Direct Relief ranked No. 5 largest U.S. charity
It has been a big year of change for Santa Barbara-based Direct Relief, welcoming a new chief executive, but the global humanitarian nonprofit is still helping people all around the world at a massive scale.
That is why the nonprofit ranked as the fifth largest charity in the United States and one of the most effective stewards of private donations, according to Forbes’ 2025 annual list of the 100 Top U.S. Charities, which ranks organizations by private donations.
According to the report, which was released on Dec. 12, in fiscal year 2025, which ended on June 30, Direct Relief mobilized $2.38 billion in humanitarian aid, which, despite being slightly lower than last year’s record mark of $2.4 billion, is still up from 2023’s contribution of $2.26 billion, which was also a record at the time.
Forbes also awarded Direct Relief a 100% rating for fundraising efficiency, highlighting the organization’s minimal fundraising costs relative to private donations, and a 99% score for charitable commitment, reflecting the proportion of expenses allocated directly to its charitable mission. Only Good360, which doled out $3.2 billion in humanitarian aid and ranked No. 2 on the list, had perfect scores in both fundraising efficiency and charitable commitment.
During the fiscal year 2025, Direct Relief noted that it had distributed 308 million defined daily doses of medicine to more than 2,636 healthcare facilities across 91 countries and all 50 U.S. states. In total, Direct Relief donated pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and supplies with a wholesale value of $1.9 billion and provided $69 million in grants to healthcare providers around the world, according to the press release.
The nonprofit also supported midwives, which helped enable more than 45,000 safe births in 17 countries.
Direct Relief has surpassed more than $2 billion in medical and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the war began in 2022, making it one of the largest private philanthropic supporters of the country’s health system.
To help address the lack of affordable prescription medicine in the United States, Direct Relief provides needed medications to nonprofit health centers and clinics that collectively serve about one in 11 people in the country. In its 2025 fiscal year, Direct Relief’s assistance to the U.S. exceeded $300 million.
Direct Relief also provided help to local causes. The LA wildfires that sparked at the beginning of 2025 were met with swift action from Direct Relief, with an initial focus on lifesaving support, including deploying prescription medications to shelters, field medic backpacks to first responders, and more than 140,000 N95 respirators to protect residents and emergency personnel from smoke.
In addition to all the aid Direct Relief provided, the nonprofit received recognition, winning the Seoul Peace Prize in 2025, one of the world’s most distinguished honors for humanitarian achievement.
Direct Relief was also recently named the TIME 2025 Dreamer of the Year, honoring the organization’s disaster response and sustained recovery efforts in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires.
The nonprofit also welcomed its newest CEO in 2025. In May, Amy Weaver officially took over as CEO of Direct Relief, succeeding Thomas Tighe, who spent more than two decades in the role.
“This really is the opportunity of a lifetime… People often say that lawyers are very risk-averse, but I have never been risk-averse with my own career,” Weaver told the Business Times in June.
“One of my favorite sayings is from a man named William Sloan Coffin, and he said, ‘I love the recklessness of faith. First, you leap, and then you grow wings,’ and I think a lot about that in my own career.”
C-SUITE CHANGES
In addition to the Forbes and TIME recognition, Direct Relief announced that it has hired Craig Redmond as its COO, overseeing the humanitarian medical aid group’s humanitarian programs, emergency response operations, and related functions.
Redmond previously served as CEO of Relief International between 2022 and 2025, where he led a global team of more than 7,000 staff and local volunteers working in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, providing humanitarian aid to communities affected by conflict and disaster.
Byron Scott moves from his role as president and COO to the new position of Chief Health Officer, effective Jan. 1, where he will advise across all health and medical issues and oversee Direct Relief’s grantmaking activities, Power for Health, and the Fund for Health Equity. Scott served as Direct Relief’s interim CEO between January and May 2025.
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