Week of Gratitude 2021: Thank you community partners and donor

Happy Week of Gratitude! Here at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), we are constantly reminded of acts of kindness. Every generous act is significant, and each gift supporting CDP helps shape the road to recovery for those affected by disasters, especially marginalized communities in the U.S. and abroad. We are deeply grateful for the generosity of our partners, donors and friends that joined together for the good of many.

This year, we’ve responded to many disasters worldwide thanks to the support of our donors and the work of our grantee- partners. Over the next seven days, we’ll be highlighting their impact. Check back daily for new short impact stories.

Day Seven: Nov. 22, 2021

Impact Highlight: Strengthening Local Humanitarian Leadership Philanthropic Collaborative
CDP demonstrates a commitment to shifting decision-making power for disaster preparedness and recovery efforts to local, regional, and national actors responding to climate-related catastrophic weather events and protracted humanitarian crises. We are not alone in this work. For the past four years, CDP has participated in a collective of U.S.-based philanthropic organizations and donors with energy to model best practices for international funding and promote local humanitarian leadership worldwide. The group, called the Strengthening Local Humanitarian Leadership Philanthropic Collaborative, stays in regular contact, sharing challenges and successes and encouraging greater attention to the “localization movement.”

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hosted the group for its first two years, partnering with CDP to design and facilitate those meetings. With additional support from Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, CDP has continued to develop philanthropic resources and convene monthly calls for participants to share news of developing projects, provide updates on research, and present opportunities for collaborative funding.

Membership has grown to include 18 philanthropies and donors. Dan Keim of UPS Foundation, one of the original members, has reported that participation in the group has offered opportunities for peer networking, introduction to grantmaking tools, and learning about public-private sector partnerships. As the UPS Foundation looks to always be on the frontline of any disaster and to go deeper in its training and response work with global employees and disaster logistical support, a focus on local leadership is a natural fit.

CDP is grateful for the goodwill, innovative approaches, and ongoing affiliation with these funders.

Day Six: Nov. 21, 2021

Donor Highlight: Wood Next Fund
“CDP is one of Wood Next Fund’s go-to partners for disaster recovery because we trust their expertise to deploy our funds effectively on the ground, to support medium- and long-term efforts.” – Nancy Chan, Director of the Wood Next Fund

A new and committed partner of CDP, the Wood Next Fund is dedicated to leaving a positive impact on communities around the world. Thank you, Wood Next Fund!

Grantee Partner Impact Highlight: Connective

Connective, a CDP Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund grantee partner, started as Harvey Home Connect (HHC). Harvey Home Connect was a standard application and guide for the nonprofit home repair process following Hurricane Harvey in the greater Houston area. Since June of 2018, HHC has connected more than 1,000 families to critical nonprofit home repair opportunities to help them fully recover from that storm.

At CDP, we recognized the vital role this organization played in full recovery and wanted to help it sustain and expand its efforts to do even more and help beyond Houston. Through a collaborative funding effort, CDP continues to support Connective’s growth. They are now deeply engaged in recovery from subsequent storms in the region and the COVID-19 pandemic. Our capacity funding for Harvey Home Connect helped create Connective, and the strategies they have put into place for holistic and data-informed recovery are models to replicate way beyond Houston and the state of Texas.

Day Five: Nov. 20, 2021

Donor Highlight: Sozosei Foundation
“We are grateful for the insight, expertise, and transparency of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. As funders who care about response and recovery, particularly the mental health of individuals and communities after a disaster, we trust the Center to deploy our resources where they are needed most.” – Melissa M. Beck, Esq., Executive Director, The Sozosei Foundation

Sozosei Foundation has been a wonderful new partner to work with. In addition to their generous contribution to the CDP California Wildfires Recovery Fund, they have also supported the CDP Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund and the CDP Global Recovery Fund. Thanks to their support, CDP can continue to further localized and equitable recovery resources to both sudden-onset disasters and protracted crises. Thank you, Sozosei Foundation!

Grantee Partner Impact Highlight: Latino Community Foundation
The Latino Community Foundation (LCF) and their Just Recovery Partners have been working to fill ongoing language and cultural responsiveness gaps in every disaster since 2017. In 2020, a Google.org-funded CDP grant-supported efforts such as professional interpreting services for multi-sector emergency calls and staffing a 3.5-acre encampment in Napa so that Latino and Indigenous families were not left to suffer in the shadows. Learn more.

