Malvern, Pa., October 7, 2020 - Vanguard Charitable, a leading nonprofit and sponsor of donor-advised funds (DAFs), announced today the release of the Nonprofit Aid Visualizer™, NAVi , an interactive web-based mapping tool designed to connect donors with nonprofits supporting the geographic areas hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. NAVi harnesses information about COVID-19 incidence rates in local areas, community vulnerability to the pandemic¹ and detailed nonprofit profiles to help donors identify and support the communities most affected by the pandemic. NAVi displays critical data points provided by the Surgo Foundation, Candid’s information on COVID-19 grants and nonprofit organizations, and the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and was developed with custom software built by geospatial services firm, Azavea. This groundbreaking, new web-based tool provides a wealth of relevant data about the pandemic and the current charitable response in an interactive map platform, making it easy to find charities solving the problems donors care about most.  

Vanguard Charitable developed NAVi after a donor survey found that 79 percent of donors would like more resources to give to COVID-19 relief in their local communities, while 50 percent seek giving opportunities in geographic areas impacted the most severely by the pandemic. The Nonprofit Aid Visualizer enables donors to locate charities that align with their giving strategies and values, and highlights many small nonprofits that may be otherwise difficult to find. NAVi is available for free to everyone and accessible on Vanguard Charitable’s public website to encourage overall giving and provide a resource to help determine where to donate.

“We’re inspired by our donors stepping up to support the millions of Americans grappling with the devastation of the pandemic. Between February 1 to June 30, 2020, Vanguard Charitable donors increased granting by 44% compared to the same time period in 2019. We know people are looking for ways and places to give, and this tool is designed to make it easier for individuals to make informed decisions on where their dollars are needed most– whether in their communities or in other more impacted communities,” said Jane Greenfield, president of Vanguard Charitable. “There is no better or more important time to give, and we hope that both experienced donors and first-time philanthropists will use NAVi as a go-to charitable giving resource.” 

Since the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, Vanguard Charitable’s donors have given approximately $1 billion in grants to more than 36,500 different charities to support both COVID-19 related relief efforts and nonprofits that have been left without access to traditional fundraising and revenue channels.

Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) revealed in a new report² that in the first half of 2020, the response to the pandemic far exceeded philanthropy from previous disasters. The level of giving for COVID-19 was more than 16 times the funding for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and Dorian and the Australian bushfires combined.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked extraordinary generosity, but it has also highlighted a need for resources to help donors make informed giving decisions,” said Jacob Harold, Executive Vice President at Candid. “NAVi overlays Candid's COVID-19 grant and nonprofit profile data so donors can identify gaps in giving and, we hope, fill those gaps." 

“NAVi leverages data from our COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index to provide a spotlight on where our most vulnerable communities are, and the nonprofits on the ground supporting them,” said Dr. Sema Sgaier, co-founder and executive director of Surgo Foundation. “We are delighted that this new, free tool makes it easy for people to support the charities working hard behind the scenes to support and rebuild vulnerable communities.”

For more information about Vanguard Charitable or giving through donor-advised funds, please visit  www.vanguardcharitable.org.   

About Vanguard Charitable  

Vanguard Charitable is a leading U.S. nonprofit organization that fulfills its mission to increase philanthropic giving by administering a donor-advised fund—a tax-effective way to consolidate, accrue, and grant assets to charity. Since it was founded by Vanguard in 1997 as an independent 501(c)(3) organization, Vanguard Charitable has granted more than $10 billion to charity. More information is available at vanguardcharitable.org.  

Although Vanguard provides certain investment management and administrative services to Vanguard Charitable pursuant to a service agreement, Vanguard Charitable is not a program or activity of Vanguard. A majority of Vanguard Charitable’s trustees are independent of Vanguard.  

About Candid
 

Every year, millions of nonprofits spend trillions of dollars around the world. Candid finds out where that money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. Through research, collaboration, and training, Candid connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to do it. Candid’s data tools on nonprofits, foundations, and grants are the most comprehensive in the world. Foundation Center and GuideStar joined forces to become Candid, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Find out more at candid.org and on Twitter @CandidDotOrg.
 

About Surgo Foundation
 

Surgo Foundation, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving health and social problems with precision.  We do this by bringing together all the tools available from behavioral science, data science, and artificial intelligence to unlock solutions that will improve and save lives. We work in the United States and in low-income countries on issues like COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, maternal mortality, health care, housing, and more. Visit us at surgofoundation.org.