Hubbry Logo
Mercy CorpsMercy CorpsMain
Open search
Mercy Corps
Community hub
Mercy Corps
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Mercy Corps is a global non-governmental, humanitarian aid organization operating in transitional contexts that have undergone, or have been undergoing, various forms of economic, environmental, social and political instabilities. The organization claims to have assisted more than 220 million people survive humanitarian conflicts, seek improvements in livelihoods, and deliver durable development to their communities.[5]

Key Information

Mercy Corps proposes a mission to "alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities."[6] As of August 2021, the organization reports to be operating within 38 countries, including Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Myanmar and Yemen, with programs focused in a number of humanitarian sectors ranging from conflict management, children & youth to agriculture and food security.[7][8]

History

[edit]

Originally established as the Save the Refugee Fund in 1979 to provide first hand post-conflict relief after the Cambodian genocide under the Pol Pot regime, the organization has since expanded its mandate to deliver humanitarian assistance.[9] In 1982, the organization's founders, Ellsworth Culver and Dan O'Neill, chose the name of Mercy Corps to represent the broader international activities of the organization that has since been focusing on delivering durable, long-term solutions to a range of humanitarian and development issues.[10] The organization has been present in varying locations at different times – cumulatively, it reports to have delivered humanitarian assistance in 122 countries.[5]

Mercy Corps delivered its first development program in Honduras in 1982. The program led to the establishment of the non-profit organization Project Global Village/Proyecto Aldea Global (PAG) in 1984 with a number of initiatives focused on development issues such as "health & HIV/AIDS prevention, domestic violence, education, agro-industrial development, microcredits, environmental development & infrastructure."[11][12] In the next decade following the formation of Mercy Corps, the organization would gradually expand its mandates into the broader international arena, stationing in countries including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Jordan, Bosnia, Kosovo, North Korea, North Macedonia, China, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Haiti.[10][13]

Mercy Corps incorporated the Conflict Management Group founded by Roger Fisher in 2004. Three years later, it also moved to incorporate NetAid seeking to broaden its scope of youth engagement in fighting global poverty.

Its programs have gradually gained structural and facilitating consistency throughout the course of the organization's development, ranging from long-term market system development programs, such as the Resilient Communities Program in Mongolia that would last until 2019, to short-term emergency response programs, such as the organization's post-disaster relief initiatives in Puerto-Rico after Hurricane Maria in the months following September 2017.[14][15]

In April 2025, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) by the second Donald Trump administration had forced the Mercy Corp to end "more than 2/3" of its federally-funded international aid programs.[16]

Scandal

[edit]

According to Ellsworth Culver's daughter, Tanya Culver Humphrey, Culver sexually abused her from her early childhood until she was a teenager.[17] Humphrey said that despite her repeatedly bringing the issue to the attention of Mercy Corps senior leadership, no action was taken beside moving Culver to another position in the organization.[17] Following a 2019 documentary on the sexual abuse allegations released by the Oregonian, the leader of Mercy Corps, Neal Keny Guyer, as well as senior legal counsel, and a longtime board member resigned.[18][19][17][20] Beth deHamel served as interim CEO and was succeeded by Tjada D'Oyen McKenna on 15 October 2020.[21][1]

Broad philanthropic strategies

[edit]

Throughout the course of Mercy Corps' history in its deliverance of humanitarian programs, the organization's focus in its overall operational strategies has seen substantial shifts. Starting as a non-government humanitarian aid organization specifically focused in the immediate humanitarian complexity of the refugee dilemma caused by the Cambodian genocide in 1979, the preceding incarnation of the organization, Save the Refugee Fund, focused on providing the means necessary to respond to first-hand emergencies of the grim implications of the genocide: short-term aids in food, water, shelter and other corresponding refugee assistance.[10]

As Mercy Corps expanded its mandates and progressed into a large humanitarian aid organization with a notable international presence, it has also gradually transformed its main philanthropic focus from solely the deliverance of temporary assistance that contribute short-term impacts to the development of broader socio-economic infrastructures that encourage long-term improvements in the well-being of target beneficiaries. In a nutshell, Mercy Corps programs' main focus has transitioned from direct deliverance of emergency aid to long-term provision of assistance in improving community "resilience".[22] Through a presentation published by USAID, Mercy Corps defines "resilience" as: "The capacity of communities in complex socio-ecological systems to learn, cope, adapt, and transform in the face of shocks and stresses."[23]

To upkeep its new humanitarian focus on long-term community development, the phrase "Market System Development" has become one of the operational concepts of increasing importance for recent and upcoming Mercy Corps programs. Instead of focusing solely upon assisting one type of stakeholder within a community, the organization has dedicated increasing effort into engaging and all related actors and stakeholders in the complete market chain to participate in the improvement of the overall health of the targeted economic sector (agriculture, IT, pasture etc.) to eventually create a self-reliable operational market structure.[24] Darius Radcliffe, the Country Director of Mercy Corps in Jordan, stated on 26 September 2023, that the organization will enhance diverse, dynamic economic opportunities that foster sustainable and comprehensive growth in Jordan while also improving water and energy management practices.[25]

Mercy Corps International

[edit]

Mercy Corps International is the organization's main branch of operation. It focuses on resolving humanitarian and development challenges currently faced by societies in countries of unstable, transitional backgrounds. Mercy Corps International is commonly considered to be a leading organization in its field, contributing "close to 94 percent of its resources to the most vulnerable areas in the world."[26] With primary focuses on disaster relief and capacity building, the organization has also been integrating long-term civil society and human rights initiatives into their humanitarian programs, delivering notable funds and resources to target states of operation. The organization has been gradually expanding its general mandates, and they mainly revolve around 14 main objectives:[7]

Main operational objectives

[edit]
Agriculture Children & Youth Conflict Management Disaster Preparedness
Economic Opportunity Education Emergency Response Environment
Food Security Health Innovation Partnerships
Water Women & Gender

In 38 countries ranging from the Democratic Republic Congo, Haiti and Guatemala to Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Mongolia, Mercy Corps reportedly designs and delivers both temporary and long-term humanitarian assistance programs that are predominantly funded by other partnering international donor institutions. Some of the partnering donors include:[27]

Partnering donor institutions

[edit]

Mercy Corps accepts contributions from both individual and institutional donors. For instance, the organization received a combined operational grant of more than US$13 million from the United States Agency for International Development's 2016 Emergency Food Security Program in post-Ebola recovery in Liberia and conflict response in Yemen.[28]

Governmental and Government-led Institutions International and Regional Organizations Non-Government, Private and Charity Institutions

Mercy Corps Northwest

[edit]

Mercy Corps Northwest operates domestically within the United States with focuses in primary economic development. It mainly aims to stimulate business growth opportunities for individuals and communities in the states of Oregon and Washington. Through different community development programs, Mercy Corps Northwest seeks to offer financial and technical assistance to low-income individuals to start a business, or small local business owners who experience financial hardships to overcome particular challenges, with the ultimate end-goal to enhance community-level economic capacity.[29] Some of the specific target populations include (but not restricted to):

  • New college graduates;
  • Retirees;
  • Low-income families;
  • Female small business owners;
  • Former prisoners seeking community reentry.
Mercy Corps' headquarters building in Portland, Oregon

Mercy Corps Northwest targets several social fronts through a number of programs that deliver education, training and mentoring for prospective small business entrepreneurs. Its Community Investment Trust seeks to mobilize small community investments (ranging from US$10 to US$100) in selected commercial properties that are not only affordable venues for small businesses, but can also generate profit dividends for investors from local community in return.[30] The organization also establishes Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) and provides Small Business Grants of up to US$3000 through established IDAs for eligible families and individuals who complete specific sets of business training offered by the organization. The organization hosts a Women's Business Center that aims to empower start-up female entrepreneurs through training, microloan and grant provisions.[31] For former prisoners seeking re-integration into the community in Portland, Oregon, Mercy Corps Northwest also operates the Reentry Transition Center that offers joint business and social reentry training curricula that assist ex-offenders with managing independent and successful lives after being released from prison.[29]

Objective-specific example programs

[edit]

Agriculture

[edit]

Market-oriented agricultural development

[edit]

A number of Mercy Corps' agriculture-related programs are jointly delivered with objectives in other areas such as water conservation, disaster resilience, emergency crisis response and market system development. For example, Mercy Corps establishes partnerships with local farmers or agribusinesses to stimulate local market exchanges in Uganda, with the ultimate target to not only help farmers gain market competitiveness, but also make affordable food choices more accessible for local populations living in deprived conditions, including incoming refugees within Uganda and from neighboring countries in crisis.[32] In response to the food crisis of the mid-1990s and at the request of North Korea, Mercy Corps began their work in 1996 focusing in the areas of local agricultural development. Throughout the duration of its presence, Mercy Corps has moved from food assistance to working on long-term agricultural and economic solutions: apple trees and fish farms and cross-cultural exchange. The effort involves aid workers living in Pyongyang, and in Chagang and North Pyongan provinces to visit families, monitor distribution and assess impact.[33]

Mercy Corps offers a number of agriculture-oriented programs in various countries, often delivered with water conservation and disaster prevention focuses. In Timor-Leste, for example, Mercy Corps seeks to build "market-based incentives to mitigation activities" so that local farmers are able to exercise different types of farming practices with different weather-resistance characteristics. By providing them with seed and farming assistance, these practices can enable Timorese farmers to contribute more "nutritious food source to households and to local markets" all the while diversifying farming practices so that "communities are not so reliant on one or two key crops for income and nutrition."[34] In Syria since 2011, it has been supporting an estimate of 9,000 local farmers and small gardeners by providing technical assistance in seasonal planting to mitigate with not only natural weather conditions but also man-made humanitarian crises on the ground. The organization purchases seeds for local farmers to reduce the investment cost of crop production in the post-Syrian war environment with destroyed infrastructure, and provide technical and business training that teach farmers efficient ways of planting and cultivation, as well as exchanging surplus productions in local markets.[35]

Food security

[edit]

Like most of its other development programs, Mercy Corps work to "provide communities with the tools and support they need to transform their own lives to support resilient well-being." With regard to food security, it targets five main areas for development: Pro-Poor Markets, Empowerment, Good Governance, Human Well-Being, and Economic Health.[36] It has been maintaining the main aim to providing its beneficiary population with necessary tools (both technical and material) and assisting them with utilizing these particular tools for the advancement of their own well-being.

