At the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), we say that all philanthropists are disaster philanthropists seeking to strengthen communities.

Prior to 2020, this adage was a way to remind donors that no matter their focus or mission, there was a tie-in for them in supporting a community’s response to and recovery from a disaster. But with the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying crises, philanthropy’s role in aiding society has reached new heights of relevance.

Where do root causes end and disasters begin?

Recent research from CDP and Candid finds that, in the face of COVID-19, funders have leaned in and are working for the good of others like never before. With more than $11.9 billion awarded for COVID-19 response globally, many grantmakers and major donors have demonstrated that not only can they be generous in a crisis, but they can lead others by showing how to help as well.

Philanthropy’s substantial response to the pandemic is unique in disaster-related giving as institutional funders and major donors have not traditionally seen a central role for themselves in responding to disasters. More focused on the long view of addressing the root causes of society’s ills, many in philanthropy often defer to government agencies, such as FEMA, to both tackle the immediate suffering caused by disasters and support the long path to recovery that follows (which most often occurs out of the spotlight).

However, the concurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, a movement for racial justice powered with new urgency, and numerous disasters from natural hazards across the United States are forcing all of us to question if this bifurcated approach is working.

Many of my colleagues in the sector have written about the need for philanthropy to shift from being verbal allies for societal change to active advocates, such as ABFE’s call to action, signed by more than 60 Black foundation chief executives, urging philanthropy to stem anti-Black racism. We need a similar transformation in how grantmakers and donors perceive their role in responding immediately to disasters, supporting equitable recovery, and boosting communities’ capacity to withstand future catastrophes.

While working with communities during the recovery period following a disaster is the norm for CDP, we decided that it was vital to support COVID-19 response efforts that provided immediate aid and relief to those most impacted. You can imagine our surprise, then, that some of the “immediate needs” identified by communities were all about long-term approaches to addressing societal ills. Sound familiar?

Read the full article about becoming disaster philanthropists by Patricia McIlreavy at The Center for Effective Philanthropy.