Lebanese Red Cross

  • What is it? The main provider of ambulance services in Lebanon. Led by volunteers. More here.
  • Where does your money go? Directly to the Lebanese Red Cross organization to cover services that include: Emergency Medical Services, Disaster Management, Blood Transfusion Services, and more.
  • Is your donation tax-deductible in the US? No
Donate Here

Impact Lebanon

  • What is it? A Lebanese non-profit organization that focuses on local community initiatives. Led by volunteers. More here.
  • Where does your money go? To multiple NGOs. The list is not published yet, but they seem to have pretty stringent criteria for selection & quality assurance. They also promise transparency. Donations are crowdfunded through JustGiving.com (donations are in British Pounds).
  • Is your donation tax-deductible in the US? Unclear (probably not)
Donate Here

Beirut Emergency Fund 2020

  • What is it? A joint fundraising campaign led by multiple organizations, including SEAL, LIFE, LebNet, and the Kuwait America Foundation.
  • Where does your money go? To beneficiary organizations in Lebanon that focus on the most pressing needs resulting from this tragedy: Shelter, Food, Medication/Medical Support, Rehabilitation, and Environment. The specific list of NGO recipients is published on their site (updated regularly). They promise monitoring & transparency. More here.
  • Is your donation tax-deductible in the US? Yes [SEAL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; EIN #: 13-3953466]
Donate Here

Lebanon Children's Relief Fund

Save the Children
  • What is it? Save the Children is an international organization that believes every child deserves a future, and it helps children around the world during crises.
  • Where does your money go? To efforts related to helping children that have been impacted by the explosion. Note: Their website states that "ten percent of funds donated...go to our emergency reserves Children's Emergency Fund." More here.
  • Is your donation tax-deductible in the US? Yes [Save the Children Federation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization]
Donate Here

Jobs for Lebanon

  • What is it? An organization that helps create jobs in Lebanon for those affected by the economic crisis. More here.
  • Where does your money go? To local NGOs (for basic food commodities) and local vendors (for reconstruction efforts). The list of recipients is not published yet.
  • Is your donation tax-deductible in the US? Yes [Jobs For Lebanon is a US based 501(c)3 non-profit; EIN #: 85-0592096]
Donate Here

About + FAQs

Background

In early 2020, Lebanon was fighting an economic crisis and a COVID-19 pandemic. The country was already wobbling at the knees when on August 4, 2020, a catastrophic explosion hit its capital, Beirut. The blast left 150+ people dead, over 5,000 injured, and 300,000 displaced. Lebanon is going through a major crisis and needs help.

Why this website?

Many organizations, including local and international NGOs, jumped in to help support those in need. However, some people got overwhelmed and confused about where they can donate. A few websites, apps, and news articles tried to keep a list of those organizations, but most were lacking important contextual information. For example, some lists were not clear on what the organizations will do with the money, who specifically gets the funds (i.e., which NGOs), and whether the donations are tax-deductible (for those based in the US). This site is an attempt at trying to clarify all of that for you so you can make an informed decision.

Do you personally accept donations or make a commission?

No. This site does not accept any direct donations, nor does it make a commission off of any of those links. This is just a consolidated list of organizations with a direct link to their websites.

Who is behind this site?

My name is Hassan Osman. I'm Lebanese American and I live in Boston, Massachusetts. I'm a Director at Cisco Systems (views are my own), and I set up this site to try and guide others on how they can help. Please note: This is a one-person job, and even though I've had a couple of folks help out (including the awesome Habib Haddad), I need to manually keep the information current, so it might take some time to get updated. Also, I'm neither a lawyer nor a tax accountant, so please do your own due diligence before donating to those organizations.

What criteria are you using?

The primary focus of this list is on organizations that are directly supporting relief efforts related to the Beirut explosion. While there are many great international organizations helping out, I did not include them if their donation page is not very clear on how (and how much of) those donations are being directed to Lebanon.

How can I help?

You can help in one of three ways. First, please consider donating to one of the organizations listed above. Every little bit helps, even if it's just $10. Second, please share this site with others so that they can consider donating as well. Third, if you have a legitimate organization that's missing from this list (and meets the criteria), I'd appreciate it if you help out by sending me the info about it (link, logo, and bullets as shown above), so I can add it in.

Questions/ Concerns/ Request to add another org?

Please email me at hassan [[at]] thecouchmanager [[dot]] com