In Niger, Mercy Corps jointly delivered the "Sawki" Program with Africare and Helen Keller International.[37] The program, funded by USAID, aimed to respond to the food security needs of a reported 118,000 people in the most vulnerable regions of the country, including Maradi and Zinder. Understanding that 60% of the marginalized population in the program's target areas were children of severe malnutrition, the program sought to " bring together complementary activities in nutrition, health, agriculture, livestock husbandry, livelihoods promotion, and market development," with an emphasized focal point on the empowerment of adolescent girls.[38]

From 2009 to 2013, Mercy Corps has delivered a SECURE program in Timor-Leste that seeks to relieve and prevent agriculture related damages caused by extreme rainfalls by connecting local blacksmiths who are able to produce effective small and medium-sized metal silos to broader rural farming populations. In collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Mercy Corps provided local farmers with subsidies for local farmers to purchase silos, while the FAO provided training and material assistance for blacksmiths to produce.[39][40]

Mercy Corps has also been operating in post-conflict Uganda since 2009: as the state approaches societal recovery, it has been facing a range of development challenges, one of which being the production under-capacity of the farming sector. The Revitalizing Agricultural Incomes and New markets (RAIN) program was created to target key areas that are detrimental for long-term assurance of food security, including financial services for small and medium agro-businesses at the local level, advising larger food-related enterprises for agricultural investment opportunities at the regional and national level, and technical training for returning farmers at the individual level. In parallel of training programs for the farmer communities that seek to improve land-capacity, growth and cultivation capacity and production efficiency, Mercy Corps has also been facilitating various actors within the domestic market chain to promote better access and more extensive availability of financial services and market platforms to ensure the continuous operation of the agricultural supply and demand chains, with the broader objective to encourage sustainable food security.[41]

Children & youth

[edit]

Youth economic empowerment

[edit]

Mercy Corps has been operating the PROSPECTS program in Liberia with the support of Exxon Mobil, Coca Cola Africa Foundation and the Swedish Government. The program, at its third phase as of 2018, has been focused in improving livelihoods of close to 12,000 vulnerable Liberian youth by providing them pre-employment and entrepreneurial trainings, apprenticeships in 15 partnering host enterprises all the while stimulating overall local markets. It is expected that the program will be able to reach 19,000 youth from Bong, Nimba and Montserrado counties in Liberia with a range of skill training and cash grants to obtain employment or start small businesses.[42]

In the Gaza Strip, Mercy Corps created Gaza Sky Geeks in 2011 with the support of a seed funding from Google, the Coca-Cola Foundation, Skoll and various local donors.[43] The particular initiative seeks to create a stage for new, young talents to grow and share their ideas while improving their skills through receiving professional mentoring and performing hands-on work. It also works to encourage female startup members within the IT community to engage in business and software engineering activities.[44] The Gaza Sky Geeks also provide considerable start-up grants for eligible young IT entrepreneurs to begin their businesses in the challenging market environment of Gaza. It hosts up to 140 people a day, with almost half of those hosted being women, with a prospective second location opening in the near future. Meanwhile, it has promoted local youth startups that receive significant attention from large U.S. technology firms such as Strips and Silicon Valley Bank.[45]

Economic opportunity

[edit]

Fostering microfinance

[edit]

Mercy Corps has been facilitating programs that deliver micro-financial services to individuals in different community contexts to promote long-term, self-sustainable economic growth. These particular programs offer small, short-term business loans to people of economically deprived conditions for them to start-up local businesses gain financial independence.

Domestically within the United States, Mercy Corps Northwest partners with the AmeriCorps VISTA and offers small business loans and grants to help eligible individuals with jump-starting their own small enterprises.[46] Internationally, Mercy Corps offers microcredits to people living in transitional or developing contexts through its networks of affiliations with banking sectors across the globe.

For example, in Indonesia and the Philippines, Mercy Corps announced the Maximizing Financial Access and Innovation at Scale (MAXIS) initiative that would the establishment of Bank Andara, a commercial bank that would partner with a broad network of microfinance institutions in the region to provide access to microfinancial services to, reportedly, 12 million Indonesian and 5 million Filipino nationals living in poverty through innovative strategies.[47][48] The MAXIS initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2008, also provided financial and technical assistance that increased the operational capacity of Indonesia's Microfinance Innovations Center for Resources and Alternatives (MICRA) to provide extended means of assistance to 851 Indonesian poverty-focused microfinancial institutions. Mercy Corps also implemented similar actions in the Philippines to provide technical and research support to other 359 Filipino microfinancial institutions that provide durable financial capacity-building services.[47][48]

Another example would be the Asian Credit Fund in Kazakhstan, a microfinancial institution facilitated by Mercy Corps, was able to obtain an operational loan totaled in US$1.8 million from the Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation to deliver microfinancial services to people of deprived conditions individual micro-loans with terms of six months to one year, all the while providing education in financial literacy and environmental sustainability. The Asian Credit Fund is reported to have 37 offices, 21,000 borrowers of which 92% are female, and a US$8.7 million gross loan deliverance profile.[49]

As of 2018, it is reported that Mercy Corps has distributed US$1.4 billion in forms of micro-loans to 244,315 clients globally.[50]

Mercy Corps' Financial Affiliates and Countries of Operation[51]
Affiliated Institutions Country of Operation
Xac Bank Mongolia
Partner (Partner Microcredit Organization) Bosnia and Herzegovina
IMON International Tajikistan
Kompanion Financial Group LLC Kyrgyzstan
Asian Credit Fund (ACF) Kazakhstan
Ariana Financial Services Group (AFS) Afghanistan (Kabul)
Agency for Finance (AfK) Kosovo
Chinese Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) China
Microfinance Innovation Centre for Resources and Alternatives (MICRA) Indonesia
Maximizing Financial Access and Innovation at Scale (MAXIS) Indonesia and the Philippines
Bank Andara Indonesia
Poverty Alleviation in the Tumen River Area (PARTA) China
Borshud Tajikistan
Community Health and Microcredit Guatemala

Education

[edit]

Mercy Corps' SAFE (abbreviation of Supporting Adolescent Girls' Future through Second Chance Education) School program in Niger ensures vital access for young adolescent girls to basic extents of education despite the nation's difficult socio-economic conditions. The program is a part of Mercy Corps' SAFE program series that, together, have the overall aim to improve the well-being of the female population in target areas. In collaboration with N's Ministry of Education and a local non-government organization, Organisation Nigerienne des Educateurs Novateurs, the SAFE School program sought to help "adolescent girls from vulnerable households to enter or re-enter the education system." Since its launch, it has engaged nearly 500 girls and 27 teachers (mostly female), as well as provided 20 learning centers with diversified management and teaching skills.[52]

In Kailali, Nepal, Mercy Corps implemented the Education of Marginalized Girls in Kailali from 2013 to 2017. The program seeks to broaden the spectrum of education for local girls in far western Nepal through organizing girls' education hubs/clubs that encourage girls to continue their education above the necessary education nationally established time frame (after obtaining the School Leaving Certificate), all the while persuading girls who have dropped out of their education to return to school. In addition, the program has also funded school curriculum in natural sciences, math, English and sexual health education to ensure the targeted adolescent girl population have extensive exposure to knowledge that are necessary for maintaining proper livelihoods.[53] Mercy Corps has also created two tool kits as one of the many elements of its deliverance of programs that encourage inclusive education for children with disabilities in Jordan, including various worksheets, plans, exercises and checklists to aid targeted disabled student populations with better managing their curriculum.[54]

In 2018, Mercy Corps, in collaboration with Educate A Child (EAC) and implemented through a consortium with Mercy USA, spearheaded the Wax Bar Carruurta Soomaaliyeed, also known as the Educate Somali Children (ESC) program. This three-year program aimed to enhance access to high-quality and inclusive primary education for 42,071 Somali Out-of-School-Children (OOSC) residing in the Federal Member States of Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West, Jubbaland, and Banadir region, as well as in Puntland and Somaliland.[55]

Women & gender

[edit]

Mercy Corps has facilitated linkages between gender dimensions and positive aspects of long-term market development. In the United States, Mercy Corps Northwest facilitates the Women's Business Center that seeks to empower, grow and support female entrepreneurs in the state of Oregon by providing them with business training, a discussion platform and operation grants/loans.[56]

In Nigeria, the organization has recognized that a notable percentage of the adolescent girls want to start a small enterprise, of which most were already engaged in various extents of economic activity. Mercy Corps hence implemented the Adolescent Girls in Northern Nigeria: Financial Inclusion and Entrepreneurship Opportunities Profile program to identify key challenges and barriers for adolescent girls to initiate economic activities and gain a stable revenue to pay for their tuition and living expenses. Around 1800 adolescent girls have been profiled in Northern Nigeria.[57] These profiles would assist Mercy Corps and other related development organizations to facilitate future programs that aim to empower female to engage in entrepreneurial actions and contribute to the improvement of the market capacities of their own communities.

