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Update: Philanthropy’s response to Ukraine crisis

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Since March 11, when Candid last looked at the global philanthropic response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, human suffering and economic devastation has only increased. Images of massive tank columns, hollowed-out buildings, and refugees on the move are eerily familiar to those seen in the European Theater of World War II. Even as diplomatic negotiations continue, the future is uncertain at best. In the meantime, individuals, governments, and private philanthropy fund relief on the ground, trying to keep up with displacement and need on a massive scale. Candid continues to track philanthropy’s response to Ukraine.  Here we share an update on what we know so far.

Overview of philanthropy’s response to Ukraine

  • We have identified 540 grants worth $667,728,963 and 122 pledges worth $653,512,350 as of April 1.
  • Where population served is specified, half of grant dollars have been directed to the relief and resettlement of refugees.
  • Care and protection of children account for 26% of grant dollars.
  • Women and girls account for 3% of grant dollars.
  • The top 10 funders account for 36% of total dollar value, down from 54%.
  • Grants from public charities increased 580%.

Giving by populations served

This, and the analysis in the tables that follow, focuses solely on grants made in response to the crisis.

 Population  Grants  % Grants  $ Amount  % $
 Unknown  230  43  $249,834,336  37
 Refugees & Displaced People  171  32  $214,611,350  32
 Children  92  17  $109,238,660  16
 Jews  22  4  $70,295,500  11
 Elderly  4  1  $10,941,000  2
 Women & Girls  13  2  $10,729,500  2
 US  Service Members  2  0  $1,025,000  0
 LBGTQ  4  1  $853,617  0
 People of Color  2  0  $200,000  0

Where a population served is known, grants for the relief and resettlement of Ukrainian refugees account for 55% of grants and 51% total grant dollar value. The care and protection of children account for 30% of grants and 26% of dollar value. Ukraine has banned all able-bodied men and boys between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country, resulting in millions of displaced women, children, and elderly, but only 3% of grant dollars were earmarked for women and the elderly respectively. Just two grants worth $600,000 specifically target gender-based violence support. Other marginalized groups fare even worse, accounting for less than 1% of Ukraine grant dollars. More than $1 million in grants went to the support and entertainment of U.S. service members deployed to Eastern Europe.

Giving by geographic area served

 Area Served  Grants  % Named Grants  $ Amount  % Named $
 Ukraine  386  90  $516,223,593  93
 Unnamed  109    $110,261,520  
 Ukraine and neighboring countries  37  9  $34,788,850  6
 Neighboring countries  8  2  $6,455,000  1

Geographic area served refers to the location(s) that funders intend their grants to support. This can be, and often is, different from the location of the recipient that received the grants (see below). Where an area served is specified, Ukraine accounts for 90% of grants awarded and 93% of dollar value. Grants directed to Ukraine and “neighboring” or “surrounding” countries account for another 9% of grants and 6% of dollar value. Grants that specify areas served not including Ukraine account for 2% of grants and 1% of dollar value. These countries are, in the main, ones that share a border with Ukraine: Poland, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, and Slovakia. According to the UNHCR, these countries are currently hosting 4.9 million Ukrainian refugees.

Top recipient countries

 Country  Recipients  Amount  % Named  % named $
 Unnamed  166  $324,208,895
 United States  169  $110,376,038  45  32
 Switzerland  60  $99,062,550  16  29
 Ukraine  20  $81,627,487  5  24
 Germany  13  $13,900,000  3  4
 United Kingdom  32  $12,071,840  9  4
 Denmark  5  $6,780,000  1  2
 Poland  17  $5,879,225  5  2
 Italy  7  $4,160,200  2  1
 Canada  22  $2,075,850  6  1

While almost a third of grants went to organizations in Ukraine, recipient countries reflect giving to local chapters of the Red Cross and other international relief organizations, or to their Geneva-based headquarters. Among known recipient countries, the United States accounts for 45% of recipients and 32% of grant dollar value. Switzerland and Ukraine together account for 21% of recipients and 53% of dollar value.

Giving by funder type

 Funder type  Grants  Amount  % Grants % $ 
 Corporate giving program  263  $343,343,363  49  51
 Company-sponsored foundation  96  $105,505,215  18  16
 Public charity  102  $124,568,460  19  19
 Independent foundation  38  $46,485,100  7  7
 High net-worth individuals  17  $22,194,590  3  3
 Family Foundation  15  $17,662,000  3  3
 Limited liability company  7  $7,000,000  1  1 
 Governmentally linked foundation  1  $959,335  0  0
 NGO  1  $10,900  0  0
 Total  540  $667,728,963  100  100

Corporations account for slightly more than half of grants awarded and total dollar value, which is down from March 11, when their share was 59% of grants and 55% of dollar value. With the identification of 87 new contributions from public charities, foundations and public charities now account for 47% of grants and 44% of dollar value. High-net-worth individuals account for 3% of grants and dollar value, down from 5% last month.

Giving by top funders 

 Funder  Funder Type  Funder Country   Amount
 Conf. on Jewish Material Claims  Public charity  United States  $47,000,000
 Microsoft Corporation  Corporate giving program  United States  $31,500,000
 IKEA Foundation  Company-sponsored foundation  Netherlands  $21,800,000
 National Christian Foundation  Public charity  United States  $21,479,097
 Humble Bundle  Corporate giving program  United States  $20,736,920
 BP plc  Corporate giving program  United Kingdom  $20,000,000
 LEGO Fonden  Company-sponsored foundation  Denmark  $16,500,000
 Facebook, Inc.  Corporate giving program  United States  $15,000,000
 Heartland  Corporate giving program  Denmark  $15,000,000
 Realdania  Independent foundation  Denmark  $15,000,000
 Snapchat  Corporate giving program  United States  $15,000,000

The top 10 funders account for 36% of total funding, down from 54% on March 11. The number of $10 million funders has doubled since last month, increasing from nine to 19, while $1 million funders have more than doubled, jumping from 69 to 146. Microsoft joins four other new funders in the top 10.

Author’s note: On April 4th, Epic Games,  a video game and software development company based in Cary, North Carolina, announced that it had raised $144 million total for organizations providing humanitarian aid to people affected by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, donating the proceeds that players of its battle-royale game Fortnite spent over a two-week period.

Details about data for philanthropy’s response to Ukraine humanitarian relief

This analysis and the giving it’s based on is happening in real time. Candid collects data from publicly available sources, including press releases, websites, membership reports and surveys, and local reporting. This data collection includes grants and pledges from institutional and high-net-worth individuals worldwide but does not include the many smaller donations from individuals which account for a significant, if not the primary, source of total philanthropic giving in response to this crisis. It should be noted that our real-time data collection and assessment of philanthropy’s response to Ukraine currently relies heavily on sources written in English.

If you are a funder, we urge you to share data about your grantmaking in response to the crisis to ensure that the community is acting on the most comprehensive and accurate information possible. For additional information about sharing your data, please email [email protected].

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