Providing Much Needed Help. Anytime. Anywhere. To Anyone in Need.

In November 2022, a tornado tore through Idabel, Oklahoma, demolishing dozens of buildings, including the Kiamichi Family Medical Center. It’s […more…]

Global Aid in Time of Global Crisis

In 1945, William Zimdin, an Estonian immigrant who had fled fascism to California, dedicated his fortune to sending relief parcels […more…]

Direct Relief’s Thomas Tighe Named to The NonProfit Times’ 2022 Power & Influence Top 50

The NonProfit Times has named Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe to its 2022 Power & Influence Top 50 […more…]

Confronting Crises When They Hit Home

Hurricane Katrina was a major turning point in the history of Direct Relief. Until then, the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit that […more…]

Santa Barbara: The Epicenter of (Direct) Relief

Direct Relief has been so efficient at serving as one of the country’s most effective humanitarian assistance organizations that it’s […more…]

Direct Relief Steps Up Response in Face of COVID-19 Surge

As the COVID crisis has intensified across the globe in recent weeks, Santa Barbara-based humanitarian agency Direct Relief has accelerated […more…]

An Expression of Santa Barbara’s Global Philanthropic Reach

In 1948, an Estonian immigrant named William Zimdin – who had experienced the ravages of World War II – founded […more…]

Direct Relief

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directrelief.org
(805) 879-4932Vice President, Partnerships and Philanthropy: Dean Axelrod

Mission

Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies – without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay.

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Direct Relief’s generous support of victims of disasters and emergencies, let alone their support of first responders, is unmatched by any other organization. With the establishment of their Search and Rescue fund, we are now able to maintain and enhance our capabilities as a nonprofit, all-volunteer professional first responder team, ensuring the safety and well-being of the communities we live in, and serve for years to come.
Nelson Trichler
Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue

Providing Disaster and Humanitarian Relief Around the Globe

Direct Relief’s capacity and capabilities – including providing more than $5.5 million in local support, $77 million in California since 2020 – dwarfs most other such humanitarian aid organizations. But there are limits largely defined by its financial capacity.  

“Direct Relief is quite large relative to other organizations, but relative to the need that we’re trying to fulfill, what we’re doing is a drop in the bucket,” Tony Morain, Direct Relief’s VP of Communication, says. “We always wish that we could be doing more.” 

Adds Dean Axelrod, VP of Partnerships in Philanthropy: “The dream is to never have to say no.”

Key Supporters

Emma Carrasco
Adam Cooper
Mary M. Dwyer
Pamela Gann and David Hardee
Stayce D. Harris
Mark and Kim Linehan
Siri and Bob Marshall
Jay McGonigle
Harry and Jacquie McMahon
Annalisa Pizzarello
and Robert Conway
Marla Salmon
Mark and Lynda Schwartz
Byron and Debbie Scott
Jim and Patricia Selbert
Laurie Siegel
Thomas and Heather Sturgess
Elizabeth A. Toro and Mark Hauser