In Afghanistan, Mercy Corps' INVEST program has had a meta-objective on developing durable market capacity of the Southern region of Helmand through introducing vocational education and skills training to local young Afghani population.[58] Funded by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID), it is specifically designed for the particular demographics of the target region, and has provided specific technical training opportunities for nearly 22,000 young men and women, over 70% of which were able to find employment or self-employment in fields of tailoring, electric, mechanics and plumbing. INVEST's gender-neutral delivery has enabled a significant number of local women to gain a progressive amount of personal autonomy in patriarchal communities where they are still extensively marginalized, all the while contributed to the capacity-building of the overall Afghani market economy.[59][60]

In Niger, where adolescent girls and women experience increasing exposures to gender-based violence in their communities, Mercy Corps have delivered the SAFE Space and later on, the SAFE Space + Livelihood programs that aims to provide safe platforms for young women and men to have access to accredited information on contraception, sexual health and family planning.[61] Over the life of these programs, Mercy Corps has worked with "15 health care providers at community pharmacies and health centers to ensure that they have increased knowledge in family planning counselling and stock management to improve access to contraception."[62]

Emergency response

[edit]

In North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mercy Corps delivers the Emergency Assistance to Conflict-Affected Populations (EACAP) program to provide first-hand emergency aid to internally displaced populations in the region created by related domestic instabilities. The program, at its second phase in 2012, operated with the main focuses on economic recovery and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) maintenance. Responding to the socio-political effects of the M23-related armed conflicts in Goma and broader North Kivu, Mercy Corps reached to assist a total of 122,769 internally-displaced populations to respond and mitigate existing instabilities.[63]

Operating as part of the Better Than Cash Alliance in the Philippines, Mercy Corps sought to take advantage of existing financial technologies to meet the emergency financial needs for the surviving victims of the Haiyan Typhoon in the country. Rather than relying on the traditional physical cash-transfer methods, Mercy Corps partnered with the BPI Globe BanKO to offer a range of electronic financial services that can deliver emergency recover aid to typhoon survivors. Program beneficiaries were "enrolled in BanKO's mobile savings accounts, through which they received one to three separate electronic cash transfers totaling 3,950 Philippine Pesos (about $90)."[64] The beneficiaries are provided with a SIM telephone card and an ATM cash withdrawal card so that Mercy Corps can send important context-specific financial tips, advice, literacy information via both voice and SMS messages, while BanKO has the opportunity to reach directly to the beneficiaries through electronic banking means. The program has delivered first-hand emergency aids and access to more efficient financial management tools to more than 25,000 households affected by the Haiyan Typhoon.[65]

Disputes and criticisms

[edit]

In May, 2017, Mercy Corps publicly announced that it had commenced the investigation of two staff members in its refugee program stations in Greece after receiving a call through the complaint hotline with regard to the "serious misconduct" of addressed workers.[66] After the Greek representative officials probed into the issue with regard to two staff from an unnamed, European Union-funded non-government organization having sexually violated refugees and misused the financial resource that was allocated solely for refugee use.[67] Responding to the particular probe, Mercy Corps has launched related investigations, and the two identified staff members were put on leave with further decisions on behavior outcomes to be made.[68]

The Charity Navigator gave Mercy Corps a 3-star overall rating, a 2-star financial rating and a 4-star accountability and transparency rating for the 2019 fiscal year.[69]

In 2019, senior staff resigned following public disclosure of the organization's longtime inaction over its co-founder's sexual abuse of his daughter.[17]

The Charity Navigator gave Mercy Corps an overall score of 92%, earning it a Four-Star rating (the highest possible) for the 2024 fiscal year. [70]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Mercy Corps

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Mercy Corps is an international dedicated to providing and development assistance, founded in 1979 as the Save the Refugees Fund by Dan O'Neill and Ellsworth Culver in response to the Cambodian refugee crisis, and renamed Mercy Corps in 1982. Headquartered in , it employs approximately 4,300 staff members, 95% of whom are locals in the countries of operation, and claims to have reached 38 million people in the preceding year through programs addressing crises, , disasters, and . Its stated mission is to alleviate suffering, , and by enabling communities to build secure, productive, and just societies. The organization operates in over 35 countries, focusing on response, , and long-term resilience-building initiatives, with an emphasis on through ventures like , established in to support in frontier markets. Since its inception, Mercy Corps has expanded from to broader alleviation efforts, distributing hundreds of millions in assistance across dozens of nations, though independent verification of impact metrics remains limited to self-reported data. Mercy Corps has faced significant controversy over its handling of sexual abuse allegations against co-founder Ellsworth Culver, who was accused by his daughter Tania Culver Humphrey of years of abuse, with the organization criticized for inadequate investigations in the and subsequent reviews revealing "missteps" and failures in policies as recently as and 2021. Humphrey filed a in 2022, alleging a in commissioned probes, highlighting systemic issues in within the sector. These events have prompted internal reforms but underscore challenges in governance and ethical oversight at large NGOs.

History

Founding and Early Operations (1979–1982)

Mercy Corps originated as the Save the Refugees Fund, established in November 1979 by Dan O'Neill as an autonomous task force in response to the humanitarian crisis triggered by the under the [Khmer Rouge](/page/Khmer Rouge) regime led by , which had resulted in widespread war, famine, and mass displacement of refugees. The organization's initial focus was on delivering emergency relief to Cambodian refugees fleeing the atrocities, channeling funds and resources to support survival needs amid reports of overwhelming international responses to the crisis. Ellsworth Culver served as a co-founder, contributing to the early structure alongside O'Neill, who was motivated by direct awareness of the genocide's scale. From 1979 to 1981, operations remained narrowly targeted at aid, operating primarily as a mechanism without a formalized international presence, emphasizing direct assistance to those affected by the Cambodian conflict's aftermath. In 1981, the entity was reincorporated as Mercy Corps International in the state of Washington, reflecting an intent to expand beyond the immediate Cambodian emergency into a broader humanitarian mandate aimed at alleviating suffering, poverty, and oppression globally. This shift marked the transition from a crisis-specific task force to a more institutionalized nonprofit, though core activities in the early phase continued to prioritize post-conflict distribution. By 1982, the organization adopted the name Mercy Corps to encapsulate its evolving scope of international activities, moving away from the refugee-specific branding while building on the foundational model of rapid-response aid established in its inaugural years. This period laid the groundwork for subsequent growth, with early successes in Cambodian support demonstrating the efficacy of fundraising and targeted interventions in acute displacement scenarios.

Expansion and Institutionalization (1980s–2000s)

In the early 1980s, Mercy Corps formalized its structure following its rebranding from Save the Refugees Fund, established in 1979, to focus on both emergency and initial development efforts. Its first development project commenced in in 1982, marking a shift from purely reactive refugee support—such as the 1980 delivery to Cambodian refugees in —to longer-term community rebuilding. Operations expanded geographically, with entry into by the mid-1980s for tuberculosis and other health initiatives, reflecting growing capacity to address endemic challenges beyond acute crises. The 1990s saw accelerated programmatic diversification and scale, incorporating economic development tools like to foster self-sufficiency. For instance, in 1999, Mercy Corps launched microloan programs for entrepreneurs in conflict-affected areas to procure materials and expand businesses, alongside domestic initiatives such as the Portland Entrepreneur Initiative targeting low-income women. This era's institutionalization included headquarters consolidation in , and mergers with smaller aid groups to bolster expertise in transitional contexts, though such rapid integration strained internal cohesion. Entering the , Mercy Corps established Mercy Corps Europe on June 30, 2000, as a Scottish-registered entity to access an funding and coordinate transatlantic operations, enhancing global reach. By 2003, the organization employed nearly 2,000 staff and had disbursed over $830 million in assistance across 80 countries, demonstrating matured for multi-year programs in post-conflict recovery. Cumulative escalated to $1.7 billion in 107 nations by 2008, underscoring institutional evolution toward integrated humanitarian-development models amid rising global demands.

