Team Rubicon

Background and History

Team Rubicon was co-founded in 2010 by U.S Marine veteran Jacob Woods in response to the Haiti earthquake that impacted the country that year. The website compares Woods and seven volunteers initially crossing the country’s Artibonite River to assist areas impacted by the earthquake to when Roman General Julius Caeser crossed the Italian Rubicon River during the Roman Republic. According to its 2024 tax filing, the organization reported a revenue of over $47 million. ^{1 3}

Team Rubicon operates a network of volunteers and activists, which they call “greyshirts” to provide pre-and post-disaster aid and support to areas in the United States and abroad impacted by natural disasters. It also claims to operate post-disaster projects and initiatives to improve recovery and relief efforts. As of 2026, the group claims to have over 180,000 members. ^{4 1}

Financials

According to its 2024 tax filings, Team Rubicon reported $47,610,299 in revenues, of which $47,459,392 stemmed from contributions and grants and $824,062 from investment income, with a loss of $673,155, such as net losses from fundraising events. It did not report any government funding. ³

It reported $38,818,406 in expenses, with $1,005,000 paid out in grants and contributions, and $19,282,153 for employee salaries and compensation. Other expenses amounted to $18,531,253, included $2,066,734 in office expenses, $1,690,992 in occupancy costs, $137,022 in conference and meeting costs, $6,873,164 in field expenses, $1,230,596 in meal and catering costs, and $419,719 for replacement and recruiting. ³

By the end of the year, it reported net assets of $43,418,273. ³

Funding

The group has previously received funding from left-of-center organizations including a $7 million grant from Yield Giving, the philanthropic project founded by MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire ex-wife of Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. ^{1  2}

According to its 2024 Annual Report, corporate sponsors for the group listed at the $1 million or more sponsor level included the Ford Motor Company, Ford Philanthropy, Wells Fargo, the Home Depot Foundation, Under Armour, and USAA. ⁵

Leadership

Jacob Wood is the co-founder and board chairman of Team Rubicon, who initially started the organization in 2010 following the Haiti earthquake that impacted the country that year. Wood and seven volunteers initially responded to aid areas impacted by the earthquake that year. A U.S Marine veteran, he and co-founder William McNulty, also a U.S Marine vet, later started the group that year. He is also the founder and CEO of tech startup nonprofit Groundswell. ^{6 7}

Jim Brooks is the CEO of Team Rubicon, serving in the role since 2025. Brooks is a former U.S. Navy SEAL and previously served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for consulting firm Control Risks and later CEO of analytics firm Seerist. ^{8 7}