How the Red Cross is Using Innovative Financing to Fund Disaster Response and Preparedness

The IFRC is one of the oldest humanitarian groups, and it's innovating

Moroccan Red Crescent and Qatar Red Crescent staff members stand in front of a destroyed house in Chichaoua, one of the regions most affected by the earthquake that struck Morocco on 8 September 2023. IFRC/Benoit Carpentier

If you are a regular listener to the podcast and reader of our newsletter, you know that I believe one of the most important issues in the world today is the growing gap between humanitarian needs and the funding available to meet those needs. Climate change and conflicts are causing a surge in the number of people around the world who require a modicum of humanitarian aid to survive. Yet, funding has not kept pace. Far from it. The gap is large and growing.

In response to this pressure, one of the largest and oldest international humanitarian organizations, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, is trying something new. While they still rely on traditional donors — mostly wealthier Western countries — they are also experimenting with innovat…