Modern Evolution and Scale-Up (2010s–Present)

In the , Mercy Corps expanded its operational footprint amid escalating global crises, including responses to the , the Arab Spring uprisings starting in 2011, and the onset of Yemen's conflict that year, which necessitated rapid scaling of emergency aid delivery. By mid-decade, annual revenue hovered around $250 million, supporting programs in approximately 40 countries with a staff of about 3,800. This period also saw internal restructuring following 2019 allegations of workplace abuse, prompting the board to overhaul legal, ethics, and safeguarding functions to enhance accountability. The 2020s marked accelerated scale-up, driven by compounded shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic, climate extremes, and conflicts such as those in Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Annual revenue grew to $466 million by fiscal year 2024, with expenses at $475 million, enabling support for over 130 programs across 38 countries and direct aid to more than 19 million people that year. Staff numbers increased to around 6,000, reflecting broader organizational capacity to manage complex, multi-year interventions blending humanitarian relief with long-term development. Mercy Corps Ventures, the investment arm, reported massive portfolio growth in 2024, focusing on resilient startups in climate, finance, and humanitarian tech to amplify impact through market-based solutions. A pivotal strategic evolution occurred in July 2022 with the launch of the "Pathway to Possibility," a 10-year framework emphasizing evidence-based, locally led programming to foster resilience against conflict and risks. This initiative targets four core outcomes—food and , economic opportunity, and peace with —shifting from reactive response toward preventive, scalable systems change, with integrated measures. The strategy builds on prior expansions, such as Mercy Corps Europe's growth to £108.4 million in income by 2023, underscoring a commitment to diversified funding and global coordination via affiliates.

Organizational Structure

Global Operations via Mercy Corps International

Mercy Corps International functions as the core operational arm for the organization's worldwide humanitarian and development activities, managing field-based programs in regions affected by conflict, , , and impacts. It oversees a decentralized network of offices and teams embedded in local communities, prioritizing context-specific interventions through partnerships with governments, corporations, and affected populations. This structure enables rapid response to crises while fostering long-term resilience, with operations spanning active conflict zones, fragile states, and post- recovery environments. As of recent reports, Mercy Corps International employs nearly 4,300 team members across more than 35 countries, with 95% of staff recruited locally to leverage indigenous knowledge and reduce dependency on expatriates. This localization supports culturally attuned program delivery, such as , , and initiatives in displacement camps or economic development projects in rural areas. In fiscal year 2024, the entity executed over 130 programs, benefiting more than 19 million individuals in 38 countries, including , the of Congo, , and . Regional oversight is provided by dedicated directors, such as the and Regional Director, who coordinate multi-country efforts tailored to sub-regional challenges like migration, natural disasters, and market disruptions. Local subsidiaries, exemplified by Mercy Corps International , LLC—established in 2007—facilitate compliant operations in specific nations, handling , , and while adhering to international standards. This model has enabled cumulative assistance in over 120 countries since , though active presence fluctuates based on need and funding.

Domestic and Regional Affiliates

Mercy Corps maintains its primary domestic operations through Mercy Corps Global, a U.S. nonprofit corporation headquartered in , which oversees consolidated activities including subsidiaries such as Mercy Corps Development Holdings, LLC in and CIT Services, LLC in . These entities support global humanitarian efforts from a U.S. base while handling administrative, investment, and service functions. Additionally, Mercy Corps Northwest, a domestic affiliate focused on entrepreneurial training and for underserved communities in and southwestern Washington, operated from 1998 until closing its client services programs in September 2024, transitioning operations to other local agencies amid shifts in funding and priorities. Regionally, Mercy Corps affiliates primarily in Europe to facilitate access to institutional funding and localized implementation, with Mercy Corps Europe registered in the United Kingdom (Edinburgh) serving as the key entity for European operations, including coordination of humanitarian responses and partnerships with EU donors. Mercy Corps Netherlands, an affiliated entity consolidated under Mercy Corps Europe, supports similar functions in the Netherlands, aiding in grant management and program delivery across the region. These structures enable Mercy Corps to navigate regional regulatory environments and donor requirements, such as EU humanitarian partnerships, while maintaining alignment with the parent organization's global strategy. Other regional entities, like those in India and Indonesia, operate as country-specific affiliates but are not consolidated in the same manner as European ones.

Governance and Leadership

Mercy Corps, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in , maintains a governance structure centered on a global that provides strategic oversight, approves budgets, and ensures adherence to its humanitarian mission across affiliated entities. These affiliates include Mercy Corps Global (MCG) in the United States, Mercy Corps Europe (MCE) as a Scottish-registered charity, and Mercy Corps Netherlands (MCNL), linked by a and Memoranda of Understanding effective from July 1, 2015, which facilitate shared resources, strategy alignment, and joint decision-making. The boards of , MCE, and MCNL overlap with shared members, enabling coordinated through the Joint Board Executive Committee (JBEC), which exercises full board powers between meetings with a requirement. Specialized joint committees support this framework, including the Joint Finance Committee for budget review, the Joint Audit and Risk Committee for financial integrity and risk mitigation, the Joint Nominations and Committee for director selection and policy updates, and the Joint Ethics and Safeguarding Committee for compliance with ethical standards. MCE's board, comprising 6 to 20 directors, meets three times annually and appoints an who reports dually to the board and the shared CEO, subject to CEO approval. Executive leadership is led by Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, appointed by the on August 17, 2020, who oversees operations across affiliates, chairs the executive team, and directs a of over 4,300 staff in more than 35 countries focused on crisis response and development. The board, chaired by since her appointment on July 2, 2024, includes directors with expertise in finance, technology, and international affairs, such as Emmanuel Lulin, , and Farah Pandith, ensuring diverse input on global strategy and risk. The executive team supports the CEO in functional areas, with roles such as managing operational efficiency, Chief Development Officer handling , and specialized positions like Chief Climate Officer addressing environmental integration in programs, all aligned under board-approved policies reviewed periodically for relevance. This structure emphasizes accountability, with the CEO reporting to the boards and mechanisms like an Integrity Hotline for reporting governance concerns.

Mission and Strategic Frameworks

Core Objectives and Philosophical Underpinnings

Mercy Corps' core objective, as articulated in its , is to alleviate , , and by enabling communities to construct secure, productive, and just societies. This entails transitioning from immediate humanitarian relief to fostering long-term self-sufficiency, with operations spanning over 40 countries as of , where 95% of its 4,300 staff are locals driving context-specific interventions. The organization prioritizes resilience-building, employing methodologies like the Strategic Resilience Assessment (STRESS) to map stressors such as conflict and shocks, thereby formulating theories of change that integrate development goals with adaptive capacities. Philosophically, Mercy Corps grounds its approach in the intrinsic of human life and the potential for collective agency, advocating principles of , participation, and peaceful change derived from the Universal Declaration of . These principles underpin a vision for change that mobilizes , , and actors to enhance inter-sectoral and capacity, informed by three decades of field experience emphasizing sustainable processes over transient aid. The 2022 Pathway to Possibility strategy operationalizes this by targeting four community-level outcomes—food and , economic opportunity, peace, and —through evidence-based, locally led programs that prioritize marginalized groups affected by intersecting crises. This framework reflects a causal orientation toward systemic resilience, positing that empowered local actors, rather than external dependencies, generate enduring stability by addressing root vulnerabilities like resource scarcity and governance failures. Mercy Corps' emphasis on and influence alongside direct programming distinguishes it from purely relief-oriented entities, aiming to catalyze broader and market shifts for scalable impact.

Philanthropic Models: Market Mechanisms vs. Direct Aid

Mercy Corps integrates both direct and market-based mechanisms in its philanthropic framework, with direct prioritized for immediate humanitarian crises and market systems development (MSD) emphasized for long-term economic resilience. Direct encompasses emergency responses such as transfers, , and essential services like clean provision, which address acute survival needs in conflict zones or disasters, as seen in programs in the of Congo where assistance supports food and access during instability. This model delivers rapid relief but is inherently short-term, potentially fostering dependency if not paired with sustainable strategies, according to analyses of dynamics in fragile contexts. In contrast, Mercy Corps' MSD approach focuses on facilitating systemic changes in local markets by strengthening linkages between producers, buyers, and service providers, aiming to reduce at scale without ongoing subsidies. Programs like the Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems (DREAMS), a five-year initiative launched for refugees, combine targeted support with market facilitation to promote , evidenced by improved outcomes and reduced dependency in displacement settings. Similarly, in , the PRIME project engaged partners through co-investment to enhance agricultural , leading to sustained income growth for smallholders by addressing barriers like finance and information asymmetries rather than direct provision. Evaluations indicate MSD yields transformative impacts, such as resilience-building in South and programs where market interventions correlated with higher household incomes and adaptive capacities compared to standard models. The organization strategically layers direct into MSD during crises to preserve market functions, as explored in responses to refugee influxes in , where short-term cash supported immediate needs while longer-term interventions rebuilt supply chains. This hybrid mitigates the limitations of pure direct —such as market distortion from commodity dumping—while leveraging MSD's evidence-based , with studies showing cost-efficiency and in employment creation across 60% of assessed programs focused on job access. However, MSD's effectiveness depends on contextual factors like relative stability, as protracted conflicts can hinder engagement, prompting Mercy Corps to adapt by prioritizing essential market supports over comprehensive systemic reform in high-risk areas.

