Charitable organizations worldwide are responding to the crisis unfolding in the wake of the December 26 earthquake and tsunamis that battered 12 countries across Asia and eastern Africa. The death toll has reached over 150,000, and millions of people remain homeless, without food or drinking water, and vulnerable to disease.

International nonprofit organizations are working with governments and United Nations disaster response teams to assess the impact and mobilize the assistance most needed in each region. According to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, donations to American nonprofits have so far totaled over $500 million; to learn more about the data the Center has compiled,visit www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/tsunami_relief_giving_1-18-05.html.

INDEPENDENT SECTOR members are among the organizations providing assistance, including:

AARP has released $50,000 to CARE specifically for aid to the crisis. The organization is considering other funding opportunities.

The Ad Council has joined with former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton to launch a national public service advertising campaign. The PSAs are designed to encourage Americans to send financial support to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations.

The Aga Khan Development Network's affiliate organization, Focus Humanitarian Assistance, is working on relief efforts through its offices in India . Focus is mobilizing human and financial resources by collaborating with the Indian government, and is helping to deliver supplies and technical assistance to victims.

Altria Group, Inc. is making a corporate-wide commitment of at least $1 million dollars, and plans to increase its commitment if necessary. It funded AmeriCares' first emergency airlift into Sri Lanka with a $150,000 contribution, which will bring medicines, medical supplies, and water purification kits. Altria is additionally establishing a special matching gift program for its employees worldwide, and plans to maintain contact with American Red Cross, other relief organizations, and peer corporations to assess how it may provide further assistance.

American Express is contributing $1 million to the American Red Cross to support the efforts of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies throughout the affected area, and is encouraging and matching contributions made by employees around the world. American Express is also waiving transaction fees for contributions to tsunami relief on the American Express card.

The American Red Cross is deploying relief workers to affected areas and is transporting supplies, such as tents and hygiene kits.

Anti-Defamation League is encouraging donations to help the emergency relief effort. ADL has added a link to its homepage, with basic information on the crisis and a link to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which has set up a special emergency mailbox to collect funds for relief efforts. Funds raised will help various agencies on the ground supplying the hundreds of thousands of people who have been left homeless.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance has created a new section on its website that provides quick access to Alliance reports on organizations involved in tsunami relief. The Alliance also welcomes relief charities that have not been the subject of an Alliance report to enroll in its new charity evaluation system.

CAFAmerica (Charities Aid Foundation America) in coordination with CAF UK and CAF offices worldwide is helping donors make their gifts to charitable organizations providing direct assistance to the people devastated by the South Asian earthquake and tsunami. CAFAmerica is ensuring that the funds get to the organizations working on the ground and will be supporting the Disasters Emergency Committee's public appeal (DEC Tsunami Earthquake Appeal).

ChevronTexaco Corp. is contributing $1 million in support of disaster relief efforts in South Asia with $750,000 to the American Red Cross to be used in Indonesia and $250,000 to the Thai Red Cross Society. In addition to this contribution, ChevronTexaco has already provided $240,000 in aid locally in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

The Coca-Cola Company committed $10 million to the tsunami relief efforts. Additionally, employees and bottling partners have given $7.3 million in financial contributions and more than $2.5 million worth of in-kind contributions, which includes more than 1.2 million bottles of water, food, clothing, tents, medical supplies and more. The Coca-Cola Company is matching contributions from employees to the Red Cross International Response Fund, Red Crescent, UNICEF, CARE and the U.N. Foundation Water Relief and Recovery Fund. Employees living in our near the countries hit by the tsunami immediately jumped into action by, among other efforts, putting together survival kits, setting up tents for temporary shelters, and one bottler converted its entire production line to water.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has granted a total of $3 million to five organizations providing humanitarian assistance: CARE, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Save the Children Federation, and World Vision.

GE Foundation provided initial cash contributions of $1 million to the American Red Cross International Response Fund and $100,000 to the UNICEF disaster relief fund to support local rebuilding efforts. The foundation is also matching employee gifts to Red Cross and UNICEF, and thus far has received over 10,000 gifts totaling over $3.6 million. GE businesses including GE Healthcare, GE Energy, and GE Water are working with relief agencies to determine specific equipment needs and will contribute equipment over $5 million in value, and GE volunteers in India and Indonesia have partnered with local agencies to organize local food, clothing, and fund drives. GE will provide over $10 million in cash and product to the overall relief and recovery effort.

