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Center for Disaster Philanthropy Inc

EIN 45-5257937 · Washington, DC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE CENTER FOR DISASTER PHILANTHROPY (CDP) MOBILIZES PHILANTHROPY TO STRENGTHEN THE ABILITY OF COMMUNITIES TO WITHSTAND DISASTERS AND RECOVER EQUITABLY WHEN THEY OCCUR. THE ORGANIZATION PURSUES THIS MISSION THROUGH OUR WORK TO RAISE AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF DISASTER PHILANTHROPY, EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, AND FUND MANAGEMENT.

Income
$81.8 million
Spending
$39.9 million
Spent on programs
91%
Reserves
24.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 97%
Employees
43
Volunteers
14
Highest pay
$400,533, president & ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (public safety and disaster relief, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 24.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 3% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 51% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 91% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    91% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 46% of charities in its peer group (public safety and disaster relief, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    14 of 14 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (2)
  1. $34.8 million spent. DISASTER SERVICES: TO HELP PHILANTHROPY COLLABORATE AND BE MORE STRATEGIC WITH THEIR DISASTER SUPPORT, CDP MANAGES BOTH GENERAL AND DISASTER-SPECIFIC DISASTER FUNDS. OUR TEAM OF PROGRAM EXPERTS, WITH DEEP KNOWLEDGE IN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL DISASTER PHILANTHROPY, MANAGES FUNDS ACROSS A RANGE OF NEEDS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A DISASTER, DIRECTING RESOURCES STRATEGICALLY AND EFFICIENTLY TO HELP COMMUNITIES RECOVER MORE QUICKLY AND BECOME MORE RESILIENT. IN 2024, CDP MANAGED MORE THAN 10 DISTINCT FUNDS INCLUDING THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON RECOVERY FUND, CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES RECOVERY FUND, DOMESTIC RECOVERY FUND, GLOBAL HUNGER CRISIS FUND, GLOBAL RECOVERY FUND, HAWAII WILDFIRES RECOVERY FUND, MIDWEST EARLY RECOVERY FUND, ISRAEL AND GAZA RELIEF AND RECOVERY FUND, SUDAN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS FUND, TORNADO RECOVERY FUND, TURKEY AND SYRIA EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY FUND, AND UKRAINE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS RECOVERY FUND. IMPACT IS ASSESSED THROUGH ANALYSIS OF GRANTEE-REPORTED OUTCOMES AND LESSONS LEARNED AS WELL AS IMPACT STORYTELLING. LEARNINGS ARE SHARED WITH THE BROADER PHILANTHROPIC AND DISASTER RESPONSE COMMUNITIES. CDP PRIORITIZES OPEN, TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION WITH OUR GRANTEE PARTNERS THROUGH REGULAR CHECK-INS, COLLABORATIVE PLANNING, AND RESPONSIVE SUPPORT. WE BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS GROUNDED IN TRUST AND MUTUAL LEARNING. BEYOND FUNDING, CDP PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, CAPACITY-BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES, AND ACCESS TO NETWORKS THAT STRENGTHEN RESILIENCE AND IMPACT. WE OFFER THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, SHARE BEST PRACTICES, AND ELEVATE GRANTEE VOICES TO AMPLIFY THEIR WORK. OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT LONG-TERM RECOVERY AND EQUITABLE OUTCOMES BY PARTNERING DEEPLY WITH ORGANIZATIONS ON THE GROUND, ENSURING THEY HAVE THE TOOLS AND SUPPORT NEEDED TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY TO DISASTERS AND BUILD STRONGER COMMUNITIES. CDP SEEKS TO BUILD MOMENTUM FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE THROUGH PLACE-BASED AND SECTORAL DONOR COALITIONS. THESE COALITIONS SEEK TO DEVELOP PEER RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PHILANTHROPY, ADVANCE LEARNING ON COMMUNITY-LED EQUITABLE RECOVERY PRACTICES, AND ENCOURAGE THE SHARING OF BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED. IN 2024, CDP'S STRENGTHENING LOCAL HUMANITARIAN LEADERSHIP PHILANTHROPIC COLLABORATIVE LAUNCHED THE COALITION FOR MUTUAL AID IN SUDAN WITH THE AIM TO INCREASE DIRECT, FLEXIBLE FUNDING AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR LOCAL SUDANESE MUTUAL AID GROUPS, EMPOWERING THEM TO DELIVER ESSENTIAL HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AMIDST ONGOING CONFLICT AND LIMITED ACCESS BY INTERNATIONAL AID AGENCIES. CDP ALSO ENGAGES WITH DONORS TO PROVIDE REGULAR UPDATES ON OUR WORK AND IMPACT THROUGH EMAIL UPDATES, SHARING IMPACT STORIES, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO CONVENE IN PERSON. WE FOSTER AND VALUE DEEPER CONNECTIONS THROUGH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON MEETINGS TO STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY OF IMPACT. THESE GATHERINGS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE PERSONALIZED ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION TO LEARN ABOUT SPECIFIC ISSUES OR PROJECTS AND TO COLLABORATE AND ASK QUESTIONS. THESE TYPES OF GATHERINGS FURTHER OUR MISSION BY ALLOWING FOR COLLECTIVE LEARNING AND COLLABORATIVE IMPACT IN OUR EFFORT TO MOBILIZE PHILANTHROPY FOR EQUITABLE DISASTER RECOVERY.
  2. $1.4 million spent. MOBILIZING PHILANTHROPY: CDP CREATES CONTENT, MATERIALS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD AWARENESS AND EDUCATE PHILANTHROPY ON HOW BEST TO EMBRACE AND SUPPORT A RECOVERY MINDSET IN THEIR FUNDING AND PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES. WE PUBLISH REGULAR INFORMATION ABOUT THE LATEST MAJOR DISASTERS WORLDWIDE AND RECOVERY-RELATED CONTENT ON OUR WEBSITE. IN 2024, CONTENT ON OUR SITE SAW NEARLY 142,000 AVERAGE UNIQUE PAGEVIEWS EACH MONTH. WE LEVERAGE MEDIA COVERAGE AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT TO HIGHLIGHT KEY ISSUES AND BEST PRACTICES RELATED TO DEVELOPING LONG-TERM RECOVERY MINDSET AND PRACTICE AS THEY RELATE TO DISASTERS. IN 2024, CDP WAS MENTIONED IN VARIOUS NEWS OUTLETS SUCH AS THE CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY, ASSOCIATED PRESS, ABC NEWS, THE WEATHER CHANNEL AND MORE. OUR ADVISORY SERVICES FOR CLIENTS INCLUDE: STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR DISASTER-GIVING; LEADERSHIP EDUCATION AND FACILITATION; TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN DISASTERS; RESEARCH, EVALUATION AND LEARNING SUPPORT; AND HIGH IMPACT GRANT-MAKING FOR DISASTERS. WE PROVIDE THESE SERVICES TO A WIDE RANGE OF CLIENTS ACROSS PHILANTHROPY, INCLUDING PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, WEALTH ADVISING ORGANIZATIONS, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS. IN 2024, WE SUPPORTED 20 CLIENTS THROUGH THESE SERVICES. WE PROVIDE FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES TO ALL INCLUDING OUR ANNUAL STATE OF DISASTER PHILANTHROPY REPORT AS WELL AS FREE MONTHLY WEBINARS COVERING KEY TOPICS AND ISSUES RELATED TO DISASTER PHILANTHROPY.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since September 2012.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.