Programs and Initiatives

Humanitarian Emergency Response

Mercy Corps engages in rapid humanitarian emergency response to , conflicts, and epidemics, providing immediate life-saving assistance such as transfers, and services, shelter repairs, and essential supplies. In 2023, the organization delivered assistance to 1.8 million people and , , and hygiene (WASH) support to 12.3 million individuals amid crises. This work prioritizes quick mobilization, often within hours of onset, drawing on prepositioned resources and local partnerships to distribute aid in hard-to-reach areas. The organization's emergency interventions typically include non-food item kits, emergency water trucking, hygiene promotion, and multipurpose cash to enable affected populations to meet like and medical care. For instance, following the February 2023 in northwest , Mercy Corps teams supplied emergency kits and essentials to families displaced by both the quake and ongoing , while repairing shelters, systems, and bakeries. Similarly, in response to the October 2023 , aid reached over 14,000 people through immediate delivery of , items, and cash assistance. In conflict settings, such as since the 2022 escalation, Mercy Corps has provided cash aid, , and to more than 860,000 affected individuals by early 2025, focusing on newly displaced households including single-parent families. Historical responses encompass nearly every major global natural disaster over the past two decades, including the 2015 Nepal , the 2011 Horn of famine, the 2004 Indian Ocean , and Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019. During the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreaks in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts extended to public health measures, reaching 15.1 million people with outreach, sanitation, and economic support to prevent secondary crises like food insecurity. In Haiti, responses to the 2010 earthquake and subsequent disasters, including the 2021 quake, have involved training 7,500 educators and caregivers for psychosocial support alongside material aid. While these interventions deliver verifiable short-term outputs—such as lives stabilized through cash and —evaluations highlight challenges in measuring long-term causal impacts amid chaotic environments, with some studies noting the value of cash transfers in promoting economic recovery over in-kind aid. Mercy Corps often transitions emergency aid into recovery programs, such as grants, to mitigate dependency, though broader critiques of question sustained efficacy without addressing underlying governance failures.

Economic and Market Development

Mercy Corps promotes economic development primarily through market systems development (MSD), an approach that strengthens local market structures, private sector incentives, and stakeholder relationships to generate sustainable livelihoods, particularly in conflict zones, post-disaster recovery, and fragile economies. This method prioritizes systemic interventions—such as improving market linkages for producers, enhancing financial access, and fostering business enabling environments—over short-term aid distribution, with the goal of building economic resilience across the development spectrum from early recovery to long-term growth. A initiative is the Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems (DREAMS) program, launched in fall 2022, which combines poverty graduation techniques with MSD to support . Targeting individuals in in Uganda's Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement and expanding to , DREAMS provides business training, one-on-one mentoring, seed capital grants, and community savings groups, while facilitating connections to input suppliers, buyers, , and access. The five-year effort, running through 2026 in core areas, aims to reach over 33,000 households and impact more than 200,000 lives, with outcomes rigorously assessed through randomized controlled trials conducted by IDinsight. In , Mercy Corps has implemented MSD since 2004 across sectors including livestock markets and , partnering with public and private entities to address exclusion and expand opportunities for vulnerable populations. These efforts have reportedly empowered over 5 million people to access markets and services, improving by stimulating private sector responses to demand from underserved groups. Quantifiable self-reported outcomes from market-focused activities include, as of 2017, job training for 142,000 individuals, access to community savings groups for 58,000, financial education for 132,000, and digital for 500,000 small farmers. In 2024, and programs reached 228,177 people, incorporating market-driven solutions like public-private partnerships for sustainable electricity in Ethiopia's Sheder , business grants for rebuilding in (e.g., flour mills), and solar installations reducing costs for Senegalese farmers. Mercy Corps integrates MSD into by leveraging economic relationships to mitigate conflict drivers, such as reducing violence incentives through inclusive and addressing grievances via growth opportunities. Complementing these, Mercy Corps Ventures provides catalytic financing to enterprises tackling and challenges, targeting small upstream businesses needing $700–$30,000 in capital excluded from formal markets, as highlighted in its 2024 impact report.

Food Security and Agriculture

Mercy Corps addresses through programs that target root causes of , including conflict, shocks, and disruptions, by improving production, nutrition access, and household resilience. These efforts integrate market-based interventions with for smallholder farmers, aiming to ensure physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious . In recent years, such initiatives have reached 3.7 million people, with a focus on translating income gains from farming into better dietary practices and health outcomes. In , the organization connects nearly 1 million farmers annually to inputs, training, and markets to boost yields, feed families, and generate incomes, particularly among smallholders who comprise 57% of populations in target countries. Key strategies include regenerative practices via the Resilience Design approach, which enhances , water management, and , and digital tools through AgriFin to provide advisory services, , and . For example, AgriFin partnerships have enabled over 6,750 smallholder farmers to access harvesting services, reducing post-harvest losses, while broader digital outreach has supported 3.5 million farmers. Reported project outcomes include, in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (2017–2022), reduced and higher yields across 18 hills treated with agroecological methods; in , a 328% household revenue increase from alongside 84% participant confidence in flood resilience; and in northeast Nigeria's Rural Resilience Activity, 2,291 metric tons of seed distribution yielding USD 336,000 in sales. In 2022, agricultural programs reached 7.6 million people to support livelihoods and food access. These systems-level efforts emphasize climate-smart technologies like DigiFarm and AfriScout for efficiency, alongside market stimulation with traders and governments, contributing to outcomes in economic opportunity, , and water management. However, program evaluations reveal inconsistent long-term attribution; for instance, a Democratic Republic of Congo study found no direct causal links to agricultural gains due to absent outcome indicators, while a review of poverty-focused interventions reported statistically significant food security improvements in 60% of cases.

Youth, Education, and Gender Programs

Mercy Corps implements youth programs guided by its Youth Transformation Framework, which targets individuals aged 10 to 30 in transitional environments to build capabilities such as knowledge, skills, and attitudes while creating opportunities for engagement and employment. The framework emphasizes education beyond rote learning, incorporating critical thinking, communication, and vocational training to address youth unemployment and social isolation, with activities including non-formal education, life skills development, and demand-driven job opportunities. In 2019, the organization operated 51 employment programs across 32 countries, many in fragile contexts, focusing on market-driven skills to enable youth to earn living wages and contribute to community stability. Education initiatives target out-of-school adolescents and youth, providing high-quality non-formal training in areas like use, vocational skills, and psychosocial support, often in partnership with local entities. For instance, in , Mercy Corps collaborates with the Education Above All Foundation to deliver quality to 109,372 out-of-school children. In , the Supporting the Education of Marginalised Girls in Kailali (STEM) project aided 7,046 marginalized girls through targeted interventions. Evaluations of related programs, such as the Somali Youth Leaders Initiative completed in 2016, have assessed impacts on stability and skills via rigorous methods including control groups. Gender programs integrate with youth efforts to address disparities, prioritizing women and girls' access to education, livelihoods, and health services while engaging men and boys to foster enabling environments. The Girls Improving Resilience through Livelihoods and Health (GIRL-H) initiative, launched in 2020 across , , , , , and , targets adolescent girls in semi-rural areas with components including education, information, business training, and financial through peer-led safe spaces. By 2024, GIRL-H reached 70,000 individuals, yielding reported improvements in participants' confidence, financial independence, , and shifts in norms, as documented in internal impact assessments and external evaluations. These efforts align with broader -sensitive approaches that mainstream equality across programs, though outcomes vary by context as evidenced in resilience-focused studies like BRACED.

Climate Resilience and Adaptation Efforts

Mercy Corps incorporates and into its humanitarian and development programs by addressing immediate shocks from climate events, promoting adaptive strategies, and fostering long-term systemic changes, with efforts reaching 5.9 million people in 2023. The organization's approach emphasizes integrating considerations across sectors like , markets, and to build , drawing from case studies in countries including , Georgia, , , and Timor-Leste. In Ethiopia's PRIME project, a five-year initiative, Mercy Corps supported pastoralist communities through market expansion and climate-informed management to enhance resilience against droughts and variability. Similarly, the ACCCRN program, funded by a $59 million grant, targeted urban resilience in over 50 Asian cities, including , by developing municipal planning tools for flood and heat risks. In 2023, Mercy Corps launched the : Possible campaign, aiming to raise $250 million to deliver climate-smart solutions to 12.5 million people and support startups reaching 20 million more, with a focus on restorative , , and emergency preparedness. This includes initiatives like the AgriFin program in , which provides digital financial services to smallholder farmers for climate-adaptive practices such as drought-resistant crops. In conflict-affected areas like , programs combine adaptation measures—such as improved water management—with conflict-sensitive social cohesion activities to mitigate climate-exacerbated tensions, as evaluated in Mercy Corps' own mixed-methods studies. A 2021 merger with Energy 4 Impact further expanded efforts to link clean energy access with resilience in and , particularly in . Mercy Corps has committed to reducing its operational by 50% by 2030, implementing measures like clean energy in field offices and emissions tracking, as announced in 2021. These efforts prioritize market-based solutions over direct aid where possible, though internal case studies highlight challenges in achieving sustained behavioral changes and fully operationalizing complex risks across diverse contexts.