General Mills Foundation will contribute $750,000 in direct financial aid to international organizations to assist with medical supplies, food, water and shelter for survivors as well as to support rebuilding efforts.  The General Mills Foundation will also award an additional $250,000 to the American Red Cross to match employee contributions – bringing the company's total commitment to $1 million.

Gifts In Kind International, with the help of its corporate sponsors, is coordinating the delivery of medical supplies, personal care and hygiene products, water, appliances, and cleaning supplies to nonprofit organizations located in affected areas. Gifts in Kind expects to be a supporting partner with front line service providers throughout the coming months.

GivingGlobal has announced 10 qualified organizations that are assisting those affected by the tsunami disaster in southern Asia . GivingGlobal provides potential donors with quick access to NGOs that have already been qualified as legitimate and quality groups. These NGOs are giving medical and relief supplies, food, water, emergency care and other goods and services, to help victims, and are focusing on both short and long-term support in the region.

Global Fund for Children is establishing the GFC Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Fund to provide emergency relief to community-based organizations in regions of South Asia devastated by the tsunami. GFC is committed to working with its partners in this region over the coming months and years to assist their work in rebuilding their devastated communities. All funds in the GFC Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Fund will be directed to community-based non-governmental organizations responding to the effects of the December tsunami.

Global Fund for Women is committed to supporting the long-term reconstruction of women's rights organizations affected by the disaster. While Global Fund for Women does not conduct direct relief efforts, it is informing grantees that they can use any monies from open grants to deal with the crisis. The organization is accepting new proposals related to the post-disaster rebuilding and is reaching out to women's groups in affected areas and prioritizing proposals related to the crisis.

Humanity First USA is amidst an aggressive fundraising campaign to fund the relief operations in Indonesia , Sri Lanka , and India . As of January 11, Humanity First has raised more than $500,000 through their combined Humanity First efforts. The local volunteer efforts in these countries are driven by local Humanity First organizations, working around the clock in the U.S. and Indonesia to provide the much needed assistance at this critical time. Over 100 volunteers from Humanity First are in the affected areas providing medical treatment, food, shelter and other relief support. Many containers carrying food and supplies have been shipped to the affected area, and Humanity First is in the process of providing shipment (via airfreight) of seriously needed baby food, water purification and treatment supplies, and water containers.

Interaction is maintaining a list of more than 40 organizations that are providing assistance and also offers guidelines on the most appropriate ways to help those affected by overseas disasters.

The JPMorgan Chase Foundation has pledged up to $3 million, including matched employee contributions.

The Levi Strauss Foundation has committed over $500,000 in grants as a result of the tsunami tragedy. The funds will be donated as follows: $200,000 to Oxfam and Save the Children; $160,000 to 3 or 4 local relief organizations (to be identified) in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand; and a special employee matching gift fund open to Levi Strauss and Co. employees worldwide that provides two dollars to every one dollar donated to Oxfam and Save the Children for the next three months.

Lutheran Services in America supports Lutheran World Relief in its Wave of Giving Campaign for tsunami relief and rebuilding. LSA and its 300 member health and human service organizations are raising funds for LWR through website links and staff and constituent giving campaigns. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has committed $3 million to LWR to match gifts made by Thrivent members.  LWR focuses on long-term, locally-driven solutions, and has been engaged in international relief and development for 50 years with long established partnerships already in place in South Asia .

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded a grant of $1.5 million to CARE International that will be used for two purposes. The first is for disaster relief and reconstruction related to the earthquake and tsunamis in South Asia, where CARE is providing food, water purification tablets, shelter materials, and basic medical supplies for the hardest-hit areas of India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The second purpose is for work by CARE in regions of Africa to recognize that concern with the natural disaster in Asia should not deflect attention from the desperate plight of victims of civil war and ethnic conflict in Africa .

The McGregor Fund authorized a grant of $50,000 to the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross to support relief work by the Red Cross.

The National Council of Churches USA is moving on several fronts to address the crisis, and updates are available on its website. The organization's global humanitarian arm, Church World Service, has deployed regional teams and has sent $900,000 in emergency supplies to survivors. FaithfulAmerica, an interactive web ministry sponsored by NCC, is posting updates on the crisis and opportunities to donate financial support.

