Center for Disaster Philanthropy

06/03/2026

In November 2025, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines experienced catastrophic flooding, landslides, storm surges and high winds from monsoons and multiple typhoons.

More than 1,100 people died across the region, and millions have been displaced. In addition to destroyed homes, schools and other infrastructure, damage to the agricultural sector will have significant economic consequences and exacerbate food insecurity across the region.

Even as media attention fades, recovery from this type of event can take years.

Experts recommend monetary donations to organizations responding to disasters. This allows on-the-ground agencies to direct funding toward the most significant areas of need, support economic recovery and quickly reestablish access to necessities.

CDP always recommends using financial assistance as an intervention and a recovery strategy.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/40nE3zq

Updates on Southeast Asia severe storms, the impact on communities, critical needs and how donors can support recovery.

06/02/2026

What we're watching: Severe flooding in Syria, extreme heat in Europe, and an update on the Ebola crisis in the DRC and Uganda. Read the full report: https://bit.ly/3QdknwO

The June 1 weekly disaster update covers flooding in Syria, ebola in DRC and the complex humanitarian emergency in Burkina Faso.

06/01/2026

“I have learned to dream. Thanks to group meetings with a psychologist, I was able to see and feel myself in the future. I created my own dance courses and started teaching. I share my knowledge and experience with others – it helps me to become better. Together with a psychologist, we reviewed our desires and dreams, distinguished the main from the secondary, and I saw the real me. I learned to love myself.” – Dmitry, Alliance Global program participant

The psychological consequences of the war in Ukraine can seem invisible, but that does not mean they aren’t there. As the crisis continues, mental health providers are seeing worsening psychological symptoms.

We awarded a grant to Alliance Global to increase organizational capacity, improve resilience, and create the conditions conducive to a more sustainable recovery and rehabilitation of marginalized and conflict-affected LGBTQIA+ people through improved mental health.

LGBTQIA+ people in Ukraine have long faced stigma and have been subject to a widespread negative perception by parts of Ukrainian society.

The goal of Alliance Global’s project was to provide effective, individualized psychological support that considers the conditions of war and the unique needs of LGBTQIA+ populations and promotes mental health and well-being.

With funding from CDP, the Alliance Global team built a network of online psychologists throughout Ukraine to work with representatives of LGBTQIA+ communities to reduce the negative mental health impacts of the war.

The team also established a presence in four cities in Ukraine: Kyiv, the capital; the frontline cities of Dnipro and Kharkiv; and Lviv, which is located in the west of the country and has seen the largest migration of people since the beginning of the invasion. Throughout 2023 alone, project psychologists provided services to 343 clients through 807 consultations.

This Pride Month, we’re reminded that LGBTQIA+ people face unique challenges in disasters, and that can include mental health care. We are proud to support Alliance Global in its work. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3QeX0jc

CDP awarded a grant to Alliance Global’s to improve mental health and psychological well-being in LGBTQIA+ communities throughout Ukraine.

05/31/2026

“It’s not our role as philanthropy to fix what’s broken in a country,” she said. “That’s politics. That’s bigger than us. But there’s so much we can do — even by offering six months or a year of education.”

Our President and CEO, Patricia McIlreavy, was featured in an Associated Press story discussing the role of philanthropy in conflict, particularly focusing on children. The article discussed the LEGO Foundation's recent commitment to East Africa and the Middle East.

Read the full story now:

The LEGO Foundation has committed $97 million to expand the International Rescue Committee's programs that use play to aid learning and recovery for children in conflict zones.

05/30/2026

The current outbreak of Ebola could become “the deadliest on record” without urgent international action.

You can help right now by giving with:

- Flexible support. In a fast-moving outbreak, needs change quickly. Organizations responding in DRC, Uganda and the surrounding region need resources they can use as conditions evolve, whether that means supporting health workers, reaching communities with trusted information, moving supplies, strengthening infection prevention and control, or helping families affected by illness, isolation and loss.

- Local support. Support proximate responders, directly where possible and through trusted partners where needed. Those closest to the crisis are often best positioned to understand community concerns, build trust and adapt response efforts to local realities. In complex outbreaks, donors should prioritize organizations with existing relationships, contextual knowledge and the ability to move safely and responsibly.