Funding and Financial Operations

Primary Donor Sources and Dependencies

Mercy Corps derives the majority of its funding from grants, primarily from governments and multilateral institutions, which accounted for approximately 76% of its total support and revenue in fiscal year 2023 (ending June 30, 2023), totaling $494.6 million out of $648 million. This public funding includes significant contributions from the Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Department of State, and other federal agencies, which support large-scale humanitarian and development programs. In fiscal year 2024, public support decreased to $430.3 million, representing about 71% of total revenue of $602 million, reflecting vulnerabilities to shifts in U.S. foreign aid policy. European government donors, such as the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and agencies from , , and the , provide additional public funding, particularly through Mercy Corps Europe, which reported total income of £108.4 million in fiscal year 2023, largely from government awards. Private sector contributions, including foundations, corporations, and individual donors, make up the remainder, totaling $153.4 million in 2023 and $172.8 million in 2024. Notable private funders include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the , which have provided grants for specific international programs, such as $600,000 from Carnegie in 2022 for global initiatives. Corporate partnerships with entities like those listed in Mercy Corps' partner programs supplement this, often aligning with business goals. Mercy Corps employs a matching strategy where private donations leverage public grants, claiming that every $1 in private gifts attracts an average of $4 in government funding, though this ratio depends on competitive grant processes. The organization's heavy reliance on U.S. funding creates operational dependencies, as evidenced by abrupt terminations of over 40 programs in early 2025 following U.S. foreign aid cuts under the incoming administration, affecting services for millions in countries including , , and . These cuts, which halted USAID grants comprising a substantial portion of Mercy Corps' portfolio, led to the suspension of aid for over 32,800 children in alone and forced workforce , underscoring risks from geopolitical shifts and priorities that prioritize domestic concerns over international assistance. While Mercy Corps has sought to mitigate this through private fundraising—resuming some activities in and with non-governmental support—its model remains exposed to fluctuations in , which totaled less than 1% of the U.S. federal yet drives the bulk of its programmatic scale.
Fiscal YearPublic Support ($ millions)Private & Other ($ millions)Public % of Total
2023494.6153.476%
2024430.3172.871%
This table summarizes audited revenue categories from Mercy Corps' financial statements, highlighting the declining but still dominant role of public funding amid recent policy changes.

Budget Allocation and Transparency Metrics

In fiscal year 2023, ending June 30, Mercy Corps reported total expenses of $680,573,000, with $583,995,000 (85.8%) allocated to program services, $78,089,000 (11.5%) to and general expenses, and $18,489,000 (2.7%) to . Program allocations emphasized humanitarian at $203,707,000 and livelihood/ at $197,702,000, reflecting priorities in response and market-based interventions. In fiscal year 2024, total expenses rose slightly to $671,246,000, but program spending fell to $552,237,000 (82.2%), with /general at approximately 14.4% ($96,716,000) and at 3.3% ($22,293,000); sub-allocations shifted toward livelihood/ at $228,177,000 amid reduced needs. Averaged over the prior five years, 86% of expenses supported programs, 10% administration, and 4% , per the organization's self-reported metrics derived from audited statements.
Expense CategoryFY2023 PercentageFY2024 Percentage
Program Services85.8%82.2%
Management/General11.5%14.4%
2.7%3.3%
Independent evaluators report varying program expense ratios due to methodological differences in consolidating affiliates and affiliates' data; calculated 79.56% for FY2024 based on IRS , while estimated 82%. Mercy Corps maintains high transparency through annual publication of audited consolidated and IRS filings on its website, covering global operations and affiliates. awards a 90% accountability and transparency score, citing full disclosure of , policies, and availability, contributing to an overall 92% four-star rating. assigns an A grade, highlighting policies on conflicts of interest, whistleblower protections, and document retention, alongside a low $7 to raise $100 in funds. These metrics reflect adherence to evaluator benchmarks for financial reporting, though ratios alone do not assess program efficacy.

Effectiveness and Impact Evaluations

Empirical Successes from Program Assessments

In a of the Engaging Communities for Peace in Nigeria (ECPN) program, implemented from 2015 to 2019 in Benue and Nasarawa states, intervention communities exhibited higher intergroup contact and trust levels that either increased or deteriorated less than in control communities amid escalating regional tensions. Perceptions of were significantly higher in ECPN sites, with direct participants showing greater improvements in attitudes and behaviors toward peace than indirect participants or those in control areas. An RCT evaluating the component of Mercy Corps' Community Initiatives to Promote in found that communities led by trained mediators reported violent incidents in the prior six months at a 29% rate, compared to 55% in comparison sites, alongside self-reported enhancements in skills and community security among leaders. In , , an RCT involving 1,590 youth participants tested vocational training and cash transfers under the INVEST project; while training alone boosted economic outcomes without reducing violence support, combining it with cash transfers decreased willingness to engage in pro-armed opposition actions, with effects persisting 6 to 9 months post-intervention. Mercy Corps' demand-side intervention in , —providing , training, and mentoring to women business owners—yielded RCT evidence of increasing business profits over 24 months, with effects projected to continue beyond follow-up periods based on 4,240 observations across baseline and subsequent surveys. The CONCUR program in , aimed at conflict mitigation through , reported that 86% of households in intervention sites experienced decreased intergroup tensions, versus 56% in comparison sites, representing a 43 difference per endline surveys. These organization-led RCTs provide empirical support for targeted program elements in fostering stability and economic gains, though outcomes varied by context and intervention design.

Criticisms and Evidence of Limited Long-Term Efficacy

Evaluations of Mercy Corps programs have occasionally revealed constraints in delivering sustained outcomes, with some interventions demonstrating primarily short-term benefits that diminish post-implementation. In the organization's multi-purpose cash assistance under the SAFER program in , which provided USD 150 monthly to 1,251 vulnerable households, researchers identified limited effects on long-term livelihoods, attributing this to factors such as market constraints and insufficient complementary support for skill-building or enterprise development. Similarly, Mercy Corps' internal analysis of cash-for-work initiatives, commonly used for immediate income provision in settings, concluded that these approaches "fall short of creating lasting impacts on the livelihoods and long-term resilience of participants," prioritizing rapid over enduring economic structures. Social cohesion efforts have also faced scrutiny for inadequate persistence. A review of host-refugee integration programs in found that certain interventions, despite initial participation gains, exerted "limited impact on social relations" due to insufficient layering with economic or infrastructural components, leading to fading intergroup ties after program cessation. In youth-focused initiatives like Advancing Adolescents, evaluations noted restricted benefits for female participants, with overall program effects not extending robustly to gender-specific barriers in or sustainability. Challenges in measuring long-term are compounded in conflict environments, where Mercy Corps has acknowledged ethical and logistical barriers to rigorous follow-up, potentially understating fade-out effects or inflating short-term metrics. For example, a post-project assessment of the dairy program in indicated lasting animal ownership gains but minimal broader attributions to strengthening or market integration beyond direct inputs. These patterns align with broader sector critiques, where dependency risks arise from reliance on temporary transfers without embedded local reforms, though Mercy Corps-specific data remains uneven due to gaps.

Controversies and Criticisms

Sexual Abuse Scandal Involving Co-Founder

In 2019, Tania Humphrey, daughter of Mercy Corps co-founder Ellsworth Culver, publicly accused her father of sexually abusing her as a child during family trips abroad in the 1970s and 1980s, including incidents in Thailand where Culver allegedly arranged access to underage girls for sexual purposes. Humphrey further alleged that Culver's actions contributed to the death of a 9-year-old Thai girl following a night of abuse arranged by him, a claim corroborated in part by witness accounts uncovered during later investigations. Culver, who co-founded Mercy Corps in 1979 and served as its president until 1990, had faced prior internal ; a board investigation confirmed allegations of but resulted in limited action, including his removal from leadership without public disclosure or referral to authorities. In response to Humphrey's 2019 disclosures, Mercy Corps commissioned an independent investigation by the Freeh Group, a firm with expertise in probes, which released a report on May 19, 2021, substantiating multiple instances of Culver's linked to his organizational role, including exploitation of vulnerable populations in aid contexts. The report highlighted systemic failures in Mercy Corps' handling of known allegations dating back decades, such as inadequate policies and reluctance to confront founder , though it noted no evidence of ongoing by current staff. The scandal prompted the resignation of CEO Neal Keny-Guyer on August 14, 2020, amid criticism that leadership had prioritized institutional reputation over victim accountability, including delays in addressing Humphrey's claims despite internal knowledge since at least 2010. Mercy Corps subsequently enhanced its policies, implementing mandatory reporting, third-party audits, and a survivor compensation fund, while publicly expressing regret for past inaction. Humphrey filed an emotional distress against Mercy Corps in 2022, alleging the enabled her father's and exacerbated her trauma through cover-ups; a Multnomah ruled on February 24, 2023, that the case could proceed to trial, rejecting Mercy Corps' motion to dismiss. As of March 2024, Humphrey sought up to $54 million in , citing the Freeh report's findings of institutional as evidence of reckless disregard for harm caused. The maintains that while Culver's actions were abhorrent, it has since reformed to prevent recurrence, though critics argue the response reflects broader challenges in aid sector accountability where founder legacies often shield misconduct.

