American Red Cross
Nationwide emergency relief, blood services, and disaster preparedness for Americans
Our editorial assessment
The American Red Cross is the backbone of the US domestic disaster response system, responding to approximately 60,000 disasters per year — from house fires (the overwhelming majority) to hurricanes and wildfires. They also provide roughly 40% of the nation's blood supply and train millions in CPR and first aid annually. The Red Cross has faced legitimate criticism regarding disaster response efficiency and executive compensation, and their programme spending ratio of 84% is adequate but not exceptional. However, no other organisation provides comparable scale of domestic disaster response, blood services, and community preparedness training. For donors who want to support the core infrastructure of American disaster resilience, the Red Cross remains essential.
The problem they're solving
When disaster strikes anywhere in the United States, the Red Cross is typically the first non-government responder on scene. Their volunteer network of hundreds of thousands provides shelter, food, and emotional support to disaster victims while coordinating with federal and local emergency management agencies.
About American Red Cross
The American Red Cross responds to 60,000 disasters annually and provides 40% of the nation's blood supply.
Where your dollar goes
How this score was produced
The GiveWise score is our own editorial assessment, produced with a weighted rubric covering program spending, transparency and governance, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and leadership. It draws on publicly available reports from independent evaluators such as GiveWell, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch, but it is not a rating issued or endorsed by any of those organisations. Read the full methodology →