2023 Roundup: Disaster relief stays the course amid growing challenges

December 26, 2023

A large wood crate containing humanitarian aid.

Humanitarian assistance in response to natural and man-made disasters figured prominently in philanthropy news in 2023. Relief aid following the March earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which claimed more than 50,000 lives, was notable for its lack of attention to communities in war-torn Syria. During August, the wildfire on the Hawai‘ian island of Maui that destroyed the historic community of Lahaina drew significant support from mega-watt celebrities. The conflict between Israel and Hamas sparked an outpouring of aid, particularly in response to the growing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip, while the war in Ukraine entered its second year with fewer high-profile grants but a sharper awareness of the war’s effect on global food distribution, alongside international efforts to address the challenges of refugees in Europe, Africa, and elsewhere. In December, a report from Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy—looking back at 2021—found that while far from its COVID-19 peak of $4.3 billion in 2020, disaster-related funding was still nearly eight times greater than in 2019.

Here are some of the top stories from 2023:

Disaster funding is down but still outpacing pre-pandemic norms
(12/16/2023)

Grantmakers allocate humanitarian funds to victims in Israel, Gaza
(10/24/2023)

Wildfire relief funds to Hawai‘i Community Foundation top $52 million
(08/22/2023)

Kavli Foundation launches program to support displaced scholars
(08/10/2023)

Funding crisis and blockade put UN World Food Programme in jeopardy
(08/03/2023)

IKEA Foundation awards $2 million to assist refugees in Africa
(06/06/2023)

Turkish Philanthropy Funds raises $11.1 million for earthquake relief
(03/15/2023)

IRC warns of ‘catastrophic famine’ in Somalia as drought endures
(01/20/2023)

(Photo credit: Getty Images/ugurhan)