Operation USA

Operation USA helps communities alleviate the effects of disasters, disease and endemic poverty throughout the world by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction and development aid. It provides material and financial assistance to grassroots organizations that promote sustainable development, leadership and capacity building, income generating activities, provide education and health services, and advocate on behalf of vulnerable people.

Around the world, and here at home, disasters strike every day. Sometimes it is a sudden and unpredictable act of nature---like an earthquake or a hurricane. Other times it could be famine, or political instability that bubbles over into full-blown crisis. And just as all disasters are different, so are the needs of people swept up in them. Some need the most basic necessities--food and water; some require medical attention. Others need shelter, or the rebuilding of infrastructure or educational capacity. When disaster strikes, governments and nonprofit groups pour millions of dollars into the region. But how can you be sure that your donation gets to those who need it most?

At Operation USA, they keep it simple: They ask. For the last 30+ years, Operation USA has gone right to the source by talking to local community leaders and people most affected by the crisis. They, more than anyone, know exactly what they need to save lives and restore livelihoods. Then, Operation USA partners with them to make sure they have what they need, quickly and directly. No big government contracts. No red tape. Just a direct line into the communities and people in need.  This way, when you give, it gets there.

And long after the news media and other organizations are gone, Operation USA is still there. Because a village reduced to rubble by a massive earthquake in Haiti, or an American city decimated by a Category 5 hurricane can't recover in a matter of days, or even weeks. Sometimes it takes years. So, Operation USA stays and ensures that communities and families whose lives have been turned upside down can get back on their feet. Operation USA doesn't just respond with relief; it rebuilds with commitment.

Operation USA has always been based in Los Angeles---it is the organization's home, and the Operation USA team are happy to have spent over 30 years here! "We love LA: the weather, the beach, the left-coast attitude. As one of the few disaster relief agencies based in LA, we are happy to be both a local resource and the go-to agency for locals to call their own...and we welcome volunteers!”

Selected Awards:
Best Charities in America
Worth Magazine, 2001

Nobel Peace Prize (Co-Recipient, International Campaign to Ban Landmines)
Nobel Foundation, 1997

President’s Volunteer Award
United States Government, 1983