Philanthropy news and resources
From time to time there are news items or resources from the philanthropic sector that we like to share broadly. In addition to sending electronic announcements to our constituents that include information about these items, we will also post items of general interest here.
06 June 2010
The Gulf oil spill and the philanthropic response to natural disasters
While natural and man-made disasters have always existed, it seems that in the last few years we've had more cause than ever to revisit this topic.
Nearly two months after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, setting off a natural disaster of enormous proportions, we have a stronger picture of the philanthropic response that is emerging.
A summary with related information resources on the philanthropic supporters and partners that have emerged in recent weeks can be found on the Philanthropy Front and Center - Atlanta blog, and the On Philanthropy blog has updated its recent post by Tom Watson Philanthropic Response to Gulf Oil Disaster: Is It Enough?
Broader questions are also being asked in blog postings by others in the WINGS network. Over at the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Phil Buchanan asks BP Oil Spill: A Cautionary Tale on Blurring of Sector Boundaries? H20: Ideas & Action for Canada's Water is a blog recently established as part of an environmental project of Community Foundations of Canada. The blog's author, Vicki Burns, has been commenting on the disaster.
Recent disasters
It's been nearly five years since the Gulf coast of the United States was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and earlier this year a conference was convened to evaluate the philanthropic response in its aftermath. A summary is available from a local news article here.
Earlier this year WINGS rounded up a quick list of responses to the earthquake in Haiti from WINGS participants and other philanthropic players. One of the first articles to appear that is able to take a longer view is Can we do better in Haiti? by Nicolas Borsinger in Alliance Magazine (subscribers only). This article looks at the dangerous ripple effect of "aid agency density" in the aftermath of disasters where the human toll (in terms of deaths, injuries and vulnerability in the face of a collapsed infrastructure) is desperately high.
Disaster grantmaking resources
A greater range of anecdotal and story-based information is emerging on funding in the wake of disasters due to the number of high profile disasters that have struck in recent years. In 2001 the Council on Foundations in the US first published Disaster Grantmaking: A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations, which was updated in 2007. This PDF is available from COF's website. The International Grantmaking arm of COF also offers a list Disaster Grantmaking Resources on its website, organized by overseas disaster (the current list covers 2004 to 2007).
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