Responding to Ukraine: Resources and Knowledge

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Blue & Yellow Instagram Post Vector Heart Peace for Ukraine

Blog post by Michelle Miller, CEO, Philanthropy Missouri

Dear PhilMO Members and Community Partners,

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced more than one million people. This growing humanitarian crisis has prompted swift philanthropic engagement.

If you are considering engaging – as an institution or even individually – please find a list of resources to inform your investments below. We want to draw special attention to the recommendations of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, a grantmaking organization responding here in Missouri.

Resources to Inform Individual & Institutional Giving: Response to the Humanitarian Crisis In & Around Ukraine

CARE has established a Ukraine Crisis Fund to reach 4 million with immediate aid and recovery, food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support, and cash assistance - prioritizing women and girls, families, and the elderly.
Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) has developed a Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis page with information for funders to consider. CDP will continue to update as needs evolve and has also established the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Recovery Fund, which will focus on addressing humanitarian needs that arise among vulnerable, marginalized, and at-risk internally-displaced peoples (IDPs) and refugees.
Council on Foundations is maintaining a list of Philanthropy's Response to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation recommends using funds to support these national and local 501(c)(3) charities working to meet the needs of Ukrainians.
International Committee of the Red Cross is seeking donations to support its work to respond to the Ukraine crisis.
Philanthropy Europe Foundation (Philea) is tracking information and responses to the crisis here.

More to Consider

The Council on Foundations convened a briefing for grantmakers with the U.S. State Department last Thursday where they shared information about the status of the crisis and philanthropic efforts. You are invited to view the webinar recording here. Speakers included:

Thomas Debass, Managing Director, Office of Global Partnerships, U.S. Department of State
Molly Montgomery, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Nick Deychakiwsky, Senior Program Officer, Civil Society, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Shalini Eddens, Deputy Executive Director, Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights
Gregory Maniatis, Director, Office of the Vice President, Global Programs, Open Society Foundations

In addition, there are several upcoming webinars scheduled by the United Philanthropy Forum and sector partners to continue disseminating information to grantmakers.

Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: Where crisis, conflict, climate, and COVID 19 meet is being presented by Center for Disaster Philanthropy on Thursday, March 10, 1:00 PM Central Time.
Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN) and Peace and Security Funder Group (PSFG) welcome new participants to their “Chronicle of Crises Foretold” on Tuesday, March 15, from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Central Time. This is the third & final convening in a series designed to strategize on longer-term funder responses that support resilience, human rights, and peace. To participate, RSVP to Kellea Miller, HRFN Deputy Director, at kmiller@hrfn.org.

We also acknowledge the concerns about racial bias driving the urgency of response to this humanitarian crisis. We will seek additional resources for learning and, for now, suggest reviewing the statement from The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association and this LA Times article.

If you know of additional resources that should be shared with PhilMO Members or the broader philanthropic community in Missouri, please share with info@philmo.org.