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Non-profit

Center for Disaster Philanthropy

Website:

disasterphilanthropy.org/
Location:

Washington, DC
Tax ID:

45-5257937
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2022):

Revenue: $41,093,385
Expenses: $31,918,757
Assets: $41,391,035
Type:

Disaster relief group
Formation:

2010
President:

Patricia McIlreavy
Budget (2023):

Revenue: $30,724,437
Expenses: $26,556,883
Assets: $42,854,361 15

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The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is a left-of-center organization that advocates on increased spending towards disaster relief and assistance. 1 CDP is a former project of the left-of-center funding and advocacy nonprofit New Venture Fund, which is managed by left-of-center consulting firm Arabella Advisors. In 2012, it became a separate and independent nonprofit organization. 2

Background

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is a left-of-center advocacy organization that promotes increased spending towards local and international disaster relief. 3 The organization is based in Washington, D.C. 4

COVID-19 Response

According to its website, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) previously had a section on the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It claimed critical needs towards combatting the virus included funding towards developing and releasing personal protective equipment such as respirators, increasing medical staffing, development on programs for dealing with mental health, treating substance abuse, and also treating child and domestic abuse. 5

The CDP had raised money on their website directly for the COVID-19 Response Fund. The organization provided donation advice and a recommended list of others. The organization also provided recommendations on donating to local NGOs that provided support towards housing and homelessness, health care, nutrition and food support, mental health, domestic violence, and care for seniors. 5

On May 17, 2020, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” featured actor Kumail Nanjiani doing a viral challenge meant to raise $10,000 for the CDP. 6

Former New Venture Project

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) was formerly a project of the New Venture Fund, 7 a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides grants and funds to various left-of-center organizations. 8 According to Americans for Public Trust, as of May 2025, CDP was still an active trade name of the New Venture Fund. 9 The New Venture Fund is administered by Arabella Advisors, which has provided management and consulting services. 10 In 2012, the CDP became an independent nonprofit organization. 2

Clients

As of June 2025, Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s client list included the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the Aspen Community Foundation, Benevity, the Charles Mott Stewart Foundation, the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, the Funders Network, the Gates Foundation, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the Humana Foundation, the Lincoln Community Foundation, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association, the San Francisco Foundation, DAFgiving360, the Simmons Foundation, TechSoup, the T. Rowe Price Foundation, the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, and the Westfield Insurance Foundation. CDP has also been contracted by Google since 2017 to support the company’s disaster relief efforts. 11

Activities

Disaster Donation Reporting

In 2020, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) and Candid jointly published a report analyzing donations to COVID-19 relief efforts from major donors and claimed that $11.9 billion had been donated in the first half of 2020. In 2021, CDP and Candid published a follow-up report claiming that $20 billion had been donated towards COVID-19 relief efforts in 2020 alone, while also claiming that increased support for low-income communities during the pandemic was due to donations made by billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. 12

In 2022, CPD and Candid published another report finding that COVID-19 relief funding declined by 31 percent from 2020 to 2021. 13

Racial and Intersection Equity

As of November 2022, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) follows a “racial and intersection equity” (REI) mission statement to ensure it is an “anti-racist organization guided by values that promote and nurture racial justice, intersectional equity, and the empowerment of disenfranchised and marginalized people.” 14 The CDP has also encouraged fellow donors to “provide access to culturally competent training and  comprehensive information resources on racial intersectional equity approaches.” 14

Finances

In 2023, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy earned $30,724,437 in revenue, $29,525,092 of which came from charitable gifts. CDP spent $26,556,883 and ended the year with $42,854,361in assets. 15

In 2022, the organization’s revenue reached $41,093,385, up from $19,766,587 in the previous year. In 2020, the CDP’s revenue had reached $55,203,433, while revenues in 2019 and 2018 were $14,161,420 and $7,731,742 respectively. 16

In 2022, billionaire philanthropist and former wife of Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos donated to the CDP’s Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Recovery Fund. 17 In 2025 CDP received a grant from Yield Giving, MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropic initiative started in 2022.  18

Hurricane Helene

In January 2025, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and the Truist Foundation pledged $20 million in disaster relief funding to western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene as part of Truist Cares for North Carolina, a $725 million commitment to support small business, housing, and infrastructure in western North Carolina. 19

Leadership

Since 2020, As of 2025, Patricia McIlreavy serves as president and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), a position she has held since 2020. McIlreavy is also listed as a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council. From 2021 to 2024, McIlreavy worked as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. From 2011 to 2016, she worked as a senior director and later vice president at InterAction. Prior to this, McIlreavy worked at the International Rescue Committee as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 20 21

