British Red Cross helps more than half a million people through its Disaster Fund

2025 placed huge demands on the humanitarian sector, with the British Red Cross responding to prolonged and increasingly complex crises around the world. These crises, driven by conflict, extreme weather and natural disasters, created unrelenting pressure on communities and humanitarian responders alike. In this challenging environment, it has become a necessity for humanitarian organisations to innovate, adapt, and strengthen its capabilities to ensure it can be there for people whenever and wherever they need support. 

The Disaster Fund helps the British Red Cross do just that, offering an agile and flexible solution to immediately respond to crises when they strike, even when they don’t capture the media or public’s attention. £3.5m was allocated from the fund in 2025, with one person being supported for every £6.90 spent. The fund is designed to help people prepare for crises, ensure a quick response when disaster does strike, and support communities on their long road to recovery from an emergency. 

Last year, the Disaster Fund: 

• Provided more than 1,000 people with emergency shelter in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
• Supported more than 18,000 people affected by the conflict in Sudan
• Funded critical humanitarian aid to address the hunger crisis in Nigeria
• Helped our emergency response teams prepare for winter storms across the UK
• Supported the IFRC’s DREF (Disaster Emergency Response Fund), that supported 129 emergency operations in 73 countries in 2025, reaching 13 million people. 

David Foster, Global Response Manager, British Red Cross, said: 

“Millions of people across the world faced disaster in 2025. These increasingly frequent and intense emergencies place great pressure on the global humanitarian system. As protracted conflicts, extreme weather and displacement plunge lives into crisis and compound and trigger further crises. 

“Our Disaster Fund plays a vital role in helping us respond quickly and flexibly to these crises. It supports a faster response that saves more lives, better preparation that prevents risks turning into tragedies and recovery that allows people to discover their dignity and dream again. The Disaster Fund can be the difference between despair and hope. 

“We’re grateful for all those who supported our Disaster Fund in 2025, who made this vital work possible. Your continued support in 2026 will help us as we try once again to respond not to a single emergency, but to many unfolding at once at the same time.” 

About the British Red Cross

For over 150 years, the British Red Cross has helped people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. With millions of volunteers in over 190 countries, the British Red Cross is part of an international humanitarian Movement that’s there for people before, during and after a crisis. Together, we are the world’s emergency responders. www.redcross.org.uk