The best charities to give to in the wake of Hurricane Harvey

harvey

Over the weekend, Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Gulf Coast, destroying homes and infrastructure in Texas, displacing tens of thousands of people, and killing at least eight. As many as 13 million people are under flood watches and warnings.

After landfall, officials ordered several Houston-area counties to evacuate, due to fears of more flooding. Experts are forecasting up to 50 inches of rain in and around Houston, making many homes inhabitable. An estimated 30,000 people will likely need to find refuge in shelters, since flooding will linger, according to The Washington Post.

Victims in Texas and Louisiana will likely need millions of dollars in aid. On Monday, President Donald Trump said he believes Congress will act swiftly to provide funding to affected areas. Charities — both big and small — will also step in.

But not all charities are created equal. Charity Navigator, a nonprofit that has independently rated over 8,000 charities, compiled a list of some of the best organizations to donate to in the wake of Harvey. Its team considers several factors when giving a charity a score out of 100. These include program expenses (e.g. how much of the donations go straight to victims) and transparency (e.g. audited financials prepared by an independent accountant).

The charities that Charity Navigator recommends for Hurricane Harvey, along with their scores out of 100, are below.

Note: Right now, it is not clear whether all these organizations will spend 100% of donations received on Hurricane Harvey relief and associated expenses. But in past large-scale disasters, high percentages of donations have directly gone to victims.

Local organizations: Greater Houston Community Foundation, Houston Food Bank, United Way of Greater Houston, South Texas Blood and Tissue Center, Food Bank of Corpus Christi, Houston Humane Society, San Antonio Humane Society, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and the L.G.B.T.Q. Disaster Relief Fund.

These local charities have all received scores between 85 and 100, and work in the most heavily affected areas of Houston.

Sara Nason, a Charity Navigator spokesperson, told Business Insider that choosing between donations to a local or national organization is a matter of preference. The main thing to look for is that the charity is an established and highly-rated organization.

"Local organizations will continue to work in the community long after the disaster has happened, as they have an established presence in the community. National and international organizations deal with disasters at a large scale, with an established infrastructure and coordinated teams that specifically hold a skill-set for responding to crises," she said in an email.

Islamic Relief USA — 92.92

Islamic Relief USA aims to alleviate suffering, hunger, illiteracy, and diseases worldwide. Launched in California in 1993, the nonprofit works on a variety of projects, including education and training, water and sanitation, income generation, orphan support, health and nutrition, and emergency relief.

More information about Islamic Relief USA

SBP — 93.66

Founded in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina, SBP (also known as St. Bernard Project) works out of a parish near New Orleans. After disasters, the organization rebuilds homes, advocates for recovery strategies, and advises policy makers, homeowners, and business owners about resilience.

More information about St. Bernard Project

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