Day Four: Nov. 19, 2021

Client Highlight: League of California Community Foundations
The League of California Community Foundations builds and strengthens California’s communities by fostering collaboration and learning among thirty of the state’s community foundations. Over recent years, California’s drought-riddled landscape has been plagued by catastrophic wildfires that have leveled communities and decimated the natural landscape.

CDP and the League came together in early 2021 to design a program that would build the readiness and resilience of each League member. While the pandemic kept us from gathering in person, Zoom enabled reliable virtual time together, fostering learning and connection across the miles. Over ten months, CDP facilitated monthly workshops designed to address and cover issues that community foundation leaders need to know to prepare for and lead through any disaster shock. These workshops have addressed: the nexus of COVID-19 and disasters; building disaster-ready relationships; building internal and external capacity to navigate disaster waters; unpacking specific disaster shocks that California faces; and state and federal advocacy and public policy. Participants in the program benefit from shared learning –the lived experiences of each participant are brought to the group for discussion and reflection. Participants also make full use of the Community Foundation Disaster Preparedness Workbook, a tool created by CDP as part of the PPREP program led by The Funders Network. The workbook collects and stores information that community foundations need for disaster preparedness planning.

We have loved working with Laura Seaman and Sheila Tyree at the League and extend a hearty dose of gratitude to them for their collegiality and leadership!

Day Three: Nov. 18, 2021

Donor Highlight: eBay Foundation
“eBay Foundation is proud to support the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and their critical long-term response and recovery efforts. In addition to their work, which centers and connects with communities, we have valued our partnership and their thought leadership. They have proven to be the go-to source for thoughtful, equity-driven expertise in the midst of disaster.” – Allie Ottoboni, President, eBay Foundation

Determined to make a positive impact on humanitarian needs, we are pleased to partner with the eBay Foundation in their disaster philanthropy efforts. We are thankful for the eBay Foundation’s generous support to CDP’s Global Recovery Fund in addition to investing in CDP’s Disaster Recovery Fund. Thank you, eBay Foundation!

Donor Highlight: RNP Foundation
“CDP is one of the best nonprofit organizations for addressing the immediate needs on the ground in a disaster situation and dispersing their funds to the organizations and institutions that can most effectively address the issues on the ground.” – Amar Patel, Chief Philanthropy Officer

Committed to increasing the overall well-being of individuals, the RNP Foundation generously supported recovery efforts for the Australian and Amazon wildfires through CDP’s Global Recovery Fund. RNP Foundation also stepped up when the earthquake struck Haiti in August 2021 that tragically killed over 2,000 people, injured over 12,000, and destroyed over 50,000 homes by providing additional support to the CDP’s Haiti Earthquake Recovery Fund. Thank you, RNP Foundation!

Grantee Partner Impact Highlight: Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief
Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief (Miyamoto Relief) is a nonprofit that possesses the technical capabilities to implement targeted repairs in buildings of cultural heritage. With the support of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Miyamoto Relief is repairing ten residential units that were damaged by the deadly explosion in Beirut, Lebanon on August 4, 2020. This effort is critical in allowing displaced families to return to safe homes with strengthened infrastructure and reduced vulnerability to future disasters. Learn more.

Day Two: Nov. 17, 2021

Donor Highlight: Qualcomm Foundation
“With a commitment to serving as a trusted collaborator and corporate citizen, Qualcomm Foundation is thrilled to support the work of CDP and its grantees working tirelessly to rebuild communities around the globe that have been devasted by the COVID pandemic.”  – Julia Dorfman, Executive Director of the Qualcomm Foundation

We are grateful for Qualcomm’s trust and generosity to our COVID-19 Response Fund. Thank you, Qualcomm!

Grantee Partner Impact Highlight: Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership
Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP) is a nonprofit that develops, finances, and advocates for affordable housing at a scale that promotes racial equity and healthy communities. Through partnerships with CDP and other funders, ANDP was able to help those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic find financial housing support, a safe and stable housing environment, and necessary supportive services. Learn more.

Day One: Nov. 16, 2021

Grantee Partner Impact Highlight: Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board
The Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board (GPTLHB) represents 18 tribal communities across four states. When COVID-19 hit, they combined their public health knowledge and relationships with tribal partners and human service agencies to quickly respond to the pandemic with an emergency operations center. With the GPTLHB’s “ultimate goal to improve the ability of tribal nations to respond to a large-scale disaster,” CDP awarded a capacity-building grant for COVID-19 response and ongoing disaster-related leadership to support the newly formed We are Warriors Emergency Operations Center and the work of GPTLHB. Learn More.