Broader Operational and Ideological Disputes

Mercy Corps has encountered operational suspensions from host governments in conflict-affected regions, often amid allegations of aid diversion to armed groups. In September 2019, Nigeria's military shut down the organization's offices in Borno and Yobe states, claiming Mercy Corps provided logistical assistance to militants, thereby enabling insurgent activities in areas of ongoing operations. The group responded by suspending its programs in those states, which had targeted and economic recovery for over 100,000 people displaced by the , underscoring recurring challenges in ensuring reaches civilians without benefiting combatants. A parallel incident occurred in March 2017, when Turkey revoked Mercy Corps' registration, compelling the immediate closure of its Turkey-based operations that facilitated cross-border to . This affected monthly assistance to approximately 500,000 Syrian civilians, including food, water, and shelter, and was linked to Turkey's broader post-2016 coup measures against NGOs suspected of ties to Kurdish factions or anti-government elements in northern . Such actions highlight operational tensions arising from geopolitical alignments, where host states prioritize over unrestricted aid flows, potentially compromising NGO access in protracted conflicts. Ideologically, Mercy Corps' advocacy has sparked disputes over perceived alignment with specific geopolitical narratives, particularly in the Israel-Gaza context. In July 2025, the organization co-signed an open letter with more than 100 aid entities warning of "mass starvation" in Gaza and demanding an immediate ceasefire alongside unrestricted aid access, framing the crisis primarily as a consequence of Israeli-imposed blockades and military actions. Israeli authorities rebutted these claims, asserting that sufficient aid enters Gaza but is systematically appropriated by Hamas for military use rather than civilian distribution, a contention supported by documented instances of aid truck hijackings and warehouse looting. Mercy Corps' own reporting echoed this emphasis, criticizing border restrictions while attributing heightened violence and hunger to external controls over internal factors like Hamas governance inefficiencies. These positions have intensified scrutiny of Mercy Corps' impartiality, especially given its substantial U.S. funding, which critics argue incentivizes that mirrors Western liberal priorities on humanitarian access while underemphasizing recipient-side . Although the maintains a non-political stance focused on relief imperatives, such interventions have contributed to broader debates within the aid sector about ideological homogeneity, where empirical evidence of aid politicization—such as selective outrage or omission of militant diversion risks—undermines claims of neutrality. In 2025, Israel's moves to de-register foreign NGOs operating in Gaza and the , amid accusations of complicity with designated terrorist entities, further amplified these concerns for groups like Mercy Corps active in the territory.

Recent Developments

Key Initiatives and Partnerships (2020–2025)

During the period from 2020 to 2025, Mercy Corps emphasized emergency humanitarian responses to crises such as the , the , earthquakes in Haiti and Syria, and conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and elsewhere, while advancing longer-term efforts in climate resilience, agricultural support, financial inclusion, and peacebuilding across over 40 . Annual reach varied, including 37 million people aided in emergencies in 2020, over 50 million total in 2021, 38 million in 2022 and 2024, and 30 million in 2023. In response to the , Mercy Corps delivered aid to 15.1 million people in 2020, including support for 450,000 students in and handwashing stations for 433,000 in Timor-Leste, expanding to 28 million beneficiaries by 2021 through hygiene and voucher programs. Post-2022 crises saw initiatives like cash distributions and safe spaces for Ukrainian refugees, water points during Somalia's in February 2022, and emergency kits after Syria's February 2023 . In 2024, responses included cash and food aid for Nigeria's flooding, 1,300 food kits for Gaza distributed from , and support in , , and the Democratic Republic of Congo. By mid-2025, a $4.5 million European Union-funded project launched in July targeted over 140 grassroots organizations, national NGOs, and faith-based groups in to bolster amid conflict. Climate adaptation programs equipped 4.9 million people in 2020, including 98,000 Indonesian farmers with new practices and 138,000 for preparedness; by 2021, innovations saved 5.2 billion gallons of in . Continued efforts reached 4.6 million with clean in 2022 and 8.3 million in 2023, alongside agricultural support for 7.6 million in 2022 and 10.8 million in 2021. Mercy Corps Ventures invested in eight AI and data-driven tech pilots in 2024, with portfolio companies serving 37 million customers. In 2023, farmer training in addressed drought . Economic and youth initiatives generated $2.3 million in income for Jordanian youth and 5,190 jobs in in , alongside vocational training for over 2,500 Nigerian girls. expanded to 7.5 million in 2021 and 3.8 million in 2022, including loans for 450+ Nepali women entrepreneurs. The DREAMS program, starting in in 2022 and expanding to and in 2023, supported 340,000 refugees via entrepreneurship training. In 2024, grants aided business rebuilding, such as a flour mill in a conflict zone. Peacebuilding efforts included 54 active programs in 2021 and 63 in 2022, reaching 13.3 million in 2023. Partnerships underpinned many activities, such as with for digitized food vouchers in (2021), Starbucks Foundation for women's training in , , and (ongoing since before 2022), for post-hurricane water in (2021), and Village Enterprise for refugee businesses in and (2022). Collaborations with USAID included a $75 million evidence launched 2024 and expanded internships in 2024, though U.S. cuts in early 2025 terminated some projects. Mercy Corps also joined 106 NGOs in a 2024 statement urging funding for the 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview. Local and community partnerships were central, including with Fundacja w Stronę Dialogu in Poland for Romani refugees (2022) and Perspectyva in (2023).

Responses to Global Crises and Future Directions

Mercy Corps has mobilized resources in response to the , reaching 15.1 million globally with including assistance to 1.8 million and , , and support to 12.3 million, while emphasizing preservation in fragile contexts to mitigate economic fallout. In , following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the organization provided emergency , food, , and shelter to over 200,000 initially, expanding to support 12.7 million in need by May 2025, including shelters for LGBTQ+ families via local partners and advocacy for sustained international funding as the conflict entered its fourth year. In Sudan, where conflict since April 2023 has driven acute food insecurity for over 25 million people—half the population—Mercy Corps, active since 2004, has delivered cash and voucher assistance through local partnerships to address liquidity shortages and support war-affected communities, while analyzing the war economy's disruptions to humanitarian access. Amid the Israel-Hamas war starting October 7, 2023, Mercy Corps reached 385,000 people in Gaza with food, clean water, hygiene supplies, and shelter by October 2025, issuing warnings of mass starvation risks and calling for unhindered aid flows via U.N. mechanisms following the ceasefire announcement. Looking ahead, Mercy Corps' "Pathway to Possibility" 10-year , launched in 2022, prioritizes four outcomes—food and , economic opportunity, and , and —through systems-level interventions that enable communities to transition from response to resilience, with a focus on local partnerships and innovations to cope with conflict and environmental threats. In its European operations plan for 2023–2026, the organization aims to enhance funding to local actors, including women's groups, and address the -conflict nexus via prioritized strategies like anticipatory action in high-risk areas. For 2025, Mercy Corps advocates full funding of the Global Humanitarian Overview to counter escalating needs from protracted conflicts and climate shocks, emphasizing early, flexible donor commitments.

