People for Relief

Partner Program

Effective October 6, 2026

People for Relief helps people through disaster and hardship and stands behind the organizations that help them, all year round. We do not go to disaster sites ourselves. Instead, we work with two kinds of partners: relief organizations that are already helping people, and businesses that want to help. This policy explains who can partner with us and what each partner agrees to.

Who can partner

Relief organizations

Organizations already helping people through disaster or hardship may apply, including shelters, food pantries, cleanup and rebuild crews, community groups, local nonprofits and faith-based organizations that serve everyone in need. To be considered, an organization should:

  • Be legally organized and in good standing where it operates.
  • Be doing, or ready to do, relief or recovery work for the people it serves.
  • Be able to use support for charitable purposes and account for how it is used.
  • Serve people based on need, without regard to religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, political views or any other protected characteristic.

We do not support individuals directly, political activity, lobbying or work outside a relief or recovery purpose.

Businesses

Businesses of any size may join as business partners. A business can help by matching the gifts its employees make, running a giving drive among its staff or customers, or sponsoring a campaign.

How to apply

Applications are submitted online through our site. There are no fees to apply or to take part, and we never ask an organization or business to pay anything to be considered. If anyone asks you for a payment in our name, do not pay it, and tell us through the site.

Relief organizations tell us about their work, the people they serve, their plan and the support they are asking for. Businesses tell us how they would like to help.

What we review for relief organizations

Every relief organization is reviewed against the same four areas:

  • Track record. Your history of relief or community work and how you have managed donations and resources before.
  • Local presence. Your connection to the community, including staff, volunteers or partners who live and work there.
  • The people you serve. Who you help and how you reach the people who need it most.
  • Your plan. What you will do with the support, how soon the work can begin and how you will show what it achieved.

We may also check public records or ask for references. During a fast-moving disaster, we may start with smaller support and add more as the work develops.

What business partners agree to

  • Matching gifts. The business sets its matching terms in writing before the program begins, including any limit per employee and the time period. Employees give through our site, and the business sends its matching contribution to People for Relief for the gifts that qualify under those terms.
  • Giving drives. Every donation starts on our site and is sent by bank transfer with its reference code, so each one is matched and receipted correctly. A business may encourage giving, but it does not collect or hold donations on our behalf.
  • Sponsorships. The sponsorship and how it will be recognized are agreed in writing before the campaign begins.
  • Our name and logo. A business may use the People for Relief name and logo only with our written approval, and only in the way that approval describes.

A business partner does not decide which relief organizations receive support, and its contribution is used for the relief purpose People for Relief describes.

Decisions

Applying does not guarantee a partnership. The support we can offer depends on what each campaign receives and on the needs we see across all requests. Every partnership decision is at the discretion of People for Relief and is final. We send a written decision by email to the person who applied. A declined request does not prevent anyone from applying again later.

Partner agreement

Each supported relief organization signs a partner agreement before support is released. It states the support, the relief purpose, the time period and the reports required.

How support may be used

Support may be used only for the relief purpose stated in the partner agreement. If a partner needs to change how support is used, for example because conditions have changed, it must ask us in writing through the site and receive written approval first. Support that cannot be used for the stated purpose must be returned.

Reporting

Supported relief organizations agree to report on how support was used. Reports are submitted through the site and include:

  • A short description of the work completed and the people served.
  • A summary showing how support was used against the plan.
  • Photos or other records of the work, where it is safe and respectful to share them.

We typically ask for a report within 90 days of receiving support, and again at the end of longer partnerships. We may share summaries with supporters, but we will not publish information that could put the people you serve at risk.

Misuse of support

If support is used for a purpose other than the one approved, a partner does not report as agreed, or a business uses our name without approval, we may end the partnership, ask for support to be returned and decline future requests.

Questions

If you have a question about the Partner Program, use the contact form on our site.