- Long-term support. Invest beyond the immediate emergency. Ebola response is not only about stopping transmission today. It is also about strengthening the systems that help communities prepare for, withstand and recover from future outbreaks. Donors should ask whether their disaster giving supports the full arc of crisis, before, during and after the emergency.

The CDP Global Recovery Fund (GRF) provides donors with the opportunity to fund recovery with a focus on flexible, local and long-term support: https://bit.ly/472vcVT

Through CDP's Global Recovery Fund, you can support communities affected by disasters worldwide today. Learn more.

05/29/2026

Now hiring: The program associate, international funds will play an integral role in supporting the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s (CDP) international fund management efforts.

This position assists the program officer for international funds with data collection, analysis for fund design and implementation, and administrative tasks related to fund management.

Additionally, the program associate will contribute to the success of the international funds team by aiding program managers in grantmaking activities and fostering relationships with grantee partners.

Learn more and how to apply: https://bit.ly/4dPZeAz

05/29/2026

"How do we help this community, not be dependent on external assistance or charity, but rather step up and lean into what they are doing for themselves. And lifting up what they are doing for themselves."

Our president and CEO, Patricia McIlreavy, spoke with host Jay Frost on the Frontlines podcast about nonprofits and how donors can best serve communities in complex emergencies.

Watch the podcast: https://bit.ly/3QpCr6G

05/28/2026

After the West Africa Ebola outbreak and COVID-19, many believed the world would be better prepared for future outbreaks. But the current Ebola crisis unfolding in the DRC and Uganda tells a more complicated story.

As health systems, humanitarian infrastructure and global aid networks face increasing strain, one lesson is becoming clear: preparedness cannot begin once a crisis escalates.
Read President and CEO, Patty's new reflection, where she shares lessons from past outbreak responses, why local leadership and community trust remain critical, and what philanthropy can — and cannot — do in moments like these.
Read more: https://bit.ly/4dPVuiH

Philanthropy has a vital role to play in supporting communities affected by the 2026 Ebola outbreak amid a weakened global aid environment.

05/27/2026

05/27/2026

Ebola in DRC and Uganda: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns that the current outbreak of Ebola could become “the deadliest on record” without urgent international action.

The outbreak began in Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which borders South Sudan and Uganda. As of May 26, there are at least 220 recorded deaths from the virus, and 900 suspected cases.

The number of cases is likely far higher. Officials predict this outbreak will eclipse the 2018 outbreak in both fatality and case counts, partly because there is no vaccine or treatment for the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus responsible for the current outbreak.

Major funding cuts in 2025 reduced health, surveillance and outbreak preparedness measures from five to two areas of Ituri Province. This reduction potentially contributed to the rapid spread of the outbreak which went undetected for weeks.
Ebola spreads through touch, and health workers do not have enough PPE to help reduce transmission. Doctors, nurses and other medical staff are contracting the virus, further diminishing the personnel needed to contain the outbreak and increasing the risks to people seeking health care.

The current Ebola outbreak highlights the critical importance of disease monitoring and tracing, engagement with communities to build understanding of risks and how to change behaviors to reduce transmission, and the availability of well-resourced health facilities, especially in places experiencing complex humanitarian emergencies with large numbers of displaced people.

How can funders help right now?

- Give flexible support. In a fast-moving outbreak, needs change quickly. Organizations responding in DRC, Uganda and the surrounding region need resources they can use as conditions evolve, whether that means supporting health workers, reaching communities with trusted information, moving supplies, strengthening infection prevention and control, or helping families affected by illness, isolation and loss.

- Support local and proximate responders, directly where possible and through trusted partners where needed. Those closest to the crisis are often best positioned to understand community concerns, build trust and adapt response efforts to local realities. In complex outbreaks, donors should prioritize organizations with existing relationships, contextual knowledge and the ability to move safely and responsibly.

- Invest beyond the immediate emergency. Ebola response is not only about stopping transmission today. It is also about strengthening the systems that help communities prepare for, withstand and recover from future outbreaks. Donors should ask whether their disaster giving supports the full arc of crisis, before, during and after the emergency.

Philanthropy has a critical role to play in supporting communities affected by the 2026 Ebola outbreak and investing in long-term recovery.