New York Regional Association of Grantmakers has established the NYRAG Tsunami Relief Clearinghouse on its website. The Clearinghouse includes: lists of potential grantees; resource organizations; assessment steps that grantmakers can take to gauge and implement their own response; contact information for members with personnel on the ground who are available to provide assistance to our members; and interviews with frontline grantmakers.

Peninsula Community Foundation has a link on their website to PFC’s Asia Disaster Relief Fund. Individuals can either give directly to the recommended organizations or have one donation distributed equally among the recommended organizations: CARE, Doctors Without Borders, Give2Asia’s Tsunami Recovery Fund, OXFAM America, Red Cross, and UNICEF. These organizations were chosen by PCF because they have an existing structure in place in the affected areas; have a history of managing disaster relief operations; and have rapidly activated their donation process so monies will move quickly and responsibly to support this disaster relief operation.

The Pew Charitable Trusts have awarded a $1 million emergency relief grant to the American Red Cross to support the critical humanitarian efforts underway. Pew is also working to get other foundations in and around its hometown of Philadelphia to contribute an additional $500,000 to support the Red Cross' efforts.

Salvation Army World Service Office has personnel based in many of the areas hit by the tsunami, including Sri Lanka and India . In India , for example, the Salvation Army has sent up 24-hour aid centers providing food, clothing and shelter to victims.

State Street Corporation - The State Street Foundation will make a grant of $400,000 from its Disaster Relief Emergency Assistance Fund to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. This includes a direct grant of $300,000, as well as $100,000 that will be used to match employee donations through a special disaster relief Matching Gifts program. The combined total of our company and employee contribution to the relief efforts of this historic catastrophe could exceed $500,000.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is pledging $5 million to help with the tsunami disaster. Thrivent Financial has given a $1 million grant and a $2 million matching grant to Lutheran World Relief’s “Wave of Giving” campaign to assist victims of the tsunamis affecting numerous South Asian countries bordering the Indian Ocean. The $2 million matching grant is extended to all 2.8 million Thrivent Financial members across the country. Member donations to Lutheran World Relief (LWR) will be matched $1 for $1 through April 15, 2005, up to $2 million.

Time Warner businesses and employees have thus far contributed more than $2 million dollars to key relief organizations. These groups include: The American Red Cross International Response Fund, UNICEF, CARE, Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children. Time Warner business divisions are also taking action of their own. AOL quickly launched a special public donation site in partnership with Network for Good. To date, AOL members have donated more than $5.5 million to tsunami relief efforts through this site. In addition, Time Inc., Time Warner Cable, Turner Networks, AOL, The WB and Court TV are working with the Ad Council to provide public service advertising in support of relief efforts.

UJA-Federation of New York has set up a special emergency fund to collect donations for the relief effort.

United Jewish Communities is urging its 155 member federations and 400 independent communities to launch fund-raising drives to support the tsunami relief efforts. The donations will be forwarded to UJC's overseas relief partner agency, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, who will filter the funds to local relief groups to provide emergency supplies on the ground. The Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief, a group of 45 Jewish agencies across North America , is polling its membership to decide how to respond to the tsunami disaster nationally. Both UJC and the JDC are members of the coalition's executive committee, and will coordinate any coalition action with other relief efforts as well.

United Way International, United Way of America, and local United Way affiliates in affected areas are working together with disaster response partners to assess and address the wide range long-term response and recovery needs of communities in southern Asia. United Way will focus efforts on rebuilding the infrastructure on which these fragile fishing and tourist economies rely, not only focusing on roads, harbors, and hotels but also homes, schools, health clinics, and even the official computer files and records on which stability depends. To achieve these long-term recovery efforts, the United Way South Asia Response Fund has been created and will be administered by United Way International.

YMCA of the USA has initiated an appeal seeking donations for emergency assistance to the YMCAs located in affected regions – Sr i Lanka , Indonesia , India , Thailand , and Malaysia . Several YMCAs located within the United States have taken the role of relief centers and a number of YMCAs around the world have offered their support. Within affected regions, local YMCAs are very much involved in mobilizing local resources including funds, medicines, dry rations, water, milk powder, food, baby-care items, clothing, sleeping mattresses, and emergency lighting arrangements.