Trends in International Giving for the Disaster Response

JCIE Survey of US Giving

According to a JCIE survey that has gathered information from 1,300 American and Japanese organizations, people in the United States have donated at least $746.1 million for relief and recovery efforts to assist after Japan’s Tohoku region was devastated by a massive earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown in March 2011. This means that the 3/11 response ranks as the largest outpouring of American philanthropy in history for a disaster in another developed country. (Read more)

Database of Overseas Giving

Donors, Recipients, and Overseas Grantmaking for the Japan Disaster—Searchable database of listings for roughly $1 billion in international grants and donations by overseas organizations to Japanese nonprofits and others for the Japan disaster response.

Organizations Currently Seeking Donations

Where to Donate: List of organizations still collecting donations to support Tohoku recovery projects.

Analysis

Supporting Disaster Survivors in Japan
SACHIKO AOKI, KIMBERLY GOULD ASHIZAWA | 2019 | JCIE
A report highlighting the work of four innovative nonprofit organizations in Tohoku that received funding from a United Way Worldwide (UWW) grant on behalf of the generosity of Polo Ralph Lauren, as well as from others.

Getting International Disaster Philanthropy Right: Lessons from Japan’s 2011 Tsunami
JAMES GANNON (JCIE/USA) | JULY 2016 | JCIE
JCIE analyzes successes and shortcomings in the US philanthropic response to 3/11 and offers lessons for the next time a disaster strikes.

Related article: Learning from Japan’s Tsunami: Six Steps to Improve International Disaster Philanthropy JAMES GANNON | AUGUST 2016 | CENTER FOR DISASTER PHILANTHROPY BLOG

International Philanthropy and Disasters in Developed Countries: The US Response to Japan’s 3.11 Disaster
JAMES GANNON (JCIE/USA) | JULY 2014 | JCIE
Analysis of the US philanthropic response and the challenges of donor coordination for disasters in developed countries.

Friendship Across Borders: Nearly 100 US Sister City Organizations Raise Relief Funds for Japan
TOSHIHIRO MENJU (JCIE/JAPAN), ATSUKO GEIGER (JCIE/USA) | SEPTEMBER 2012 | JCIE
A JCIE survey finds that, in the initial 15 months after 3/11, at least 95 American towns, cities, and states with sister cities in Japan organized fundraising campaigns, raising a more than $2.4 million for earthquake relief.

One Year Later: Rebuilding After the Great Tōhoku Earthquake
JAMES GANNON | MARCH 2012 | PhilanTopic
PhilanTopic, a Foundation Center blog, spoke with JCIE’s Jim Gannon about the progress of rebuilding efforts in the quake- and tsunami-affected Tohoku region of the country.

Responding to 3/11: Helping with the Japan Disaster
JAMES GANNON | MAY 2011 | Smart Assets
JCIE’s Jim Gannon outlines advice for US funders in approaching the disaster in Philanthropy New York’s Smart Assets blog.