Sudan cannot wait: Philanthropy can support humanitarian efforts now

The crisis in Sudan is worsening, with violence intensifying and humanitarian conditions deteriorating across Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum. In places like El Fasher, civilians are enduring the unimaginable: months under siege, mass displacement, near-total collapse of services, famine and escalating protection threats. Communities are exhausted, cut off and running out of time.

Yet amid this devastation, local responders remain the backbone of the humanitarian response. Local Sudanese organizations, mutual aid networks, community volunteers and the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) continue to deliver food, water, medical support and protection, often without pay, without equipment and under direct threat.

Their work was recently recognized when the ERRs were awarded the Rafto Prize for Human Rights and also shortlisted for the Nobel Peace Prize, a significant global acknowledgment of the courage and leadership of Sudanese responders.

But recognition alone does not keep families alive. Funding does. And funding is not coming in fast enough.

What we heard from local responders

During the Funders for Mutual Aid in Sudan’s November briefing with partners on the ground, the message was clear:

• Civilians are fleeing El Fasher in huge numbers, and 80% are women and children.
• Families are arriving in neighboring areas severely malnourished, traumatized and without access to food, water or health care.
• Health facilities are collapsing, with acute needs for medical supplies, trauma care, maternal health support and winterization items.
• Volunteers urgently need communications tools and evacuation support.
• Flexible funding is the single most urgent need. Rigid, restricted grants are slowing down response efforts and preventing local actors from adapting to rapidly shifting conditions.

Despite all of this, local responders continue to show extraordinary resilience, commitment and care. They are still showing up. Still organizing. Still saving lives.

But they cannot continue without immediate support.

A critical window for philanthropic action

Every delay costs lives.
Every day without funding makes displacement more dangerous.
Every restricted grant limits what local responders can do.

The cost of inaction is staggering. And growing.

Philanthropy has a critical role to play right now: not only by mobilizing resources urgently, but by funding in ways that honor local expertise, leadership and agency.

Here at CDP, we urge funders to take the following actions today:

1. Act now with flexible, rapid funding: If you can provide direct funding, allocate funds to Sudanese organizations that can deploy them immediately, in any sector, as conditions change. If you cannot fund local groups directly, consider contributing to CDP’s Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Fund.
2. Elevate local leadership in decision-making: Let those on the ground guide your funding strategies. Build relationships. Listen. Respond. Local responders know what their communities need and how to deliver it.
3. Commit to sustained, long-term support: Sudan’s crisis will not end soon. Communities will need multi-year funding, capacity strengthening and long-term partnerships to rebuild what has been lost. Investing in local organizations and groups now is a form of investment in long-term recovery.
4. Use your voice to advocate for access and civilian protection: Advocate for safe corridors, protection of civilians and reduced bureaucratic barriers to local responders. Learn more about Sudanese-led advocacy through Adeela’s “Nothing to Say” campaign.

Join the Funders for Mutual Aid in Sudan

This moment calls for collective action and coordinated funding.

The Funders for Mutual Aid in Sudan brings funders together to learn directly from local actors, share information, coordinate support and champion community-led humanitarian response.

If you want to be part of a growing group of funders committed to supporting Sudanese-led responses, please reach out to Taylor Dudley at taylor.dudley@disasterphilanthropy.org.

Your partnership can save lives.
Your funding can sustain hope.
Your action, now, matters.

Sudan cannot wait.