Our Disaster Relief Fund is part of a covenant—a covenant between the UUA and congregations, between congregations who give generously and those in need, and with our community partners. Through aiding our congregations, their members and their community partners, we are able to embody our faith and values.

For congregations that are impacted by disasters, please complete the DRF Grant Application. (Updated January 27, 2025) 

Donate to the Disaster Relief Fund

​​Disasters impact our congregations and their communities with increasing rapidity. From natural disasters like wildfires that scorch everything in their path and hurricanes that bring destruction through winds and water, to widespread human caused disasters like the collapsing infrastructure that we saw in Flint’s water crisis, our congregations, our people, and our communities sustain the impact. We have received grateful thanks from congregations in the wake of major hurricanes and wild fires that expresses that often in general they feel overlooked, but our grants from your donations made them feel less isolated, and so grateful they could help their larger community. Your donation to the UUA Disaster Relief Fund allows the UUA to respond flexibly on your behalf to tragedies that overtake us.

With your donations, we are able to provide assistance to congregations, their members, and their communities. Disaster Relief Fund grants are designed to respond to widespread damage that has received a disaster declaration from FEMA or local government sources. Some of the expenses Disaster Relief Fund grants can be used for are:

• Damage to congregations’ buildings, and relocation to temporary locations
• Damage to members/friends homes, and relocation expenses,
• Donations to local partner organizations that serve the community at large, particularly those who would not be eligible for other funding

Earmarking Donations

Donors often ask if they can “earmark” their donations to a particular disaster. When donations are earmarked for a specific cause, they cannot be used for anything else, even if the initial purpose no longer exists. For the Disaster Relief Fund, we will support our congregations and their communities as long as there are requests for funding for any specific disaster, and then, when there is no longer a need, the donations that were in response to that particular disaster but are no longer needed are used to help people in the wake of future disasters. If they are earmarked, those leftover funds could not be used but would need to be kept in perpetuity.

Questions about applying for a Disaster Relief Fund grant can be sent to DisasterRelief@uua.org.

How Are Donations Disbursed?

Staff from all five UUA regions and the Stewardship and Development department work together to expediently review applications and disburse funds. Congregations and recognized UU non-profit entities receiving grants will have discretion to disburse the grant in the way they choose. ​Read how some Disaster Relief Fund grants have been used.

Other Sources of Funding

In addition to funding from the UUA’s Disaster Relief Fund, you may be eligible for funding from FEMA for natural disasters. They have programs specifically for Places of Worship (private non-profits) that you can find on the FEMA website.

Learn more about how your congregation can take up a collection to support the Disaster Relief Fund.