On Monday, February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the border regions of Turkey and Syria, causing largescale devastation with an estimated collapse of 6,000 buildings and a rising death toll of 17,000. This is the highest loss of life since the 2011 earthquake in Japan. This region has already been affected by war and many of those impacted by this tragedy are already refuges and internally displaced persons. 

A number of Turkish and international organizations have sprung into action and are facilitating urgent humanitarian aid and other assistance. It is important that those who are able provide assistance. Accordingly, we are providing to the donor community preliminary guidance that we will update as the context shifts relating to key principles and general funding areas, including specific recommendations for donations.

Critical Principles for Disaster Response

  • Give donations with as few restrictions as possible. General operating support dollars are the single best way to equip everyone and every group affected right now.
  • Allocate support for the immediate and longer term. The ripple effects of this disaster will be far reaching and extensive. That means there will be plenty of short- and long-term opportunities for a donor to support what they care about.
  • Fund organizations that are already active and experienced with current capacity in providing relief services and immediate aid.
  • Prioritize funder collaboratives to get funding to nonprofits in larger amounts with a single grant vs. a multitude of donations to acknowledge and track. Big collaboratives can also scan the sector and allocate more efficiently.

Read the full article about how to support Turkey and Syria at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.