Emergency Humanitarian Relief

We are all deeply shocked and saddened by the brutal attack by Hamas on Israel and unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism.

As the world watches the distressing events unfold in Israel and Gaza, we, like many of you, want to do something to help. This is a full-scale humanitarian crisis and the UBS Optimus Foundation has launched a fundraising appeal to help all those who are suffering. 

We have seen a swift response, with USD 20 million pledged in donations and matching so far. With our matching pledge amount of USD 5 million reached, UBS will now continue to match your donations by 10 percent.

 

If you would like to support the fund and our partners, please read on and donate below.

Partners we are supporting

UBS Optimus Foundation has a long track record of responding to humanitarian crises, with a focus on helping children and families, and we have identified the first four relief partners to support our efforts:

  • International Committee of the Red Cross is an independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate to help people affected by armed conflict and other violence, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
  • Magen David Adom (MDA), which is a member of the International Red Cross / Red Crescent and serves as the Israeli Red Cross organization.
  • American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), which is working with partners on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank to provide humanitarian relief.
  • UJA Federation, which we will work with to deploy funds to its extensive network of organizations on the ground in Israel providing humanitarian aid in the immediate term, as well as support for recovery and resilience in the longer term.

Clients and employees are able to choose to make a donation either to the UBS Optimus Foundation, to allocate capital where it is most needed, or to a specific individual partner.

We are also thinking of and preparing for the future, and may continue to expand our network of partners over time to focus on the long-term, providing aid with resettlement and educational continuity for displaced families, and supporting community-driven approaches to a resilient recovery.

Our thoughts continue to be with all those who are suffering as we join others around the world in hoping for a swift and peaceful resolution.

Maximize your impact

  • Knowing where to give can be overwhelming; with our long-established partnerships, you benefit from grantees carefully pre-vetted by our team of experts.
  • The flexible nature of the Fund allows us to respond quickly as the situation changes, so we can share donations to other vetted partners if such a need arises.
  • We diligently track progress and share regular feedback.
  • We’ll match all donations by 10%.

How to give during a humanitarian crisis

To learn more from our experts about how to react thoughtfully and effectively with your philanthropy through the giving cycles of humanitarian crises, download the full guide.

In times of need, one of the most effective ways of giving for maximum impact is collectively. Would you like to connect and exchange with other philanthropists and changemakers? If so, ask your client advisor about joining our Global Philanthropists Community.

More questions? Please get in touch!

Ask your UBS Client or Financial Advisor or send us an email choosing your local UBS Optimus Foundation representative office

Disclaimer: The UBS Optimus Foundation is a grant-making foundation that offers UBS clients a platform to use their wealth to drive positive social and environmental change. The Foundation selects programs that improve children’s health, education and protection, ones that have the potential to be transformative, scalable and sustainable as well as programs tackling environmental and climate issues.

This information is for informational and educational purposes only and has no regard to the specific objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any specific recipient. It is not intended as a promotion of any UBS services nor an offer or a solicitation of an offer to sell or buy any product or other specific service. UBS Optimus Foundation does not provide investment, legal or tax advice. It strongly recommends to all persons considering the information herein to obtain appropriate independent legal, tax and other professional advice.

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