Humanitarian support for Ukraine has swelled around the world as Russia continues its invasion that has forced millions to flee their homeland.
Image by Jernej Furman via Flickr
How can you help?
Learn more: Last week, the Council on Foundations and the U.S. State Department hosted an urgent discussion about how philanthropy can best support the humanitarian response to Ukraine. The webinar includes State Department and philanthropic community representatives. Watch it here.
Explore your options: MaineCF staff researched and compiled a list, below, of options for giving to help the people of Ukraine. The Council also is regularly updating a curated list of funder resources and response funds on its website. See its lists here.
Stay informed: Journalists in Ukraine have shown extraordinary courage as they continue to report news of the invasion. The Kyiv Independent continues to publish daily accounts. It has launched a GoFundMe for support and an additional fundraiser to help other journalists from Ukraine. Read The Kyiv Independent here.
Ten Options for Giving
This list may help simplify your options for giving as more organizations respond to the crisis in Ukraine. They support a wide variety of needs, including food/shelter/medical supplies and health care/transportation/other critical supplies such as clothing and sleeping bags.
- CARE is providing food, water, and hygiene kits to displaced women, girls, and the elderly
- World Central Kitchen is mobilizing meals for people at the Poland/Ukraine border
- International Rescue Committee is based in New York City and has affiliates in the United Kingdom. It is sending supplies to displaced families and children fleeing Ukraine. It also helps resettle refugees in addition to its crisis response
- Save the Children is a global organization on the ground in northeastern Romania, where it is supporting asylum seekers in refugee camps
- Global Giving partners with other nonprofit organizations across the world to mobilize local responses to disasters and has offices in Washington, D.C., and London
- Global Fund for Children identifies innovative and often early-stage organizations and their leaders responding to situations where children are at risk around the world. It has offices in Washington, D.C., and London. It provides funding and support and connects organizations to mentors and other assistance
- Global Empowerment Mission is based in Florida with warehouses strategically located around the country and world for fast responses to disasters. It is now focused in Poland, helping to organize transportation and relocation for refugees escaping Ukraine and is providing general support in refugee camps
- UNICEF is on the ground in Ukraine, focused on helping children
- Doctors without Borders has teams in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia, and Belarus. It was able to get its first shipment of emergency supplies to the Ukraine Health Ministry in Kyiv on March 6
- Red Cross has been in Ukraine since 2014 and works with local chapters there
- United Help Ukraine is based in Maryland and was started by a group of volunteers – all of whom have a connection to Ukraine and met at a protest in Washington, D.C., after the 2014 Russian attack on Ukraine. It has developed relationships with nongovernmental organizations, hospitals, and other partners in Ukraine and is providing medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and protective equipment. It also is supporting wounded warriors and focused on raising awareness.
Also recommended by the Council on Foundations as a key philanthropic partner is the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. This organization approaches its grantmaking in a similar way to MaineCF by recruiting people with expertise and local perspective to advise grant decisions. It seeks to fill gaps identified in disaster response and unanticipated issues that arise.
More Targeted Types of Relief
- The National Bank of Ukraine is recommended by the deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of State to help Ukraine’s government. (This option is not eligible for donor-advised grants.)
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights focuses on women’s and gender rights in crisis situations.
- International Medical Corps provides emergency care to people in Ukraine.
- The Washington Post lists organizations to consider, including a fund to support journalists.
The following groups are working on human rights challenges in Ukraine, including support for activists and journalists as well as minority groups that include LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized people.