References

  1. Rojc, Philip. “Big Builds: A Look Inside Arabella Advisors.” Inside Philanthropy, January 14, 2020. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2019/1/14/big-builds-a-look-inside-arabella-advisors
  2.  “Center for Disaster Philanthropy.” Charity Navigator, Accessed March 14, 2023. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/455257937
  3. Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/.
  4. “Center for Disaster Philanthropy – Form 990-PF for Period 2019.”, https://disasterphilanthropy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CDP-2019-Form-990-Public-Disclosure-.pdf
  5.  COVID-19 Coronavirus. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/2019-ncov-coronavirus/.
  6. Show, Ellen. “Kumail Nanjiani Planks While Singing ‘Eternal Flame’.” ellentube.com, May 18, 2020. https://www.ellentube.com/video/kumail-nanjiani-planks-while-singing-eternal-flame.html.
  7. Draper, Mary Jo. “Center for Disaster Philanthropy Launches Under Ottenhoff.” Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly, August 22, 2012. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/center-for-disaster-philanthropy-launches-under-ottenhoff/.
  8. “Project Directory.” New Venture Fund. Accessed May 14, 2020. http://www.newventurefund.org/project-directory/.
  9. “Americans for Public Trust.” X. May 29, 2025. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://x.com/apublictrust/status/1928181120832557554.
  10. Application for Recognition of Exemption (Form 1023). New Venture Fund. 2006. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/03/New-Venture-Fund-1023-IRS-Exemption.pdf
  11. “Our Clients.” Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/services/our-clients/.
  12. Scutari, Mike. “Progress is Relative: Assessing Philanthropy’s COVID-19 Response in 2020.” Inside Philanthropy. March 3, 2021. Accessed June 21, 2025. Progress is Relative: Assessing Philanthropy’s COVID-19 Response in 2020 | Inside Philanthropy.
  13. Scutari, Mike. “Mixed Results: Assessing Philanthropy’s Year Two Response to the Pandemic.” Inside Philanthropy. June 7, 2022. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022-6-7-philanthropy-and-covid-19-examining-two-years-of-giving.
  14. “Racial and Intersectional Equity Statement.” Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Updated November 29, 2022. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/about/race-intersectional-equity-statement/.
  15. “Center for Disaster Philanthropy Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/455257937/202411669349301606/full.
  16. “Center for Disaster Philanthropy Inc.” ProPublica. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/455257937.
  17. Scott, MacKenzie. “Helping Any of Us Can Help Us All.” Medium. March 23, 2022. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://mackenzie-scott.medium.com/helping-any-of-us-can-help-us-all-f4c7487818d9.
  18. Scott, MacKenzie. “‘we Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for’ – Essays.” Yield Giving, December 9, 2025. https://yieldgiving.com/essays/we-are-the-ones-we-ve-been-waiting-for/.
  19. “Truist Foundation partners with Center for Disaster Philanthropy to provide over $20M in disaster recovery grants in Western North Carolina.” Truist. January 15, 2025. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://media.truist.com/2025-01-15-Truist-Foundation-partners-with-Center-for-Disaster-Philanthropy-to-provide-over-20M-in-disaster-recovery-grants-in-Western-North-Carolina.
  20. “Patricia (Swahn) McIlreavy.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciamcilreavy/.
  21. “Patricia McIlreavy.” Center for Disaster Relief. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/people/patricia-mcilreavy/.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: September 1, 2012

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2022 Dec Form 990 $41,093,385 $31,918,757 $41,391,035 $2,704,228 N $40,316,703 $560,625 $213,472 $754,718 PDF
    2021 Dec Form 990 $19,766,587 $27,239,059 $30,461,174 $948,995 N $19,138,518 $495,548 $132,146 $702,643
    2020 Dec Form 990 $55,203,433 $32,859,427 $37,440,525 $456,497 N $54,795,043 $306,365 $108,178 $663,971
    2019 Dec Form 990 $14,161,420 $13,577,902 $16,353,233 $1,720,154 N $13,747,286 $353,880 $60,254 $615,503 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $7,731,742 $17,425,583 $15,308,430 $1,258,869 N $7,058,152 $567,355 $106,235 $804,186 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $21,531,080 $2,622,541 $24,011,479 $268,077 N $21,254,221 $250,773 $26,086 $581,525 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $4,398,416 $2,616,282 $5,091,969 $257,106 N $4,219,632 $173,583 $5,201 $530,700 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $3,037,854 $2,808,495 $3,149,913 $97,184 N $2,937,070 $95,697 $5,087 $507,516 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $3,439,476 $1,421,724 $2,956,840 $133,471 N $3,352,301 $84,440 $2,435 $424,781 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $1,743,119 $1,139,413 $864,264 $260,558 N $1,501,008 $239,691 $1,272 $0 PDF

    Center for Disaster Philanthropy

    One Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 700
    Washington, DC 20005