Rob Ranieri, CEO of House of Hope, talks to a receptionist, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Stuart, Fla. The Community Foundation Martin-St. Lucie counties has overhauled its approach to disaster response by creating a permanent fund and establishing preemptive agreements with nonprofit partners like House of Hope to deploy funds to them immediately when a storm is forecasted.
“It’s not going to be one building in an isolated neighborhood,” she said. “It is going to be a climate disaster, and I’m not going to have internet to fill out an application. I cannot wait six weeks for the check to clear. I need everybody’s ACH information already. I need to know what supplies people need, before the disaster.”
Foundations need new strategies to prepare, said Patty McIlreavy, president and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. “There is space across all types of philanthropic entities to explore how you set money aside for this and to be much more proactive,” she said. “We need all types of foundations to explore the realities of the disasters that are coming for communities.”
About 100 miles north of Miami in Stuart, Florida, a much smaller community foundation is about to launch its own permanent disaster fund. The Community Foundation Martin-St. Lucie has raised $300,000 for its Local Disaster Relief Fund, with a goal to raise $500,000 by mid-summer.