References

  1. https://jliflc.com/organizations/mercy-corps/
  2. https://history-commons.net/orgs/mercy-corps-us/
  3. https://www.mercycorps.org/
  4. https://www.mercycorps.org/who-we-are
  5. https://db.ministrywatch.com/ministry.php?ein=911148123
  6. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do/ventures
  7. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol4/iss3/30/
  8. https://www.mercycorps.org/response-to-culver-abuse
  9. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/us/mercy-corps-abuse-investigation.html
  10. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2022/09/daughter-of-co-founder-sues-mercy-corps-calls-its-commissioned-investigation-into-alleged-sex-abuse-allegations-a-whitewash.html
  11. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/freeh-group-report-May-2021
  12. https://www.devex.com/news/mercy-corps-significant-failings-are-an-opportunity-for-the-aid-sector-staff-say-95878
  13. https://www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-city-life/2020/02/review-concludes-mercy-corps-leadership-made-missteps-mistakes-in-handling-of-sexual-abuse-case
  14. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/clips/co-founder-portland-based-global-nonprofit-retire-after-nearly-40-years
  15. https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2019/02/13/mercy-corps-founder-on-his-moral-awakening.html
  16. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/mercy-corps/
  17. https://globalwa.org/2019/03/congressional-tribute-to-dan-oneill/
  18. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Annual_Report_2003.pdf
  19. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Annual_Report_2006.pdf
  20. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Annual_Report_2000.pdf
  21. https://www.energy4impact.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Annual_Report_1999_0.pdf
  22. https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/2023-09/adaptation_change_in_six_globalizing_ngos.pdf
  23. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC208829
  24. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Annual_Report_2008_0.pdf
  25. https://www.mercycorps.org/where-we-work/haiti
  26. https://www.mercycorps.org/where-we-work/tunisia
  27. https://europe.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/mercy-corps-yemen-state-collapse-country-enters-fifth-year-conflict
  28. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/2015_Audited_Financial_Statement.pdf
  29. https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2010/09/mercy_corps_neal_keny-guyer_in.html
  30. https://www.mercycorps.org/timeline-of-actions-in-response-to-details-of-abuse
  31. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/911148123
  32. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2025-01/2024-form-990.pdf
  33. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2025-02/mercy-corps-ventures-2024-impact-report.pdf
  34. https://www.mercycorps.org/pathway
  35. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/Pathway%20to%20Possibility_Full%20Document_ENG.pdf
  36. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/mercy-corps-europe-annual-report-23-final-with-signature.pdf
  37. https://www.mercycorps.org/where-we-work
  38. https://www.mercycorps.org/who-we-are/our-team
  39. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2024-01/fy-2023-audited-financial-statement.pdf
  40. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/Appendix%20II%20-%20Org%20Chart.pdf
  41. https://www.charitywatch.org/charities/mercy-corps
  42. https://www.mercycorps.org/where-we-work/united-states
  43. https://www.mercycorps.org/mcnw-future
  44. https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/mcnw-entrepreneurial-community
  45. https://europe.mercycorps.org/
  46. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/mercy-corps-europe-fy24-annual-report-and-financial-statements-final.pdf
  47. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/eu-humanitarian-partnership-certificate-2021-potential-programmatic-partner_mercycorps-nl_signed.pdf
  48. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Mercy_Corps_Governance_2021_Mar21_v2.pdf
  49. https://www.mercycorps.org/releases/new-ceo
  50. https://www.mercycorps.org/who-we-are/our-team/tjada-doyen-mckenna
  51. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/Board-Changes-2024
  52. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/91-1148123
  53. https://www.mercycorps.org/who-we-are/our-team/david-nicholson
  54. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/strategic-resilience-assessment
  55. https://www.mercycorps.org/who-we-are/vision-change
  56. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/pathway-to-possibility
  57. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do
  58. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/CashMarketsMercyCorpsApril2018Brief_0.pdf
  59. https://globalcompactrefugees.org/good-practices/delivering-resilient-enterprises-and-market-systems-dreams
  60. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Mercy_Corps_PRIME_in_Ethiopia.pdf
  61. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/market-systems-development-build-resilience-fragile-contexts
  62. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/layering-cash-into-market-systems-programs
  63. https://medium.com/mercy-corps-economic-opportunities/numbers-dont-lie-making-the-case-for-our-market-system-development-approach-a5a3db80bb2f
  64. https://beamexchange.org/media/filer_public/51/5f/515f4ae5-ea48-4335-8ca9-31ba95408896/2089_msd4e_landscape_assessment_nov_2024_final.pdf
  65. https://beamexchange.org/resources/2001/
  66. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do/emergency-response
  67. https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/how-we-work-emergency-response
  68. https://www.mercycorps.org/annual-reports/2023
  69. https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/displaced-communities-path-recovery
  70. https://www.globalgiving.org/pfil/4596/projdoc.pdf
  71. https://causaldesign.com/the-untapped-potential-of-impact-evaluations-in-humanitarian-contexts/
  72. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R42827.html
  73. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do/market-development
  74. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/MarketSystemsApproach_MERGOct2016.pdf
  75. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do/delivering-resilient-enterprises-and-market-systems
  76. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/market-systems-development-ethiopia
  77. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/Impact_Brief_MSD_Mercy_Corps_Ethiopia.pdf
  78. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/2024_annual_report.pdf
  79. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/building-peace-economic-development
  80. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do/food-security-nutrition
  81. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/food-security-sector-approach
  82. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/FoodSecurityApproach.pdf
  83. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do/agriculture
  84. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/building-resilient-farming-systems
  85. https://mercycorpsagrifin.org/fueling-growth-and-resilience-how-mercy-corps-agrifin-and-lersha-are-driving-innovation-impact-and-investment-in-digital-agriculture/
  86. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/agricultural-approach-2023.pdf
  87. https://www.mercycorps.org/annual-reports/2022
  88. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/assessing-hill-approach-drc-scale.pdf
  89. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/closing-the-gap-report.pdf
  90. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/youth-transformation-framework
  91. https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/youth-unemployment-global-crisis
  92. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/Mercy-Corps-approach-Partnering-Youth-2017.pdf
  93. https://www.educationaboveall.org/our-partners/mercy-corps
  94. https://girlseducationchallenge.org/projects/project/supporting-the-education-of-marginalised-girls-in-kailali-stem/
  95. https://www.samuelhall.org/publications/mercy-corps-evaluation-of-the-somali-youth-leaders-initiative
  96. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do/gender-equality
  97. https://www.mercycorps.org/girl-h
  98. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/GenderProgramFactSheetBRACED.pdf
  99. https://www.mercycorps.org/what-we-do/climate-environment-energy
  100. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/climate-resilience-case-study-series
  101. https://www.mercycorps.org/advance-climate-resilient-communities
  102. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/evidence-climate-adaptation-peacebuilding-mali
  103. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/emissions2021
  104. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/2023-annual-financial-summary-03142024.pdf
  105. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/2024-financial-statement-summary.pdf
  106. https://europe.mercycorps.org/en-gb/institutional-donors
  107. https://www.carnegie.org/grants/grants-database/grantee/mercy-corps/
  108. https://www.mercycorps.org/partners
  109. https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/help-us-go-5x-far-families-caught-crisis
  110. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/USG-Programs-Terminated
  111. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/25/portland-based-mercy-corps-reveals-scope-of-humanitarian-projects-terminated-by-usaid-cuts/
  112. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/the-human-toll-of-us-foreign-aid-cuts-six-months-on
  113. https://www.devex.com/news/lessons-from-mercy-corps-fundraising-playbook-110613
  114. https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/facts-us-foreign-aid
  115. https://www.mercycorps.org/who-we-are/our-efficiency
  116. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/911148123
  117. https://www.mercycorps.org/who-we-are/financials
  118. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/does-peacebuilding-work-midst-conflict
  119. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/can-mediation-reduce-violence
  120. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/economic-intervention-violence-reduction
  121. https://www.cgdev.org/blog/four-research-and-policy-implications-rct-women-business-owners-indonesia
  122. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/Conflict-Mitigation-Economic-Growth-Nigeria-2017.pdf
  123. https://www.calpnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SAFER_Livelihood-outcomes-of-multi-purpose-cash-assistance_July-2024.pdf
  124. https://medium.com/mercy-corps-economic-opportunities/five-reasons-not-to-use-cash-for-work-ff983332783e
  125. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2022-06/PEACE_FULL_Final.pdf
  126. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/Advancing_Adolescents%2520Report_FINAL_ONLINE.pdf
  127. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/eapc_lessons_learned_on_measuring_impact_2011-07-28_final.pdf
  128. https://www.theimprovegroup.com/sites/default/files/MILK%2520II%2520Final%2520Evaluation%2520Report.pdf
  129. https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/Mercy_Corps_SCOPE_study_full_report.pdf
  130. https://www.npr.org/2019/10/18/771219833/mercy-corps-faces-sexual-abuse-scandal
  131. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/02/emotional-distress-suit-against-mercy-corps-by-daughter-of-co-founder-can-proceed-judge-rules.html
  132. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/03/daughter-of-mercy-corps-co-founder-seeks-up-to-54-million-in-punitive-damages-against-global-charity.html
  133. https://www.mercycorps.org/fgis-report-english
  134. https://www.opb.org/article/2020/08/18/bc-or-mercy-corps-ceo/
  135. https://www.mercycorps.org/response-to-details-of-abuse-by-co-founder
  136. https://www.mercycorps.org/node/1380
  137. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/mercy-corps-suspends-northeast-nigeria-work-after-army-shuts-offices-idUSKBN1WB04A/
  138. https://qz.com/africa/1716064/nigerian-army-shuts-mercy-corps-ngos-amid-boko-haram-crisis
  139. https://www.africanews.com/2019/09/26/suspended-for-helping-nigeria-s-boko-haram-mercy-corps-unicef-action-against/
  140. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39205675
  141. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/world/middleeast/turkey-syria-mercy-corps.html
  142. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/u-s-aid-group-mercy-corps-says-turkey-has-revoked-its-license-idUSKBN16F1Y3/
  143. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/more-than-100-aid-groups-sign-open-letter-warning-of-starvation-in-gaza
  144. https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/7/23/aid-groups-warn-of-mass-starvation-in-gaza
  145. https://abcnews.go.com/International/aid-organizations-needed-gaza-amid-israel-hamas-ceasefire/story?id=126359454
  146. https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/mercy-corps-ceo-on-the-gaza-crisis
  147. https://www.heritage.org/global-politics/report/political-discrimination-threatens-us-foreign-assistance
  148. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2010/12/14/132046928/clarification-mercy-corps-is-non-political
  149. https://www.npr.org/2025/10/21/nx-s1-5580351/israel-humanitarian-aid-ngos-gaza-west-bank
  150. https://www.mercycorps.org/annual-reports/2020
  151. https://www.mercycorps.org/annual-reports/2021
  152. https://www.mercycorps.org/annual-reports/2024
  153. https://www.sudanspost.com/mercy-corps-launches-4-5-million-project-to-aid-civil-society-organizations/
  154. https://www.mercycorps.org/research-resources/ventures-annual-impact-report-2024
  155. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/mercy-corps-USAID-collaboration-evidence-organizations
  156. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/mercy-corps-internships
  157. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/mercy-corps-global-humanitarian-overview-2025
  158. https://www.mercycorps.org/where-we-work/ukraine
  159. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/Ukraine-three-year-anniversary
  160. https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/liquidity-services-partnering-mercy-corps-raise-funds-ukrainian-refugees
  161. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/sudan-report-hunger-reaches-historic-proportions
  162. https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/sudan-crisis-hunger-disaster-surging
  163. https://www.calpnetwork.org/publication/partnering-to-solve-cash-liquidity-crisis-mercy-corps-sudan-and-last-mile-technology-lmt/
  164. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/Gaza-two-years-war-deprivation-loss
  165. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/23/nx-s1-5477409/mercy-corps-official-warns-of-mass-starvation-in-gaza
  166. https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/gaza-ceasefire-urgent-aid-recovery-humanitarian
  167. https://netherlands.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/mercy-corps-netherlands-strategic-policy-plan-fy25-27.pdf
  168. https://netherlands.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2025-01/addressing-climate-conflict-nexus-brief.pdf
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.