappling with the lasting physical, emotional and psychosocial impacts of the disaster. Shortly after the earthquakes, CDP launched the Turkey & Syria Earthquake Recovery Fund to support the most underserved and at-risk earthquake-affected families and communities as they work to rebuild and recover.  

In October 2023, we announced the first round of 13 grants from the fund, totaling $5.6 million. The grants supported immediate humanitarian needs while also investing early in longer-term recovery priorities, like rehabilitating community infrastructure, restoring livelihoods and local economies, and expanding access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). 

Recovery in action 

Members of the CDP international team recently had the chance to see the recovery work in Turkey in person. Over the course of six days, the team met with more than 20 organizations in Antakya, İskenderun, Samandağ, Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep, Turkey.  

While signs of reconstruction are increasingly visible, particularly in urban areas, the visit also made clear the sheer scale and depth of the destruction, which has left many still displaced and continuing to live in container-home cities or settlements, often with limited access to stable livelihoods, adequate services and long-term housing solutions. Alongside these realities, the team encountered extraordinary resilience and leadership among communities continuing to rebuild nearly three years after the earthquakes.  

From arts-based psychosocial support programs and supporting the well-being of frontline workers, to climate-resilient infrastructure rehabilitation and community spaces designed by and for youth, these efforts reflect the power of communities to rebound when provided with the right resources.  

Second round of grantmaking from the Turkey & Syria Earthquake Fund 

Funding for recovery has sharply decreased since the disaster, but we are proud to continue our support thanks to the generosity of our donors. For round two of grantmaking from the Turkey & Syria Earthquake Fund, we awarded 18 grants totaling nearly $2.2 million. All but $90,775 of these grantmaking dollars were awarded to locally led organizations, recognizing the critical and trusted role they play in recovery and rebuilding efforts. 

We were also pleased to partner with Turkish Philanthropy Funds to co-fund three organizations within this round, leveraging the shared commitment of both organizations to build stronger, more resilient communities in the face of disaster.  

Learn more about our grantee partners:  

• Action for Humanity received $75,002 to strengthen inclusive, community-led recovery in Coastal Syria by enabling vulnerable communities—particularly older people, persons with disabilities, and women—to identify, lead, and implement Survivor and Community-Led Response (SCLR) initiatives, while advancing age inclusion and accountability within the wider humanitarian response system.
• Anadolu Kültür received $100,000 to empower and support local actors, grassroots organizations, communities, children and youth living in Hatay and Adıyaman by building resilience and self-reliance through arts-based psychosocial support. 
• Beyaz Baretliler DerneğI (White Helmets) received an additional $100,000 to support the responsible wind-down of its operations in Syria and the sustainable transition of the organization’s scope of work.  
• Buradayiz Hatay received $50,000 to create a community hub that supports young people in their academic, psychosocial and artistic development, while also fostering economic resilience for local businesses in Hatay, Turkey. **Co-funded with Turkish Philanthropy Fund
• Deakin University’s Centre for Humanitarian Leadership received $126,108 to strengthen locally led humanitarian response and recovery through leadership development in Ukraine and Syria. The centre will also conduct a network analysis focused on local humanitarian organizations in Syria. This initiative will equip local humanitarian leaders with adaptive leadership skills, strengthen participation in coordination and decision-making, and reinforce the resilience and sustainability of locally led organizations operating in protracted crisis contexts. **Co-funded with the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Recovery Fund 
• Guardians of Equality Movement (GEM) received an additional $75,000 to expand its existing case management and MHPSS services supporting the most vulnerable earthquake-affected populations, as well as to open a new Protection Center in northwest Syria.  
• Hayata Destek Dernegi (Support to Life) was awarded an additional $100,000 to design sustainable, accessible and timely alternative funding sources for civil society and Turkey-led NGOs operating at the national and local level.
• HelpAge USA received an additional $30,000 to strengthen inclusive humanitarian recovery in Syria by advancing advocacy on the rights and inclusion of older people. The project will also build the capacity of the Syrian NGO, Action for Humanity (AfH), to advance older people’s rights and ensure their meaningful participation in community-based recovery through AfH’s survivor- and community-led community response (SCLR) activities. 
• International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation received $100,000 to restore basic education services for earthquake-affected communities in Northern Aleppo, Syria, by rehabilitating Tamador Primary School. Psychosocial support training will also be provided to teachers, enabling them to better support children affected by the disaster. 
• Menekşe Organizasyon Sosyal ‎Yardimlaşma Ve Dayanişma Derneği (Violet Organization of Relief and Development) received an additional $500,000 to support the ASCEND coalition, which unites six refugee-led and local community-based organizations to implement one coordinated, area-based recovery program spanning food security, education, shelter, livelihoods/SMEs, women and youth empowerment, psychosocial well-being, and green public spaces in earthquake-affected communities in Syria. 
• Mavi Kalem received $50,000 to empower women who run businesses to generate increased income by supporting them in building their business capacity through an online consultancy hotline, cash grants and the creation of a Women’s Solidarity Network in Hatay, Turkey. **Co-funded with Turkish Philanthropy Fund 
• POINT received $130,000 to restore damaged shelters through cash-for-shelter grants and create short-term livelihood opportunities through cash-for-work programs focused on community improvements (street cleaning, debris removal, light maintenance, etc.). 
• Sened Derneği received an additional $150,000 in 2025 to provide multi-sectoral and integrated WASH, protection and livelihood services to the most vulnerable earthquake-affected individuals in northwest Syria, including people with disabilities and their caregivers.    
• SEWAR received $100,005 to empower and support visually-impaired women affected by the 2023 earthquake by providing psychosocial support and educational and vocational training. The grant will also strengthen SEWAR’s operational capacity in Aleppo.
• Sabancı University Teacher’s Network received $50,000 to foster a professional learning culture by supporting teachers in identifying and addressing their educational challenges while facilitating knowledge sharing among teachers from various cities in Hatay, Türkiye. **Co-funded with Turkish Philanthropy Fund 
• Toplum Kalkinma Derneği (BINAA Organization for Development) received an additional $184,739 in 2025 to restore and enhance the functionality of essential water services in selected water units of rural Damascus, Syria. This will contribute to the national plan to reduce the effects of climate change on water resources and to ensure safe, reliable and uninterrupted water access for returnees displaced and affected by the 2023 earthquake. 
• Turkish Grameen Microfinance Program received $50,000 to promote economic resilience and long-term financial inclusion for women in Turkey through a sustainable microcredit approach. 
• Uluslararası İnsani Yardımlaşma Derneği (Humanitarian Relief and Development – IYD) received $140,000 in 2025 to rehabilitate critical community infrastructure in Homs City, Syria, through the restoration of two water wells, one primary school and a major automated bakery. 

At CDP, we know that equitable, long-term recovery is more than rebuilding infrastructure. It’s about strengthening the social, economic and emotional well-being of individuals and communities. Insights from our grantee partners in Turkey and Syria remind us why flexible, equity-focused disaster philanthropy is critical: to ensure communities have the resources not only to recover, but thrive.